Lindsay- Lindsay
A Tool to Use Well
I’ve been feeling so encouraged these past few days. (As I’ve said before, it’s a daily swing of emotions!)
For example…
Things I can do now that I couldn’t do in September:
Not panic when someone starts talking to me in French
Understand train announcements
Have a normal conversation with a (patient) friend
Read and follow recipes
Read, almost exclusively these days, my Bible in French
Sing a variety of French worship songs
Talk to my kids in French and have them correct my pronunciation
Have a parent-teacher conference at the kids’ school
Read every note that comes home from school
Help someone else figure out public transit
Overhear and understand snippets of conversations around me
Navigate Swiss culture things… like always taking shoes off and bringing a small gift when your child has a playdate at someone’s house!
Remember that all grocery stores close on Sundays and holidays
And most recently:
Tell the story of how we joined Wycliffe and explain the events following up until this point all in French. (This was a big win for me today specifically!)
Things I’ll probably never be able to do:
Successfully talk on the phone in French (It’s the last milestone I expect to reach!)
Just as we’re starting to feel comfortable with the language here and able to function, we’re going to leave. But that has been the point all along. When placed in the grand scheme of things, our time in Switzerland is serving the exact purpose it was designed to. We’ll have more transition to navigate in Africa, but this time we’ll have a huge head-start on the language!
We are sad to leave here, but we’re SO excited to be in Côte d’Ivoire - using our French to dive in, build relationships, find a church home, and learn a new culture!
“God had called me and He would equip me for the ministry. Language was a tool I would learn to use and with His enabling, I would use it well.”
From Evidence Not Seen, an autobiography by Darlene Deibler Rose who was a missionary to Papua New Guinea in the 30’s and was captured as a prisoner of war by the Japanese during WWII.
We had some friends visit us from Iowa this past week and we crammed all sorts of fun Swiss things into their week! Raclette, fondue, crêpes, Gruyére cheese factory, Cailler chocolate factory, hikes, and even a weekend trip to the Alps and Sion! We’re soaking up the ability we have right now to travel and explore! (In approximately two months, travel will look very different!) We’re so thankful for time with friends and encouragement - now, we buckle down for our last few weeks!
