How much Spanish does one use in the average state-side mission?

[Backroads]

Last night my baby brothers opened their mission calls. One is going to Cleveland, the other to Oklahoma City. Both are Spanish-speaking missions. I'm excited, but at the same time I have to wonder just how time they will actually be using that language?

[Wingnut]

Last night my baby brothers opened their mission calls. One is going to Cleveland, the other to Oklahoma City. Both are Spanish-speaking missions. I'm excited, but at the same time I have to wonder just how time they will actually be using that language?

I went to San Jose, CA speaking Spanish, and while I did do a lot of Spanglish, I had so much opportunity to speaking Spanish. But it was CA, and my mission covered a lot of farm area.

I live in Cleveland, the Kirtland Stake to be specific. There is no Spanish-speaking unit in my stake, but there is one in the Cleveland stake, which covers downtown and "the west side." In this particular mission, he'll likely stay in 2-3 areas his entire mission. Last year, we did have one elder in our ward who was a Spanish-speaking elder, and he had a few opportunities to teach in Spanish within our boundaries. His big reason (we later learned) for serving in our ward, though, was that it's where he met his wife...apparently.

Congrats to your brothers!

[Guest]

In Florida, we have quite a bit of Spanish speaking missions and our Stake has a Spanish ward. Missionaires in those missions speak mostly Spanish in certain areas.

[Anddenex]

This will vary from state to state, and city to city. I was in Texas, and some places I tracked into a lot of Spanish speaking homes. Other areas, I rarely knocked at a door that was Spanish speaking.

[beefche]

Our Spanish speaking missionaries in my stake speak it all day long. They obviously use English alot too, but they are quite fluent in Spanish.

[EarlJibbs]

Depends on the area. I have a friend who served in Miami. He speaks better spanish than I do and I went to Venezuela where we rarely spoke English.

So he may not speak it all the time, but I think he will have ample oportunity to learn it and speak it. I personally feel that english/spanish missions are tougher (at least it would have been for me). Teaching the gospel in spanish for me was easy, but in english? The few times that I was able to do it, it was terrifying! What a great experience to do it in both languages for your brothers.

[mnn727]

Not sure about Cleveland but Oklahome has a lot of Spanish Speakers

[pam]

Obviously there is a need in those areas if people are called to speak Spanish.

[BenRaines]

I served in Florida over 40 years ago. I never taught one lesson in English. Only a couple of door contacts spoke English.

It all depends on the population and the need in the mission.

Also depends on how one applies themselves. I came home speaking better Spanish than all my friends who went to Mexico.

Ben Raines

[jayanna]

OKC That's ME! We have Spanish branches in OK. We really need a Spanish speaking missionary in my ward too. I think there is a Spanish speaking ward or two also in the actual city, but I'm not sure.

I want to learn Spanish more fluently and the previous Spanish Speaking missionaries were helping me with that. I have had classes in Spanish, baptisms, prayers, and have shared my testimony in Spanish several times but I am still very shy in approaching anyone outside of church in Spanish. Outside of church service I can't speak it at all. I can't even ask where the bathroom is. But I have even been a visiting teacher in Spanish and had no problem understanding her or making her understand me. She said my accent is excellent, but shrug, I don't actually speak it at all.

Most of the Spanish speaking members in my ward boundaries drive for an hour to a Spanish branch or ward instead of coming to my ward. Wouldn't it be great if we could have a Spanish branch in our new building we are getting 2013!

[mirkwood]

We had spanish speakers (Span-ams) in the Philadelphia mission back in the 80's. They spoke spanish all the time. I was paired up with one for a few weeks and my companion and I had one contact that spoke english. The rest were spanish speaking.

[Gwen]

My husband served spanish speaking in Washington. He spent his entire mission speaking spanish. To hear him talk of his mission you would think he went to Mexico, he spent the entire time with immigrants. He still uses his spanish on a regular basis.

Here in Alabama we have enough spanish speaking that we have a spanish branch in our stake. The stake pres frequently opens stake conference with something in spanish. Though I think the spanish speaking missionaries here don't get to use it as frequently as my husband did.