The friendly barista rattles off 30 seconds worth of words…blank stare, mouth opens, mouth closes…his lip twitches as he again tries to convey his inquiry…I respond by biting my lip and with slumping shoulders offer an appealing look to my roommate who understands a much more extensive amount of Spanish than I do. That encounter which happened this morning, can surmise the majority of my experiences with the Ecuadorian people—wide-eyed stares, disguised amusement, and me feeling like my head is running incredibly slow! Though I spend four of my weekday afternoons absorbing as many details upon the Spanish language as my incredible teacher can cram in, it still seems like all I can contribute to the common conversation is an occasional smile as I grasp the general concept about which the discussion is centering. Even amidst the class where I am supposed to gain Spanish acquisition often leaves me feeling like a pet goldfish recently dropped in the Ocean.

In my ESL courses, I have learned that frequently students learning a second language will experience a significant silence period before they can venture out into the realm of voiced words, sentences, and paragraphs. The much more intelligent people who documented this reality were right! And thus, I, a silent goldfish, am left to ask, “what is the functioning brain to do which has suddenly lost its ability to speak”—thankfully, the answer is “many things.” As I wait for the ability to share good news to those around me, I use my many other faculties to observe and experience Ecuadorian culture to the max.

In Jesus’ time, the people were accused of being unable to see or hear. The most powerful, beautiful story was unfolding right in front of that generation, but they were too self-absorbed in their own world and concerns to observe or experience it. Though I often judge these people when I read Matthew 13, I could so easily do the exact same here in Ecuador. The program I’m here with has so many amazing, sensory activities to participate in, the city of Quito has a limitless supply of coffee shops to explore, and I could easily engage in a new friendship/acquaintance every single day. Each of these things are great to their own degree, but not to the extent that they should distract me from my Jesus here in Ecuador! God is here in Quito, and I pray that as I journey through this time as a silent goldfish, I might be able to clearly see Him so that when my time to speak comes, it might be so as to say something profound like the Apostle Peter—“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” May such be the case for all of us, wherever God has placed us!