Randy and Laurie Steel are not the typical students for New Tribes Mission's next Spanish language course in Mexico this January.
Randy leads the culture, language and orientation course for NTM missionaries who are new to Paraguay. He's been helping these missionaries learn Spanish, among other things.
However, New Tribes Mission is moving toward a method of teaching languages that is expected to be more effective and efficient, and that method is already in place in Mexico. So rather than trying to recreate the program -- and the necessary supporting infrastructure -- in Paraguay, NTM's leaders in Paraguay have decided to send their new missionaries to the course in Mexico for one year.
They will then go to Paraguay, where they will receive further training in the Spanish language and begin learning the Paraguayan culture and receiving orientation.
NTM's leaders in Bolivia are also planning to have their new missionaries use the course in Mexico.
While there are differences between the Spanish spoken in Mexico and other Latin American countries, most of the differences are in vocabulary. Grammar is the same.
"There will be many similarities and some differences," Randy wrote. "In some ways I believe it will be similar to someone from the USA going to England, Australia or South Africa."
So when Randy and his wife Laurie begin the course in January, they'll be doing more than brushing up on their Spanish. They'll also be paving the way for future missionaries.
"By going ourselves for a bit, we and the Paraguay field leadership feel we'll be better equipped to help the new folks," Randy wrote.
The Steels will go for three months, and plan to then return to Paraguay, where Randy will lead the revised orientation for new missionaries.
"During orientation we work to get to know the new missionaries, allow them and the field leadership to get to know each other, strive to help them learn to love and appreciate Paraguay, its culture, history, language, and people. We want them to 'fall in love' with Paraguay, so to speak," Randy wrote.
"The more comfortable a person is with Paraguayans, and Paraguayan culture, the better their adjustment to the country and ultimately to tribal work. … It's a time to continue to help them learn use language and culture learning tools in preparation for learning tribal languages and their future ministries."
This also paves the way for Paraguayans to work alongside missionaries from other countries, as is the norm in some of the other Latin American countries where NTM works. Colombians and Brazilians provide leadership for the tribal ministries in their own countries, and are among those serving with New Tribes Mission in other countries as well. That is the goal in Paraguay too.
"We hope to have many Paraguayans as co-workers in the future," Randy wrote.
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