Apa? What?

Probably the most difficult thing that I have encountered so far is the language barrier. I spoke in an earlier blog about the fact that we have to connect at a deeper level, and that through Jesus, we can. There is however, something to be said about the instant communication you have with the people that you can easily express thought to. Though there are more than enough people here that speak English to keep me out of trouble, there are really only a handful, even here on the compound. I enjoy listening to the tones and patterns of Indonesian, but it is simply not the same as understanding the conversation. 

One thing that I have learned through this experience is really how interested I am in what people say. I have found myself saying more than once, not just "What did he say?" but "What would he say? What kind of interaction am I watching here." It is really relatively easy to figure out if someone is telling a joke or if they are talking business, but what kind of a joke would they tell? So often we take advantage of the fact that we can understand people, and if not them per-say, we at least know what they said, and what kind of thing it was that they said.

Learning Indonesian is obviously going to help, and helping the people around me to speak better English will help as well. This is convenient as those are the two primary reasons that I came, but at the same time, language takes a long time to learn. I have always liked the idea of being a linguist, on my ambitious days I would love to learn 10+ languages, but reality can be harsh. Though I have not studied it very much yet, language is difficult for me to remember, and I know that only by the grace of God will I be able to speak Indonesian relatively well when I head home. Thankfully we work for a God who is good and kind, and who happens to work in miracles, I have hope.

The last paragraph seems to be just some thoughts thrown at the paper. Never the less, no matter how well written, I see the long dark tunnel, the light at the end, and the train behind the light. I guess my best option is to hop on the train and see where it takes me. Who knows, maybe I will learn something on the way...