Some Practical Suggestions

Pedro and Sandra, mentioned earlier, say:  "We have a Spanish-only rule at home to make sure that our mother tongue is not lost. It is a hard rule to keep, since our boys know we understand English.  But if we didn't keep this rule, they might soon lose their comprehension of Spanish."

Miguel and Carmen, also quoted earlier, recommend: "If parents conduct a regular family study and each day discuss the day's text in the mother tongue, then the children will learn more than the basics of the language-they will learn to express spiritual ideas in that language."

Miguel also suggests:  "Make witnessing fun.  Our territory covers a large section of a big city, and much time is spent traveling by car to locate people who speak our language.  We use the time to play Bible games and to talk about important matters.  I try to plan the witnessing trips so that we  make several return visits.  Then, at the end of the day, the children have been involved in a least one meaningful conversation."

Next time: Coping with Cultural Differences

From the Watchtower magazine, 2002