Why Bother?
Language learning will prove to be an important key - if not the key - to a successful and enjoyable TIMO experience. Besides facilitating communication and understanding, learning a person’s language is a powerful evangelistic tool for a number of reasons.
Respect
It is difficult to accept the words of someone who does not respect you. Many Africans assume that foreign visitors do not view them as equals because economically and educationally, visitors usually have more resources. Learning and speaking in your host’s language makes a statement that you have respect and appreciation for the individual and his or her culture.
Humility and Learner Attitude
The flip side of demonstrating respect by learning the language is that we are also displaying a humble, learner attitude. To stumble along in preschool speech is terrifying for most of us but is delightful for your African hosts to observe and helps balance the weight of degrees and wallets we bring with us. The sacrifice of placing oneself in a vulnerable position is not lost on most Africans, and they will usually respond with a commensurate degree of love and openness.
Culture
It is nearly axiomatic among cultural anthropologists that one cannot know another person’s culture before knowing that person’s language. Most cultural uniqueness is transmitted through the nuances of language, so learning the language of the people you are living among will unlock for you the mysteries of their culture. The more that we know about a culture, the more we are able to articulate the gospel in a relevant and contextual way.
Relationships
Proclamation evangelism meets lifestyle evangelism in one-on-one relationships. The gospel is usually communicated most powerfully through loving friendships, and these friendships are aided immeasurably by the people being able to effectively communicate with each other.
Language Learning Is Ministry
If the above consequences of language learning are true as we believe them to be, then language learning is not the hurdle to leap to arrive at ministry but is itself an integral part of our ministry. The experience of past TIMO teams has shown that those individuals and teams with the highest commitment to language learning are the individuals and teams who have the greatest degree of success in ministry.
How Do We Do It?
Avoid Trade Languages
Because TIMO usually ministers in areas where access has been limited, there is often a lack or total absence of written language helps for learning the local language. The temptation is to begin to learn the trade language (e.g., Swahili) at home so that you won’t be a complete verbal cripple when you get off the plane. Please don’t succumb to this temptation! Besides being a potential source of division on the team, knowing a trade language in which you can limp along in usually will inhibit the learning of your target language. The nearly universal testimony of TIMO alumni is that if they had to do it over again, they would not learn any other language before jumping into their target language.
Succeed By Failing
There is a principle which says, “If you want to become more successful, double your failure rate.” This is an especially applicable principle in the area of language learning. The learners who are consistently stepping outside their comfort zone, speaking to people, and making mistakes are the ones who will attain a facility in language fastest. The more mistakes that one experiences, the more he or she will be learning. Remember the phrase, “Frequency, Not Fluency”.
Don’t Become UnGLUEed
After two years on the TIMO team, you may know more about the LAMP method and the Brewsters than you would care to know, but it would be helpful to familiarize yourself now with the learning cycle that TIMO uses which is taught by Doctors Tom and Betty Sue Brewster in their book, Language Acquisition Made Practical.
Get a short text in your new language.
Listen to your text repeatedly until you can say it easily.
Use your text as many times as possible.
Evaluate your text and your performance.
Accountability
As far as possible, TIMO will attempt to help you to live up to your commitment of learning your target language. Peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing, and there will be a natural desire on the part of team members not to be left in the dust linguistically by the rest of the team. In addition, the team leader and the TIMO Language Coordinator will regularly encourage you to meet the language learning goals which you have set for yourself.