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 If you are like me, every once in a while you get a little tired
of language learning, but then something happens and you remember why
it is so important. The other day was my moment. Our teacher asked us a question that translated would mean, "What is your life plan?" For me, that translates into my walk with Jesus, not work, recreation, travel goals, or something else. So in my mind, I immediately went to one of my favorite quotes by a puritan author named Henry Scougal. In his book, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, he says, "Whatever you most love is what you will most be like. If you love base and vile things, you will become base and vile." This quote is very close to my life plan, to become more Christlike in character. So I quickly ran through the Croatian words I know and when called on to share my life plan said something like this, "Ja mislim da što volim najbolje, što biti kao. Ja volim Isus Krist" Those were not exact, but I was really quite proud of myself. My teacher smiled kindly, and asked me a question or two and I quickly realized I had effectively said a random string of words that did not translate into a coherent thought in Croatian. So I quickly added, "I want my character to be like that of Jesus Christ."
Later, I asked one missionary and two friends what my sentence meant and they laughed at my phrasing, saying that it was indeed jibberish. The words were correct, but the way they were strung together did not work. So I asked my language helper and she gave me the following sentence. "Vjerujem da ono što najviše voliš najviše utijeće na tvoj
život. Ja volim Isusa Krista. (I believe
that what you love most, most affects your life. I love Jesus Christ.)
So, we are pressing on in school, and learning well. To end this on a different note, I brought our car into the Ford dealership for servicing today, and was able to communicate with the guy at the service counter about time, cost, and small talk as well. so while I am struggling in communicating the philosophical thoughts, I am able to relate in several different contexts.
Ah, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, man, you're doing fine - and you're persistent at it, which is what really counts! Just keep on keeping on! The quote was just what I need to hear today. Thanks for sharing! |
Croatia 
