I love when I dream in Spanish.
Recently, I learned that our church co-sponsors a missionary in Little Rock, Arkansas. He spends his time ministering to the Hispanic community there and also pastors a small church. Learning this reminded me just how much I enjoy learning/knowing/speaking Spanish.
Known around the world as a romantic language, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world. It is for this reason that, beginning in elementary school, my mom required that my siblings and I take Spanish lessons. I have to say, they bored me quite frequently in the beginning. In the group we were taking with, I was definitely the slow learner. I still remember listening to everyone else being able to recite Bible verses and phrases and me having to stand awkwardly not being able to remember them.
But as with many things, Spanish became easier the older I became. Mentally, I was able to comprehend more and developed a memory for the language. But when I reached high school, things got even more interesting. See, my siblings and I had always taken Spanish from any independent tutor willing to teach it to us. It just so happened that at this point, the teacher was a Spanish pastor.
He was a very tough teacher, for sure. He definitely did not believe in letting us just slide by with an acceptable answer. I really enjoyed his class and felt very challenged. But there is always something uncomfortable about speaking a foreign language. He actually asked that I preach to his church someday. Regretfully, I declined. That is one decision I can honestly say that I wish I would have made differently. The fears are still the same, but I believe I would have developed much more as a communicator as a result.
Fortunately for me, this missionary our church sponsors may give me another chance to fulfill that desire. But (believe it or not) the purpose of this post is not to lament about my high school Spanish, or to tell you how excited I am to be learning more about the language. That is not what this blog is about. My purpose is to encourage you to pick up a foreign language.
The excuse that I hear more than anything else is age. There are many people who believe that age is an issue when it comes to physical fitness, learning, and a slough of other things. I personally think that age doesn't matter as long as you don't. Do you die when you get old? Sure. But I don't think things get more difficult, necessarily. I think you just have to find different ways to do them. Maybe you can't cram all night for a test the next day anymore. But rest assured, there is another way to learn the material, even if it is a slower process. You have to work hard and find what is most profitable for you.
With that little rant out of the way. Let's explore some reasons for learning a new language:
1. Convenience
I don't know how much you travel, but think about how beneficial it would be (especially internationally) if you could literally travel English-free. You would no longer need an interpreter. A friend of mine in college spoke Spanish fluently. When he wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country, whether for a mission trip or just as a vacation, he did not have to give it a second thought. The convenience of being able to communicate with so many people across the globe is incomparable.
2. Mental Sharpness
Let me be the first to tell you, learning a new language is hard. Reading, writing, and speaking are all literally foreign. The task of learning fluency in another language forces your brain to work twice as hard, especially in the beginning stages. You do not start off being able to dream in a foreign language. You hear a phrase, translate, think of your response, translate again, and then speak. It is a very exhausting process. But it keeps your brain working and makes you mentally stronger, as a result. Before I completely divert you from learning a foreign language, let me mention the most important reason.
3. Gospel
Jesus told His disciples (and us as believers) to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation. That command does not just end with your native tongue. I will not go so far as to say that God commands us to take on a second language because I do not believe that is the case. However, I don't think there is any arguing against the fact that you can much more effectively carry out this command when you can communicate with more people. Learning a foreign language allows you to do just that.
I hope to write an entire post in Spanish soon. Do me a favor and plug it into Google translate and read it anyway. I am looking forward both to preaching and writing in a second language because I think I will be a better professional as a result. Do yourself a favor and try something new. Pick a language, immerse yourself in its culture and learn. You will be a better individual and a more effective Christian as a result. Until next time, stay classy.
-Andrew
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