Weekly Clergy Letter From Mother Anne Turner

Dear Friend in Christ,

 

Next Wednesday, I leave for Costa Rica, where I will spend a week studying Spanish.

 

I am nervous, as I always am when speaking Spanish, because I know I will not be able to express myself the way I want.  Just how foolish will I sound?  Trying to get by in a foreign language as an adult is a vulnerable thing.  Even here at home, when spending time with members of our La Gracia congregation (who are unfailingly kind and welcoming), I feel the awkwardness.  It’s so much easier to stay in my Anglo comfort zone.

 

And yet I am excited, too.  I’ve discovered the thrill that lies on the other side of awkwardness, which is the thrill of connection.  My wins are often small—being able to make my needs known, understanding a question.  But small wins have big meaning.  They are the seeds of relationship.

 

I encourage you to use the freedom of summer to step outside your comfort zone.  What new connections might you make in a new language?

 

It could be Spanish.  One of the joys of our summer schedule is that the Cafecito (La Gracia’s coffee hour) is more accessible.  Many of our Little Church families are still around, and I love seeing how the relationship between playing children can lead to the relationship between the adults with them.

 

Or it could be a “language” closer to home.  One of the delights of being on the J2A pilgrimage was being close to teenage slang and teenage concerns.  What would it be like to seek out one of our acolytes as a conversation partner?

 

I hope to come back to you with new things to say.  I hope you find new things you want to say, too.

 

Life gets scarier but better when we leave comfort behind. 

 

Yours in Christ,

Anne+