Dear friends and family,

How do you help a non-English speaker pronounce the words Deuteronomy, thirsty, earth, and righteousness, or hear the difference between who and how? We never realized how challenging English can be just to make the right sounds! That's why we are so proud of the 13 missionaries who completed the intensive English for missions course we led for JAMI in February. Five arrived speaking absolutely no English, and the rest spoke only phrases or words they had studied years ago or heard in western movies.

By the end of February, each one was able to introduce her or himself, describe their family, briefly share their testimony of faith, recite their favorite Scripture verse, and talk about God's call to serve in a particular country. We wish you could see their "before and after" videos and praise God along with us for their perseverance in learning the basics of a difficult and often illogical language. Thank you for your prayers for our students and for us: they were answered!

Listen to some of the comments (in English!) written by a couple of our students in letters to their home church:

I am having a great experience in this place. The intensive English course has helped me to praise the Lord and pray in English… even in English, music is universal and elevates the soul! Love in Christ, T

This is my report on the English course: the course was intensive! I learned to speak some sentences in English. I learned how to read the Bible in English and how to pronounce, too. God blessed me with teachers Bruce, Ann, George and Gordon. They are excellent! They are very funny. God blessed us with his grace, P

I am taking a course of intensive English … God has helped me very much. I acquired a Bible in English from my sons … God bless you. D.

These students are participating in the 9-month transcultural missionary training program offered by the Brazilian mission agency (JAMI) where we serve. They will also continue to study English every other week over the next six months. They will spend the last two months of the program in an internship either in a neighboring country or with an indigenous people group here in Brazil. Then they will serve in various countries around the world: Mozambique, Spain, East Timor, Portugal, Morocco, Guinea Bissau and with an indigenous community in the Amazon area here in Brazil.

Home front newsflash: Asa started reading a book in Portuguese this week. Hallelujah! Please pray for us (Ann and Bruce) as we resume Portuguese evening classes next week at the federal university here in Belo. Teaching English this last month apparently opened up little cracks in our brains and much of our Portuguese dripped out, so we need to fill up on vocabulary, grammar and conversation again!

We are also grateful to God for the wonderful response of prayer and financial supporters in the last half of 2004 to the news of International Ministries' financial challenges. We received word that no missionary recalls will be required in 2005! Like many US mission agencies, IM still struggles with an imbalance between ministry opportunities and giving, but with this great news we are encouraged and energized to be sure that the specter of recalls doesn't return to haunt us in 2006. Thank you for your prayers, and for your sacrificial and regular giving to IM toward our support in 2004. We are able to train a new generation of Brazilian Baptist missionaries because you are there "holding the rope" for us.

Bençãos,

Ann, Bruce, and Asa Borquist - JAMI