Langauges, languages everywhere! And a first for me!

Since the beginning of the year, I have been learning to crochet.  I generally do not have time to do much for myself, so getting to do this is exciting, especially since Rich also watches the kids while I get to go learn. 

When I first went, my crochet teacher, who is a pastor's wife, tried to talk to me as I worked.  However, that did not last long because I had to pay too much attention to the work but wanted to chat.  So in time they began chatting in their own mother tongue as long as it was just family.  If neighbor's came by they often spoke in the language I speak, so I would have to look up from my work.  Sometimes another neighbor would come by speaking the language we had learned before, which requires even more effort on my part now, which meant I just had to sit the work down.  Once done with our lesson, my teacher initiated that we would pray together for one another's family and ministry.  She prayed in the national language and I prayed in the local language we speak now.  After a few weeks of really concentrating and not much chatting, I finally have the hang of it.  Maybe one day before too long I will be able to do it and chat at the same time.  So my crochet lesson involves no less than three language and usually ends up being four. 

The languages thing is pretty common when visiting in homes around here.  I have recently been visiting with a lady who in enjoying reading the Word.  She is technically old enough to be my mother, since she has children my age, but she is not much older than my sister.  A few weeks ago she was looking for her resume.  Her contract with the school at which she had been teaching had ended in December.  She had searched though a ton of papers before I got there but could only find her son's resume, which could be used as a template, but she really wanted to find hers.  She did eventually find it.  One of the headings on every resume here is languages.  Both she and her son had five languages listed. 

How is it that we as Americans are so proud of ourselves when we speak just one language outside of English?  How is it that these people who speak so many languages can see themselves as lacking intellect just because they do not have as many degrees as we do? 

O, in the title, I mentioned a first for me.  When I went to my crochet lesson yesterday, my teacher's husband told me to go on in the house, because my teacher was getting dressed.  I went inside and placed a bag of clothes for their son who is a little younger than William and their daughter who is seven months younger than Lydia-Ann.  My teacher, and friend, got distracted from her dressing by the clothes.  She was only half-dressed but was so excited that she hugged me.  I am not sure what shocked me more, being hugged by a half-dressed woman or the level of gratitude which she showed.  I pray that I will always remember how truly blessed I, and my children, have been by all that we have been given.