NTM

We’ve said our goodbyes and hopped on a red-eye flight to Portugal for Portuguese Language Study. Portuguese is the national language of Mozambique. It is neccesary for us to learn Portuguese for the following reasons:

To navigate ourselves in the country of Mozambique

To be able to communicate with government officials

To be able to talk with fellow team members from non-English speaking  countries

To use it as a bridge between English and the target language when we locate to a tribal setting

Normally, we would go directly to Mozambique to learn Portuguese, but since NTM only recently began working there in early 2000, there is no formal language study program set up. There is not enough personnel to house a national language program yet, but some day NTM missionaries will go directly to Mozambique. For now, we get to enjoy a European adventure for a year!

Our next assignment will be in the Fall of 2009 when we move to Mozambique  to transition into Mozambican Portuguese and culture. We will be able to locate to a tribal setting between six months to one year after that.