Joel and Andi McMartin
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Wolof Studies

March 30, 2017 by Joel and Andi

The Mountain of Wolof
And our LONG journey to climb it

We started Wolof studies over 3 years ago.  When we started out we had just begun ministry so we were able to go at our language study with full force.

We began our studies pushing hard like we were on a motorcycle and making good time.
Then our chain broke stopping us in our tracks

Pretty quickly ministry responsibilities started in full swing cutting down our time in Wolof significantly.  We dropped down to pursuing Wolof 3 mornings a week so that the rest of the time could be dedicated to other ministries.

We kept pushing on going more at more like a bicycle’s speed as we balanced ministry on the side

Then the travels began and we started to miss weeks and sometimes months at a time.  Travels often would hit us in seasons where we would be gone for large chunks of time over consecutive months.  Each time we had a big season of travel we were forced to stop sessions and when we would get back that last thing we wanted to do was get back started in language study.

Then we had to get off the bike and run alongside
but anyone who has run for long knows it is hard to keep up a good pace

As time wore on we started to feel the exhaustion of it more and more.  Then we started to question ourselves, maybe we have enough?  Is it really realistic to press on?  However usually soon after these questions arose we would be in a situation where Wolof was exclusively being spoken and we would get reignited to press on.  It was an up and down battle that we were constantly fighting.

Finally I had to make a shift in my thinking – shifting Wolof from being a short term goal to a long term goal.

We finally decide to set out at a walking pace

There was no way with our work load to just pound it out and be done.  It would be slow drip and I needed to be okay with that.  I needed to see each drip as adding to the bucket and knowing that eventually given enough time the bucket would still fill. Once I made that shift in my thinking the frustration of it lessened and the desire to quit left as was no longer disappointed with our progress.

We continued to press on one step at a time on the long journey ahead of us

So….slowly but surely we are plugging away at Wolof.  What we did with French in 2 years will be more of a 5 year journey for us in Wolof, but it will still be worth it.  We try to acknowledge for ourselves the progress along the way to keep us encouraged.  We try to be faithful to listen and study even when away from home on travels.   We try to keep forcing ourselves to use it even when French is a lot more convenient to use.

Pray for us as we continue to grow in our ability to communicate

We understand a lot now, which is a huge step in the right direction.  BUT…. speaking is so still hard and humiliating.  So pray for us as we press on.  Pray that we would be faithful to the task.  Pray that we would continue to progress even with our less than ideal circumstances.  Pray for people who would be patient enough to stick it out with us as we try to communicate.  Even the little Wolof we have has been a huge help to us in our relationships, so we know it is worth it and we just need to keep persevering.

Filed Under: Updates and News Tagged With: Ethnos360, New Tribes Mission

More Posts:

« On The Road Again
God Knew »

Comments

  1. Aunt Patti says

    April 15, 2017 at 5:12 am

    I’ve always said that if I could have any super hero power, it would be instant fluency in any language. Dream on, rather, press on is more like it!

  2. Molly Stickler says

    April 6, 2017 at 6:57 pm

    Praying right now for new clarity as you try to put sentences together in Wolof. Your picture of the journey is true in so many areas of life. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement to walk when we cannot run or run when we can’t bike… keep pressing forward!

  3. Toby Beck says

    March 30, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    Andi, you are the master of the pictorial metaphor report! I so often read your posts and am inspired, not only to pray for you guys, but also to try to communicate with similar vividness and economy of words. (The congregation is rooting for this as well, especially the latter : ) It is beautiful to see God using a strength he has given you as a means to help supply a need you still have.

    Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…

  4. Jane Van Ryn says

    March 30, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    Once again a great lesson. Thanks for sharing it with us. We will continue to pray

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