What's been happening with English?

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of our mission.  Hermana Bart mentioned today that we only have 90 more days.  They go home the same time we do.  90 more days - that just not enough time!  But we did want to share some of the exciting things that have been happening as more and more missions and missionaries have embraced the challenge to learn English while on their missions.

Every quarter, we send a very short survey to the missions asking them to report their missionary progress towards learning English.  Here's a chart of what has happened in the last year.

So, not only are more missionaries actually trying to learn English, but during the last year there has been a 220% increase in the number of missionaries passing the English Proficiency Test.  Here's an amazing group of missionaries returning home from the Colombia Bogotá Norte Mission.  All of the Spanish-speaking missionaries returning home in that group took the test and are holding their proficiency certificates.  Hooray!!!! 

I think the smiles on their faces are almost as broad as the ones on our faces when we got this picture. Thank you mission presidents, mission moms, and missionaries for accepting the challenge given in Preach My Gospel, "If you don't speak English, you should study it as a missionary.  This will bless you during your mission and throughout your life.  Learning English will enable you to help build the Lord's kingdom in additional ways and will be a blessing for you and your family."  We know that this will bless many lives beyond their own and we are so thankful that the Lord has allowed us to be a part of that. 

I don't think we have shared a very special experience we had with one of the recently returned missionaries here in Lima that served in the Ecuador Quito Norte Mission.  Daniel Acevedo was referred to us by Sister Richardson as someone we might want to talk to who had learned English on his mission.  We invited him to come to our office so we could video tape his testimony about learning English.  After we had finished taping, he mentioned that his dream job would be to teach at the CCM.  I suggested that we take a minute and go over there and see if we could just introduce him to some of the people there.  We walked over and quickly found Brother Campero.  He is responsible for hiring new teachers.  After the introductions, he asked if he might talk with Daniel for a few minutes.  We said our goodbyes and thanked Daniel for taking time to share with us.  When I returned to the office, I pulled up my email messages and much to my surprise there was a new message indicating that they were hiring new teachers for the CCM.  Brother Campero had not mentioned that because he had just barely made the posting that day.  What a Tender Mercy that was. Daniel was interviewed and because of his abilities and talents was offered the job!  And...to add to that he is now engaged to a beautiful young woman he met who is also a teacher at the CCM.  Who knew that learning English could have such great benefits - we did.  We love this work! (Picture of Daniel and his fiancé coming in a future post).