The Language Barrier

A piece of wood that will soon be part of a couch

Right now, Jodi and I are living in a house with 6 pieces of furniture.  We have a folding table and 4 folding chairs.  There is also a really nice entertainment center that was made locally (thanks to the previous occupants of our house).  I bring this up because right now, we are in the middle of getting a couch made (yay, 7 pieces of furniture!).  There is a big long story that can go along with us finding the wood, the carpenter, coming up with the design, how it won't fit through our doors . . . but I'm not going to bore you with that here.  If you want to know, ask us, we like to speak English.  Don't get me wrong, we like to speak Spanish, we would love to speak it more, there is just something about that "language barrier" that gets in the way. 

Left to Right: Pedro, Jodi, Julio (our Spanish teacher)

Just for fun sometime, go to a different country (it's not really that easy, I am aware of that) and ask somebody for directions or try to buy bread (when I ask how much the bread costs, I'm really just looking for a number, anything more than that and I'm just going to nod and smile).  Or for even more fun, do what we are doing, try to tell someone who doesn't speak "your" language how to make a piece of furniture to your specifications.  It's not easy (we have even been told it's impossible).  You can draw pictures and wave your arms around a lot.  You can talk louder than you normally would, you can even have an interpreter.  The fact is, it's just not an easy task.  When there is a "language barrier", it's really hard to get what you want in life. 

From the back of Pedro's woodshop

If you don't believe me, ask the 20 or so kids taking Computer or English classes through Educate BV right now.  They don't have computers, or access to computers.  Can you imagine living in a world that is dominated by technology and never having an opportunity to work on a computer?  Can you imagine your son or daughter in high school (or even middle school)  not having access to a computer?  How would you like to apply for a job in 2013 and not have any computer skills?  I don't even know if it would be possible to apply for a job without using a computer.  That's the way it is for many of these kids if we don't step up and make a difference.  They have many more barriers than not having access to a computer.  We want to tear down these barriers.   If we don't step up and do it , most of these kids end up repeating the cycles of poverty and abuse that their parents and grandparents have repeated.  (Computers aren't the only barrier these kids face, you can go to educatebv.com and learn more).   We want to make a difference in their lives, and they in turn want to make a difference in the life of their village.  They want to see it changed as much as we do.  They want to be a part of that change just like we do.  That's what's so exciting about what we get to do. 

We want this village to be a story of what God can do when His people surrender themselves and set aside their goals to make room for His goals.  None of us can change this village on our own.  The only way it can happen is by God giving us the strength and wisdom to do it. 
Thanks for all your help and prayers.  We couldn't be here without ya'll (just for you M.H.).

Britt and Jodi
Mickey, Pierce, Clint, Kate,
Meg, Morgan, Reagan