How Foreign Language Found Me....Ava

I will be honest and admit that I hadn't set out looking for a foreign language per Se. I was merely looking for a way to make my time. It was getting to be fairly difficult to manage in English. So, like many of us, I dabbled in Spanish for a minute. I even started a few studies but I handed them over. I looked into Sign Language. I even went as far as going to an ASL Convention in Toledo, OH. I took my sister who is hearing impaired. It was super amazing! She attended a few congregation meetings with me while she visited but she didn't continue studying. I think if she had continued I may have stayed with ASL. At any rate, it just didn't seem to be for me.

Struggling with trying to keep up my hours while working a full time job wasn't working well and I began feeling as though I may need to come off the pioneer list. During this same period I had the privilege of attending pioneer school. One of my classmates invited me in the ministry with her. This is what saved my life! I would leave my home no later than 6:30 am in order to make it to work in Marietta by 8:30. By 4:30 PM I was on my way to Clarkston, GA for Bible studies in Burmese. I would get home to Loganville by 8:30 at night. It wasn't easy but Jehovah saw me through it and I am thankful to him and that dear sister for having enough confidence in me to introduce me to such a wonderful ministry!!

Since then I have not turned back. I began to pick up the Kayin language. Of course I had to pick it up because at one time I had no less than 12 studies and they all spoke Kayin. I did finally learn how to read Kayin but I also learned some Karenni words, a little Burmese and even less Nepalese.

I would have never thought in a million years that I would ever be able to wrap my mind around another language, ESPECIALLY an Asian language. But because of Jehovah's spirit not my own strength, my roommie and I have had the privilege of having a part in forming the Kayin group and have moved on to support the Laotian Group. We are now learning to speak and read this new language which will prepare us for our move to Thailand.