Japanese Study is Forever
Japanese study is a more or less permanent part of life. Of course, as your level goes up, the type of things you study change – in the beginning you are just learning greetings and polite words, later (15 years later in my case), you are trying to find the best ways to phrase things to touch Japanese hearts when you write or preach in Japanese. But you never finish. Language learning is lifetime learning. If you are tackling Japanese or another language, perseverance is the key – never give up!
One missionary immortalized his Japanese learning experience with this poem:
(Nihongo = Japanese language)
If you would learn Nihongo, begin when you’re a lad;
Pray for Methuselah’s life span and the wisdom that Solomon had.
You’ll need a head of hardwood and the patience of a Job;
The mighty power of Samson to carry the heavy load.
If you don’t have a will of iron, and Peter’s grit and go;
The zeal and fire of Paul–boy, this language will lay you low!!
By T. M. Paulson
When we read this, we laugh at the clever humor. But many new missionaries get discouraged and weep. Take this opportunity to spend a moment in prayer for all of the missionaries around the world who are struggling with language studies. Pray for me also, that I might find words that really open hearts and minds to Jesus.
