As an older student of 52 it was a daunting task to begin learning the Spanish language!

Both of our twin daughters speak Spanish and we hope this will be fun as a family as my wife Marcia and I learn Spanish together. Later in life we hope to be with our daughter in Ecuador for extended periods of time. She is a missionary there. Lauren loves the Ecuadorian people and has established many relationships of lasting value over the past three years.  My wife and I hope to visit there and we would love to be able to engage the people in the language of their culture.

Also, I have found times when I would love to speak to the Hispanic people I come in contact with regarding their faith. I know the Hispanic culture has a rich heritage of faith in Christ and would love to interact with them effectively. As a minister, I truly want to understand them, and also be able to minister to their emotional, physical and spiritual needs.

In our last church in southern Ohio we had an opportunity to interact with a group of Hispanic families in a nearby community.  We did all we could in trying to befriend their family, but the language barrier was too formidable for both sides. Now, we are in West Virginia and see many opportunities for service and want to be prepared.

In the meantime, my wife and I are looking at this as an fun activity that is outside of both of our regular routines! It has been fun to sense that we are growing together in a new activity that will have wonderful rewards in the future. She has a cousin from Ecuador who lives in the States and we look forward to communicating with her in Spanish as well!

Both Marcia and I have enjoyed working with our Spanish tutor and appreciate her work very much.