“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Psalm 37:3-5
In the weeks leading up to the beginning of my language study, these verses were running through my mind. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t know how much Tagalog I would learn in five short weeks. I wanted so desperately to learn Tagalog, and many times I wished I could just wake up and speak it. As I prepared to come to Baliuag, God showed me that learning Tagalog is one of the desires He has placed on my heart.
Since my first time in the Philippines, I have had a desire to learn the language. I knew that I could get by here without Tagalog, but I didn’t want to just “get by” here – I wanted to dwell in this land. The longer I’ve been here, the more I have wanted to learn it. So having an entire summer to study Tagalog has been the beginning of the fulfillment of another desire of my heart. Every day as I prepared for this summer, I committed this study to the Lord, knowing He would act as He promised. The morning I was leaving for language study, a friend posted this verse on Facebook:
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
I knew the study wouldn’t all be easy, but God reminded me that morning that He had gone before me and prepared the way for me to study Tagalog. He was coming with me. Even when it would be hard, I should not be dismayed. He was working and had prepared this time for me.
I quickly realized how blessed I was that God didn’t allow me to just wake up and speak Tagalog, as I often wished could happen. If that had happened, I would have missed out on the incredible blessing of getting to know the people here in Baliuag. I’ve been welcomed by an incredible family, a church, and friends in town. All of them want to get to know me and help me learn Tagalog. God is a God of processes. He puts us through the process to grow us and bless us, and I’ve come to realize that wishing away the process also wishes away the unique blessings that process brings.
In only three weeks of study, I’m able to engage in some basic conversation and understand increasingly more Tagalog. I know this is just the beginning of study, but I believe it is the start that I needed. I am in the process now of looking for someone to tutor me on grammar and sentence structure once a week after I return home. I am hope to return to Baliuag to visit, as it is only a couple hours from my house. I am praying that I will continue to be able to use my language to build deeper relationships with Filipinos that I encounter on a regular basis, hopefully having opportunities to share Christ with them.
I will be sad to leave Baliuag and these new friends in two short weeks, but I also know that my time here is just a brief season. Soon, new staff will be arriving, current staff will be returning from summer trips or furloughs, and school will be starting. I’m so thankful that God is allowing me to live this dream that He has given me.
Amanda
On Sunday afternoons, I have been going to outreach with the youth of the church. We take trikes and motorbikes to Pulilan, about 45 minutes from the church. I have been so blessed to get to spend time with these people!
Baliuag is located in the province of Bulucan, which is north of Manila. It reminds me a bit of home - lots of fields and wide open sky. It is so beautiful! Most of the fields are rice fields, though they are not yet planted. If you look closely, you'll also see some water buffalo (known as kalabaw here in the Philippines).
I've enjoyed spending time with my Filipino family! The kids are 9 and 11. I taught them Dutch Blitz, and they really enjoyed it!
Saturday mornings we go to the public market in Pulilan. You can find almost anything here, and this is where we buy our meat, fruits, and vegetables for the week. They also have stalls with clothes, household goods, and so many other items!
Almost every afternoon, I walk to some local shops and practice my Tagalog. These are two of the ladies I talk to on a regular basis.
