Elani and I were out at the well doing laundry when it happened. We were soaping and scrubbing, and talking 90 miles per hour, with our words bumping into and overlapping each other in our eagerness to talk in English with someone who can understand it …when it happened. Elani was telling me a profound truth, which I was replying to by saying supportingly, “I know, I know” when from somewhere in the immediate vicinity we both heard, at the same time “I know, I KNOW, I know, I know, I know, I know!” Hannah, is that you? Since when do you know how to say” I know”? Hannah quickly replied, “I know”. Yes, we know that you know how to say I know now, I responded. “I know”, she said sweetly.

Next, I was in my room, trying very hard to concentrate on my morning devotions while watching Hannah, when she came waltzing up to me, held out her doll and said “baby”! I looked up in surprise, when did you learn to say baby, I asked?  “Baby”, she insisted! Ok, I know that it is a baby. “I know”, she says!

Later, we were sitting in the kitchen, trying to cook, when Hannah came and perched herself on my lap, and pointing to the all important cookie tin, she announced, “COOKIE”!  WHEN did you learn to say that? I asked her.” Cookie”, she said.

Until yesterday, all that she ever said was “utoh, mama, dada, hi, byby”, and a few others when prompted. But, when my students sit her down and make her talk, she can now say almost anything that they ask her to. She mostly says English words, but there are a few Karen words that are just plain easier than their English versions. She likes to say Ah Tee, instead of “may I have a drink of water”, I can’t really blame her, I prefer it myself! All the locals have noticed that if they want to talk to Hannah, they had better do it in English if they want to be understood! Which, by the way, is good for their English language skills. I had never heard Seh Doe use any English unless he was repeating something in class, but he loves Hannah, and he has found that he needs to speak English to her, so he does! He knows all the English words that she knows now. (that is real progress for him, since I never even heard what his voice sounded like in the first month or so that I had him….he is very shy.)

We find that what we say the most is what Hannah will say. So, that makes what we say really important! I am saying with the Psalmist “Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord my strength and my redeemer.”