Studying Arabic.
Take the challenge - study Arabic! There are many ways of doing it, from studying at home from a book to taking a few years out for full-time study. I spent two years at a language school for Christian workers in Amman, Jordan. The Kelsey Arabic Program is an excellent place to go if you "wish to work in churches and Christian ministries serving Arabic speaking peoples."
Modern Standard Arabic.
A good basic book for learning to read and write the Arabic script is "The Arabic Alphabet" by Nicholas Awde. Purchase it at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
Colloquial Arabic
There are various resources available online. LangMedia has a good set of introductory materials for Jordanian Arabic, including audio and video clips.
A complete course in Syrian Arabic can be found online at http://syrianarabic.com/.
For home study of the Arabic spoken in the region of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon this book is helpful: