Language Plus

From August 8-13, 2010, YLM will be hosting its inaugural intensive Spanish class. I am excited to be on the planning committee, and now that we are really in the swing of things as far as publicizing the event, I thought I'd give a little plug of my own. So far, there are 6 people from all over the place signed up for sure, but I've been getting a ton of e-mails this week from potential participants. Feel free to pass the word along if you know of anyone who may want to come.

The program will include 25 hours of in-classroom and in-community instruction provided by Language Plus, Inc., a language institute based out of El Paso. Each day will be divided into a three-hour morning session, which is designed to be interactive vs. straight-up lecturing, and a two-hour afternoone excursion. We have asked Language Plus to center the vocab, verbs, etc. around Hispanic ministry. Students will be divided by ability; upon registration, Language Plus will conduct an over-the-phone placement test. No one is going to walk out preaching sermons in Spanish or anything, but should be equipped with some useful essentials. Each evening will feature a presentation on a related topic, sponsored by the Lutheran Hispanic Missionary Institute. These plus the ministry-focused curriculum are what distinguishes Language Plus at YLM from any intensive language course, like the ones I took at the Center of Modern Languages in Granada, Spain.

The cost including lodging, tuition, meals, and a workbook, is $675. There is also an optional CD that accompanies the workbook and an optional $50 "Weekend Jumpstart" for those able to arrive on the 7th: a bonus presentation on Saturday evening and a trip to Juarez for church/shopping at the market on Sunday.

For more information or if you have any questions, contact me! You can also register by phone by calling the mission and asking for me, or visit http://www.missionaryinstitute.org/spanishtraining.htm. I can also e-mail or snail mail a Language Plus brochure to anyone who might like one. Hope to see lots of you in a few months!

Until next time, blessings!