Learning Thai for Ministry ~ Video Conversation and Skit
Language learning is an essential part of minstry for many missionaries, but it is also a task that is fraught with challenges, anxiety, ups and downs, and not a few humbling moments along the way.
My missionary colleague Larry Dinkins and I sat down recently to record a couple of videos about langauge learning, especially Thai learning. The first video is a hour long conversation, relaxed but serious. The second video is a collection of Thai language bloopers, presented as a light-hearted parody of a new missionary taking his first year Thai language test.
In this Learning Thai for Ministry: A Conversation on Expectations and Realities, Larry Dinkins and I discuss the expectations, challenges, realities, and benefits of learning Thai. It is not easy, but it IS possible, by the grace of God! In the YouTube description, there is a chapter guide so you can easily skip to the part that most interests you, in case you don't have time to watch the whole thing.
In Tongue Tied or Thai Tongued? Missionary Language Test Gone Wrong, I take the role of language supervisor and Larry takes the role of a new missionary taking a Thai language test. All the jokes here are based on things that missionaries have actually said, and serve as examples of the challenge of learning Thai. I should warn you though, if you don't speak at least some Thai, you may not understand many of the jokes.
If the videos above are not displaying properly, you can find them by visiting my YouTube channel.