{"id":39490,"date":"2024-11-14T14:50:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T22:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=39490"},"modified":"2024-11-14T14:50:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T22:50:54","slug":"%d9%8a%d9%84%d8%a7-lets-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/%d9%8a%d9%84%d8%a7-lets-go\/","title":{"rendered":"(Let’s go!) \u064a\u0644\u0627"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cYou’re a lady doing the worker\u2019s job!\u201d I looked up from my sweeping to smile at the neighbor passing. I shrugged and cheerfully told her it was good exercise. She laughed, agreed, exchanged a few more words, and continued walking. That exchange was in the local dialect of Arabic. I understood her. She understood me. I could answer in a culturally appropriate way to justify my behavior (sweeping the front stoop) that is not typically seen in local culture.[1]<\/a> Mentally, I pat myself on the back, thinking, \u201cThat\u2019s an Arabic win!\u201d No matter how small the conversation, it is a win when both parties have a complete understanding. Learning the local dialect is a long process and a lifelong journey. It is a process in which I need to have more \u201cgrit.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is grit? In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, <\/em>Angela Duckworth says that grit combines passion and perseverance. Society often associates talent with achievement, but according to Duckworth, grit is more indicative of success than talent.[2]<\/a> Through her research, she determined four features, among those who are \u201cmature paragons of grit.\u201d[3]<\/a> The book delves into these four traits: interest, practice, purpose, and hope. Duckworth also gives practical application on how to intrinsically and extrinsically grow grit.[4]<\/a> As I self-evaluated my grit level, the main area that stood out to me as having a significant grit deficit was learning Arabic. An excellent place to start is to plug my language-learning trajectory into Duckworth\u2019s four characteristics of grit.<\/p>\n

I will pair these four aspects of grit with \u201csurvival tips\u201d from the book Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission. <\/em>Sue Eenigenburg and Robynn Bliss address common areas that lead to unmet expectations and burnout in women living cross-culturally. They give practical application in dealing with these challenges and building resilience and self-awareness for a fruitful ministry overseas. The main reason I am learning Arabic is to share the Gospel. I must maintain a kingdom perspective along my journey of language learning and finding grit. Come along with me as I look at learning Arabic through the lens of passion, perseverance, and my spiritual calling.<\/p>\n

Firstly, develop interest<\/strong> by finding joy in what you do.[5]<\/a> Enjoyment is a large part of passion. We develop interests as we interact with our world.[6]<\/a> \u00a0I love relating to my host culture in North Africa. Experiencing life here through their eyes brings me deep enjoyment. When I master an Arabic phrase or, even better, a conversation in Arabic, there is a lot of rejoicing, not just internally. Still, it also brings amusement to those around me. Language learning is a lifelong process. Eenigenburg and Bliss recommend setting realistic goals and expectations to maintain interest and not lose heart.[7]<\/a> I must continue finding ways to make language learning fun, enjoyable, and engaging.<\/p>\n

Practice<\/strong> by spending time refining a skill to develop into effortless performance.[8]<\/a> I picture one day being able to rattle off Arabic words without trying to force out sounds from the depth of my larynx or a part of my palette that I do not think can form certain sounds. It is a tedious journey with many challenges that require continual perseverance and practice. Eenigenburg and Bliss remind us of God\u2019s faithfulness in giving us the strength to \u201cendure with glorious power\u201d as we live out God\u2019s calling.[9]<\/a> Practice will bring me closer to fluency and allow me to see God at work through my endurance.<\/p>\n

Purpose <\/strong>is \u201cthe intention to contribute to the well-being of others.\u201d[10]<\/a> Duckworth recommends giving yourself a short purpose statement as your ultimate goal in life.[11]<\/a> For a follower of Jesus, it would be remembering and articulating one\u2019s life purpose and calling to join the Great Commission.[12]<\/a> I took Duckworth\u2019s challenge. My statement is to<\/em> promote holistic healing by lovingly guiding others to Jesus<\/em>. How does language learning fit with this calling and purpose? Speaking the local dialect is vital to building relationships, sharing the Gospel, and showing love in their first language. This is especially true regarding the lives of underprivileged and underserved communities here in North Africa.<\/p>\n

As I read this last statement, it energizes me to cling to the last characteristic of grit: hope. <\/strong>Duckworth describes gritty hope as \u201c[resting] on the expectation that our efforts can improve our future.\u201d[13]<\/a> Building on interest through diligent practice with a purposeful drive statistically brings improvement and the \u201chope\u201d described in Grit. <\/em>The Bible speaks of a more profound hope that does not come from our personal striving and improvement.[14]<\/a> This hope only comes through Christ.[15]<\/a> The hope I have in Jesus is what I want to share with my Arabic-speaking friends.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on these four essential traits of grit, interest, practice, purpose, and hope has helped me refocus and reset my resolve to learn Arabic. These are ways I determined to enhance grit in my language learning journey:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reignite my interest by keeping my language learning fun, enjoyable, and a part of my daily life.<\/li>\n
  2. Commit to practicing language for a minimum of 15 minutes every day.<\/li>\n
  3. Review my purpose statement and remember that Arabic fluency will enable me to fulfill my calling and purpose.<\/li>\n
  4. Celebrate the small successes, like the conversation I had while sweeping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I want to have grit in this journey because I want others to have the Ultimate Hope I have found through Jesus. \u064a\u0644\u0627[16]<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n

    [1]<\/a> In my host culture, ladies of means, which I am as an American woman, do not sweep. That is typically the job of the domestic employees, either male or female.<\/p>\n

    [2]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance<\/em> (New York, NY: Scribner, 2016), 8.<\/p>\n

    [3]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>91.<\/p>\n

    [4]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>269.<\/p>\n

    [5]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>91.<\/p>\n

    [6]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>104.<\/p>\n

    [7]<\/a> Sue Eenigenburg and Robynn Bliss, Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission<\/em> (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library Publishers, 2010), 62.<\/p>\n

    [8]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>131.<\/p>\n

    [9]<\/a> Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, <\/em>85.<\/p>\n

    [10]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>143.<\/p>\n

    [11]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit, <\/em>279.<\/p>\n

    [12]<\/a> Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, <\/em>21.<\/p>\n

    [13]<\/a> Duckworth, Grit,<\/em> 169.<\/p>\n

    [14]<\/a> Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, <\/em>140.<\/p>\n

    [15]<\/a> See Romans 15:8-13.<\/p>\n

    [16]<\/a> Yalla is Arabic slang for \u201clet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cYou’re a lady doing the worker\u2019s job!\u201d I looked up from my sweeping to smile at the neighbor passing. I shrugged and cheerfully told her it was good exercise. She laughed, agreed, exchanged a few more words, and continued walking. That exchange was in the local dialect of Arabic. I understood her. She understood me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3324,2967],"class_list":["post-39490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-duckworth","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39490"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39494,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39490\/revisions\/39494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}