Sakartvelo (საქართველო). This is the name by which the people know their country. You and I know it as Georgia, where we will, by God’s grace, be career missionaries at the end of this year. Worldwide, there are around 14 unique alphabets, and Georgian is one of them.

Despite having symbols, the language is not tonal like in Thailand — where we served as short-term missionaries — making our learning process easier. Tonal languages have an extra layer of complexity, with the tone placed upon a symbol changing the pronunciation and meaning of a word.

God has been taking care of all the minute details in our lives while becoming missionaries. While still in the U.S., we discovered that one of AFM’s support staff in the office, along with his wife, is Georgian. Since she is a teacher, we started our Georgian language learning with her. It has been amazing how God has been helping us learn the Georgian language. We had never seen or heard the language prior to this, but since we began to learn in January, we have already learned how to read, write and introduce ourselves. We praise the Lord for the gift of tongues. It is real!

Not only is his incredible wife teaching us Georgian, but before we left for Brazil to visit our family, friends and supporters, she invited us to join their family for a delicious Georgian meal. She also taught us how to make a famous bread filled with cheese called ხაჭაპური (Khachapuri). The meal and bread were so tasty. That evening was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Georgia has a rich culture with very friendly and welcoming people. The country borders Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. Even though we are not in Georgia yet, God has introduced us to Georgians who are helping Him prepare us for missionary work. Please prayerfully consider joining us with your prayers and monthly financial support on this journey to reach the Georgians of Georgia.

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