It’s never over until it’s over. Just when you think you’ve done enough in one area of your life and won’t have to learn anything new (cue dramatic music), here comes the same thing but in a new way. Now I don’t mean to sound depressing. What I do mean to say is that we never arrive. There will never be an area of my life that can’t be improved.
Continuing education
Many professions have ongoing training to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of their respective fields. Think of doctors, they have to complete continuing medical education. This is required in order for them to remain competent in their fields. Another example, and I have a bit of experience here, is in the insurance profession. Every two years in the State of Florida, licensed insurance agents are required to complete a certain number of continuing education courses (also known as CE).
Some of the courses we have to complete in life are actually learned in class. Many, on the other hand, are not. We get schooled in life. As in the classroom, all students have their areas of strength and weakness. But, we all learn.
Life is full of CE.
Another CE course, it’s never over
I thought I had finished with language study long ago. This was at least my hope because learning a new language is no joke. I speak six languages. And I’m more fluent in some than I am in others but I’m happy with these languages.
Surely it’s sufficient to know six languages.
And then life threw another CE course at me. It’s never over for me I guess when it comes to learning languages. Keep reading I’ll explain.
An unexpected move
In late 2022, we made an unexpected move to South Africa from Burundi. We thought this move was about getting our last born daughter quality education (this is what served as a catalyst for the move). She had studied online since fourth grade and while she did well with her studies, she needed more. Burundi is unlike other places we have served where there were other activities like art, dance, and sports that she could participate in as an extracurricular activity. Burundi is painfully isolated. And while we were fine with the work there, as our daughter grew we knew she needed more.
Life choices that aren’t easy to make
These life choices, another form of CE that God throws at us, are not always easy ones to make. But when it comes to our children, we will do anything that is required of us. In 2000 we had to make the same choice to move for the sake of our older children’s education. Again, we were stationed in Burundi and the work was going well. But, with the political situation in the country, schools were closing and the schools that remained open had little to offer.
So we had to write a test. We moved and ultimately landed in Lusaka, Zambia where all three were enrolled in an amazing school. They did well and flourished. We adjusted, learned a new language, and planted another church.
Side note: the church in Zambia is finally in its own building after over 20 years of meeting in temporary structures.
Doing what was right
Fast-forward to today. The choice to relocate was, as I said, a no-brainer for us. We had to do what was right for our daughter. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t questions or complications. We had sold our little townhouse in Florida and, with the help of others, managed to build a house in Bujumbura. Our plan was to finish our days in the nation.
But God had some CE courses left for us. The house remains in Bujumbura, we are currently waiting on the Lord’s answer on what to do with it. This decision as well is part of our CE. Instead of whining over the “what about” and “why” of this, we choose to concentrate on obeying God’s leading. Another thing I’ve learned with CE is that learning to obey is an ongoing lesson.
A positive side
In the meanwhile, we have been able to do what we have always wanted to do: spend time with our leaders and oversee the work. While technology has many downsides, it also has a positive side. With the help of video and audio calls that don’t cost the proverbial arm and leg, we can easily connect with leaders all around the world. We’ve also spent more time visiting and working with our pastors in other nations. It has been great.
Language training – it’s never over
And just when I thought I had rested from CE, a familiar course found its way into my lap this week. We picked up language training once again. I may be an older dog, but this older dog will learn a new trick and speak Tsetswana. We had our first lesson two days ago and are headed for another lesson this afternoon. Yes, there are some similarities among the Bantu languages of Africa that we speak. These similarities are like what is common among the Romance languages.
When languages originate from the same source, there are similarities of some words and grammatical construction. However, a person who speaks Swahili (a Bantu language) will not be able to understand a person speaking Tsetswana (another Bantu language). What we have going for us is an understanding of how the grammar works. That’s a huge step. But now comes the speaking part. Pray for us!
What lessons are you learning today? The thing about learning is that it’s never over.
