This chapter presents two study abroad programs for US government students of Arabic that include involvement with the local community with an orientation toward service learning. Both programs were highly successful in helping students understand both cultural and linguistic competence rapidly and to high levels. The author describes both programs in detail-activities done before, during and after immersion, presents the reason for the development of the programs in their current form, and explains how these programs serve as examples of service-learning aspects of transformative language learning and teaching.