Spanish with purpose

Yesterday held great excitement for me as a non-native Spanish-speaker.  Three different Spanish conversations fell in my lap.  First, speaking with a man waiting in a pregnancy center.  Second, speaking on the street with a man playing beautiful music on a wooden recorder.  Third, speaking with a woman who heard the recorder music and walked down the street with her poodle to come see.  My excitement runs high because my quest toward Spanish hasn’t been merely for the sake of language.  A year and a half ago, the Lord led my husband and me to a Spanish worship service.  We quickly loved the congregation and still do.  From there till now, I’ve ventured among Spanish dictionaries, Spanish Bible, Spanish library books, and all kinds of Spanish conversations into which I usually have to insert some English.  While the Lord has encouraged me with new friendships, I do still stumble through the language.  So now for the man at the pregnancy center to ask me, ¿Como lo aprendió?, and for my ears to actually catch his quick question as to how I'm learning the language, was really quite remarkable.  And for my heart not to hesitate to compliment in Spanish the man’s beautiful recorder music was astounding to me.  Suddenly my ears were quick, and the words flowed without struggle.  I see more and more the Lord's purposes.  He does encourage along our way.  He will finish what He starts in us, as Philippians 1:6 says.