Language lessons

3:36 p.m. Today's project was to begin serious listening and speaking back with, my Spanish language program. Since I was once very fluent in Spanish, having learned it from the age of 10 through university, I thought I'd begin at the intermediate level for review and practice. At the last few schools where I worked before retiring in 2009, I had opportunity to speak with parents frequently, and so was able to stay in practice. I also would listen to Spanish Bible studies on the way to work on radio station 94.3 FM. These days, I still understand what I hear and read, but speaking is challenging, painfully slow, and not very accurate!

What spurred me on at this time? It was all the Lord and His timing. He has brought me a tutoring job with the high school age daughter of a doctor from India who wants her child to learn correct, academic Spanish. Through a sister at church, Ana Castellanos, the doctor and I had been playing phone tag a couple of years ago, and gave up. It was a fluke, or better yet, a "God thing!" I was sitting in my car on a shady street on the 4th of July while waiting to go over to my daughter Heather's in-laws' home for my second barbecue of the day, when it occurred to me to listen to the 22 voice mails on my cellphone. And there was Ana's voice, saying that the doctor wanted to talk to me soon, and leaving me her home phone number!!! What on earth? Could I actually do this, with two more years of rust on my vocal chords?

I double checked with Ana, and prayerfully called the doctor.  At this point, the daughter has taken Spanish 1 and 2, and done well. Apparently she is pretty ambitious, because she wants to skip Spanish 3 and go on to Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish, which requires an oral exam. (I recall that experience for the Spanish SAT exam I took back in 1969). So, the doctor told me, her daughter needs someone qualified to converse with her, and work with her on her assignments. (AP students have summer school work).

I swiftly prayed while the doctor was talking, and finally agreed to meet  the young lady on the 12th. One thing that gave me the courage to try is that God brought this employment opportunity my way without it even crossing my mind; and, the fact that I am so rusty verbally that only He could give me the words and ability to perform acceptably!  So I am completely flinging myself onto Jesus, who knows the mind and heart of my potential pupil and her mother, and knows the purpose of my meeting them as well!

I love the story of King Jehoshaphat while under attack from Syria in 2 Chronicles 18:31:

So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. 

In that battle, God saved the godly king of Judah and killed the wicked King Ahab of Israel!

The more we know and trust God, the more we can call out to him in prayer, not just in dire circumstances like in the heat of battle or from lack of confidence in our abilities, but daily, hourly, regularly "casting all your care upon Him because He cares for you" (I Peter 5:7).

As for my latest adventure, I'm just not ignoring my limitations, quaking in fear and presumptuously figuring on God to just turn on the Spanish portion of my brain in the nick of  time--though He could and He may--but have been listening to that Spanish evangelical station again for hours a day whenever possible, and am working with the CD programs in earnest. We shall see--only the Lord knows how our first meeting will turn out! (And how He intends to use it)!

I covet your prayers, and let's pray for one another regularly, as I know you do! Please feel free to comment back on your own prayer needs.