As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:10-12
Since I've been home I've been attending the Hispanic ministry at my church. I go to Sunday school, worship and the Wednesday night Bible study. This has been an amazing way for me to keep up with my Spanish and be in interaction with some people who are in a very similar situation as the Latin Americans I will work with in Spain. Many of the people are immigrants that have to navigate in English every day. Needless to say they have an appreciation for people who want to speak Spanish! One day the pastor told me that my Spanish was good for a gringa. I laughed on the inside and felt such a satisfaction that I wasn't a complete Spanish speaking failure. Another time some of the ladies asked me to read a Bible verse in Spanish; they were kind of giggling. I laughed and asked them if my Spanish was really bad. They replied "Oh no! It's really good." Then another lady told me they just aren't used to seeing a white person speak Spanish and they enjoy hearing me! Go figure, right?
Many times I follow what's being said or I get the gist of the point being made. Sometimes I get lost and then my mind just wanders for a bit. I am so thankful that I am starting to wrap my mind around the language all the more, even if there are times when I'm lost! I now have a complete Spanish/English Bible that is a huge help in my navigation throughout the studies we do. It was a gift to me from a sweet family in the ministry. The husband, Carlos, has such an evident love for the Lord and gave me some amazing advice. He said that learning a language through the Bible is the best way to learn a language. He said the language in the Bible is so pure, and while you study the Bible are in the presence of God. Can you think of any better time to learn something than when you are in God's presence? I think he's very right about that, and I have taken his advice and use the bilingual Bible almost every night.
I am so challenged by this group of people. Their love for one another is obvious, and their concern for each other's lives in shown in the way they pray. Man... if you haven't heard these people pray then I don't know if you've really prayed at all! (not really... just making a point) This community spends adequate time praying for one another and every request is put out there. It has been so refreshing to see this vulnerability and to experience this time in prayer making request known to the Father. It challenges me to consider how I approach the throne of God. Do I approach it with a time limit? Do I approach the throne with transparency of my heart? My new friends have shown me that they in fact do these things.
Another thing that I LOVE about the Bible study is the way in which they handle the Word. I think it's more than fair to say they are present day Bereans. We will read a verse from the Bible, and they discuss it, they test out its application in their life, and they don't just accept what one another says without seeing what the Bible says first. Bereans were a pretty tough crowd if they are making sure what Paul (yes, even Paul) was saying was true. I see this same hunger for truth in the Hispanic ministry. I love how we will spend most of the time in these rapid fire discussions (it seems rapid to me because it's all in another language). They are so passionate about knowing the Lord. They have no shame in asking questions because they have the humility it takes to learn. They also have no shame in correcting one another in love and encouragement.
This group of people have greatly impacted me, and I was humbled to discover that before I had even attended this ministry they had been praying for me. One of the favorite things I was told by my friend Augustina "Tina" was how much she loved me and how I was her sister. She said, "You know we are family?" She is so right. We are family, and when I reflect on their love for me in this short time I am humbled to tears. They have accepted me and helped me. That's what a family does, and I am blessed to have gotten to know some more of my brothers and sisters.
Please pray that a week from now I'll be getting ready to go to Virginia to finish my training! I am itching to go and am strong enough at this point to make it. Pray that my walking speed continually increases, and that my legs keep healing. Your prayers are really what keeps me healing so quickly, but my legs still have trauma that needs to heal. So, don't stop the prayers! Thank you so much and please let me know ways I can pray for you!
In Him,
Taryn
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