Many students enroll in language classes with the instrumentally motivated goal of satisfying a requirement. This article argues that instructors can influence students' motivation toward more integrative motivation by helping them make connections with the language community. The 'Language Partner' program established for a small German program has proven to be successful in moving the motivation of beginning German students in the direction of integrative motivation. Regularly-scheduled sessions with German speakers give students an opportunity to experience and manipulate the language in authentic contexts. The results of a survey are presented which point toward the success of the program and confirm the benefits for students.