Bryson and Mindy White Culture/Language Acquisition in Paraguay 
On the evening of Friday, December 19, 2008 we graduated from the church planting course at the Missionary Training Center in Roach, MO. We received our degrees at that time and we will become official members on January 1, 2009.
Our neighbor and friend, Wayne Chen, was one of our class speakers. He encouraged us to remember the words of John the Baptist as we go to our various fields of service. In John 3:28, 29 John said, “I am not the Christ…He must increase, but I must decrease.” These words really are applicable no matter what circumstance we are in. These words will help us to maintain the proper perspective when our ministry is flourishing, when we appear to be failing, when we are in the midst of a conflict with our coworkers, and when we are having a hard time liking the tribal people that we are there to serve. Our ultimate goal is to see Christ increased in people’s lives.
Having finished the church planting course, we are ready to begin the linguistics course in January. Out of a class of about 80 students, 20 are staying for this advanced course in language analysis, and Mindy and I are two of 
them. The decision for us to do this class was based on our aptitude, interest, and future ministry.
Upon completing the linguistics training, we hope to leave for Spanish study in January of 2010. Then we will head to the tribes of Paraguay, reminding ourselves that we are not the Christ and we must decrease, that He might increase.
