Week 4 - 27 December 2015: "The Language Will Come"

Dear Luke,

You have the wonderful opportunity to be able to learn a foreign language.  There are many blessings that come of it, both temporal and spiritual.  For example, as a bilingual person, you will more marketable when searching for a job.  You will also be more marketable if searching for a notoriously beautiful Brazilian woman to marry (after your mission!).  On a more spiritual note, you will help to fulfill the prophesy that “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power” (D&C 90:11).  That's a wonderful privilege. If we assume all of the members who live in Brazil speak Portuguese, you will be able to communicate with close to ten percent of the members of the Church in addition to the English-speaking majority.  You will also understand more about language in general.  You will even understand English better.  You will recognize more Latin roots in English words as a result of learning a Latin-based romance language.  In fact, when I was writing my last letter to you, I realized the word "angel" is within the word "evangelize." I wouldn't have noticed that if I hadn't first realized the Spanish word for angel, "ángel" is within the Spanish word for gospel, "evangelio." In Portuguese the word for gospel is "evangelho." That's not a coincidence.  They share a root.  Angels are related to the gospel in both scripture and language.  You will find many insights like that as you study Portuguese.

But the blessings of learning a language don't come without a price.  Learning a language is hard.  It  can be frustrating and stressful.  My purpose today is to give you some suggestions that might help you out.

I went to the MTC in Chile pretty often while I was on my mission because it was part of the same complex as the temple and the mission doctor and other offices.  It seems as though every time I talked to the missionaries there, they asked me how long it takes to learn the language. That was clearly the biggest concern for the majority of them.  I often felt that I had to remind them of a principle of the very first paragraph of chapter 7 of Preach My Gospel, titled "How Can I Better Learn My Mission Language." It reads, "Strengthen your personal testimony to bring converting power to your words. First study the doctrines and the lessons in your native language. That understanding will strengthen your testimony and your capacity to teach and testify convincingly. You can then learn to express the message of the Restoration in your mission language under the guidance of the Spirit" (italics added).  I cannot stress that enough.  Focus on the doctrine first, always.  Do not get stressed out about the language.  I echo the words of Nephi, "Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?... Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ." (2 Nephi 32:2-3) The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirits (Romans 8:16) He transcends language.  With Him, there are no language barriers. As you testify of Christ, the Spirit will carry your words to the hearts of those you teach. The power of your testimony will be understood with clarity even if your Portuguese is not. 

Another principle of language learning that I learned early on was that translation is a bad habit.  I'll explain why.  Words are symbols.  They represent ideas, concepts, or things, and they are bound to those ideas, concepts and things in your brain.  From now on I will refer to "ideas, concepts and things" collectively as "concepts" for the sake of brevity.  So let's say C is the concept, B is the English word which symbolizes or represents that concept, and A is the the Portuguese word which represents the same concept.  So what translation does is it says, "Oh, I know that Portuguese word! It means this English word!" and that English word represents a concept (A = B and B = C).  How much more efficient would it be if we used the transitive property to say, "Hmm, if A = B and B = C, then A = C!" In other words, if the Portuguese word is equivalent to the English word, and the English word represents a concept, then the Portuguese word represents the same concept and can be connected directly to it.  It's a little harder to do, but you will be learn to think in Portuguese, you will be able to process information more quickly, and you will be able to respond more quickly if you learn language through the transitive property instead of through translation.

Chapter 7 of Preach My Gospel also stresses dedication and diligence.  It simply states, "Learning to teach effectively in your mission language requires diligent effort." I tried to reach a high level of diligence associated with language learning in the first transfer cycle of my mission by getting up between a half hour and an hour early every day in order to spend additional time studying Spanish.  I learned a lot in those early hours of the day and I recommend doing it yourself, but only if your Mission President is ok with it and if losing that much sleep doesn't affect your focus during the day.

The final piece of advice that I can give you is to receive correction with humility, and even search it out.  Your companion, other missionaries, and native Brazilians can all help you to improve your Portuguese by correcting your grammar and pronunciation.  Receiving it with a smile and making the correction will help you grow and encourage others to continue helping you.  Receiving it with pride and frustration will only stunt your progress.  Some days will be hard and it will be tempting to lash out when corrected, especially if it's a mistake you've made before and you know it.  Bite the bullet, stay calm, and take it.  Stay focused on your goal to master the language to put things into perspective.  If you do these things, you will have more opportunities to learn every day.

In summary, focus on the doctrine of Christ first.  Don't stress about the language.  Have faith in the words conveyed by President Frutos as he set you apart, "The language will come and you will testify clearly with the Spirit."  Strive to have the patience that he blessed you with when he said, "I bless you with patience with the Lord’s timing and patience with yourself as you learn how to  teach and as you learn Portuguese," in the same blessing.  Don't translate. Link Portuguese words directly to concepts. Be diligent and dedicated in your learning.  Receive correction humbly.  You're smart.  I think you'll pick it up pretty quick.

I'll end with a quote from President Thomas S. Monson:

“There is one language … that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart.”  ("The Spirit Giveth Life" Ensign, June 1997)

I love you, Luke! Keep up the good work!