Breaking the (Language) Barrier

This past week, the Plowman family graciously invited me to stay at their house with them in Park City Wednesday night. Thursday afternoon we went up to Ogden, Utah (Chase's mission) to meet the Rubio Family- a family he was able to baptize a few months ago. I will forever be grateful to them for allowing me to be a part of this incredible experience. 

We got to the Rubio's house and they were all outside to greet us, joined by Elder Morales and his companion.  I knew that everyone was going to be speaking Spanish, but I took three years of Spanish in high school. I'll be able to follow along to what they're saying, right? Well, that was a cute idea that lasted about thirty seconds. Then I knew I was completely in over my head. I just stood there smiling, picking up on one word alone: Novia. For those of you who also thought you knew Spanish but just realized you really don't, that means girlfriend. For those of you who understood that, congratulations, you just comprehended the one word I understood in the matter of an hour and a half. After taking a few pictures, I realized I looked like the most awkward girl alive. One, I have no idea what's being said. And two, when we were taking pictures, I was standing in between a missionary and Greg Downs. I had no idea where to put my hands. (For those of you who don't know, it's extremely frowned upon to put your arm around a married man. And a missionary).  So after realizing that Chase has probably talked me up for the past 9 months he has known Elder Morales and the Rubios, and all I have done is stand there smiling awkwardly, Elder Morales and his companion left to go to an appointment. We go inside the Rubio's home, and the first thing I notice is how clean it is, how nice it smells, and all the pictures of family on the walls. "Wow, these people really cleaned up nice for us… And I couldn't even remember to pack a toothbrush…" (Don't worry, I did bring gum and toothpaste). We sit down and I take the corner spot of their L-Shaped couch, then laugh to myself when I realize Chase would have totally made fun of me for this. He offers us water, and I realize my Texas education is completely failing me. Surely this man did not just say 'agua'. There was NO way he just spoke the Spanish I was tested over in high school… Then he comes out with a bunch of water bottles. Yep, he totally just said the word for water. Either I was taught the wrong words for that, or I did really bad in Spanish. (Oh that's right, I WAS terrible at Spanish. How did I think I could do this?) By now, I'm about ready to have a full on panic attack. My stomach is starting to hurt, my heart is beating faster than it does after I walk up the stairs, and I feel like someone just turned up the heat to a thousand degrees. How do you say 'turn off the heat' in Spanish? Forget that, I can't even say my name right now, let alone trying to speak another language. Mr. Rubio starts to talk, looking at each of us when he is speaking. He quickly realizes I have no idea what is going on, and talks to Jeff, Alyson, and mainly Greg. Thank goodness Greg is there to translate for me every now and then, or the only thing I still would have gotten out of this whole trip was "novia". (Hopefully they were talking about me, for all I know it was referring to Chase's other girlfriends?)

Mr. Rubio begins to tell us about how Chase came into his life. He drank far too much, and had ended up in the hospital due to the effects of drinking. He prayed to God to let him live, for his three children's sake, and for a miracle to happen in his life to change him. The first miracle came, and he was released and sent home. He prayed again on the very couch I was sitting on to please let an angel change his life. He finishes his prayer, and there is a knock on the door. He immediately knows that this is his answer. Sure enough, he opens it up, and Chase and his companion are standing at his door. Time goes on, and his life completely has been changed. He got married to the mother of his three children, got baptized, stopped drinking, started eating healthy, started to get organized, cleaning and paying for their house became a priority, getting out of debt became a goal, began to serve others, became an honest man, and for the first time, a family truly became a family. He goes on to testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and the overwhelming impact that it has had on his life. He has come to know Christ, and you can see the effects of it in every aspect of their life. Their children are happy, their marriage is functioning for the first time, they have stability, they are able to be happy and bless others with the same happiness. He begins to talk of Chase, and how they have come to love him so much. He was an angel sent to them from God, and he is so loved by their family forever.

I still had no idea what he was saying, but the Spirit was so strong in the room, I was moved to tears. We all sat there crying, first because we could see the impacts of the church on their lives and the positive change it has brought. We then began to tear up as he spoke of Chase, as we all knew we loved him just as much. Mr. Rubio described Chase as his savior, sent to his life to change it for the better. I smiled and cried, nodding my head. "Me too".

On the ride home, I was feeling a little sad and missing Chase, but then it hit me. Had I of been selfish and tried to convince Chase to not leave for two years, none of this would have changed. The Rubio family could still have been suffering, and they could never have of experienced Christ's atonement and love as they are now. Sometimes we have to sacrifice what we want, so that others can benefit, gain, and grow. Chase and I made it a priority for him to be a worthy missionary so he could serve the Lord diligently for two years. After meeting the Rubio family, I realized the importance of this decision. Chase, and other missionaries, are able to make such a lasting impact on those in need when they sacrifice their own wants and desires in order to serve the Lord.

This was such an incredible, life-changing experience for me. I was so nervous of a language barrier, but quickly learned that when you are testifying of Christ and His mercy, the Spirit is able to become a universal language that allows all to understand and feel God's grace for us. "Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands anxiously engaged in a good cause" (Elder M. Russell Ballard).