Silence

It’s crazy how you can form relationships with people that don’t speak your language. I mean, I speak some of their language, but still that’s really cool how God does that. We can be “WE,” not just “them” who speak Spanish and “us” who speak English.

Believe it or not, I feel like this time for me here in Bolivia has been a time of silence. If you know me pretty well, this would maybe surprise you and you’d expect this to be hard for me. I like being in charge, encouraging others, praying for others, teaching others, and just talking. All of these things are really hard when I can’t fully express myself in Spanish. But you know, I also like to listen. Listen and observe. I’ve been forced to do a lot of listening, which is much harder when I’m trying to figure out what is being said in Spanish. This is also very humbling. Now it even hurts to talk because I’m sick with a sore throat.

For example, on Saturday I went to a hotel with Betsy, my host mom, her friend from La Paz and her 2 little girls. I sat by the older one, who is 8-years-old, on the hour trip back home.  I asked her some questions and we chatted a bit. Once I ran out of things to say, she just kept talking. And talking and talking. “Ahh, sí. Wow!” I said over and over. I was so tired, hot, and slightly sick. It’s hard work to really listen and comprehend. I understood some of what she told me, but a lot of it was just listening.

 But somehow, even in the silence, God has opened doors to form relationships with the people I’ve met here in Bolivia, including the kids. He’s given me wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen and learn, to know when to ask questions and when to talk about myself. And what is so beautiful is often times I don’t even need words. A hug, a kiss on the forehead, holding a small hand, a pat on the back, a smile, says enough.