We moved to Singapore with the expectation that Josh would be "the teacher" in our family. Little did I guess that God would open up the door for me to teach as well. But, the door was not only unlocked, it was wide open.
The church we have been attending, International Baptist Church, sponsors an ESL (English as a Second Language) ministry that reaches over 250 women in the community. The first week we attended a Sunday service at IBC, there was an announcement from the pulpit that the ESL ministry was in dire need of teachers. . . immediately. Josh nudged me and whispered in my ear, "I think you should check into that," which was exactly what the Holy Spirit was whispering in my other ear. It seemed as though God had prepared me for this ministry years ago, before I ever would have imagined being in this place at this time. My undergraduate studies were in Education and I was required to take several TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes. Not only that, but one of my part-time jobs during college was as a private tutor for a Korean-run tutoring center where I had the opportunity to tutor non-English-speakers. And, most importantly, God had been preparing my heart through prayer as Josh and I asked God to provide an opportunity for us to serve the community here. Less than a week after the announcement was made, I was sitting in an orientation class for new teachers!
Top Row(L-R): SoYoung, Tomo, JinJu, Chie, Miki, Joyce, JanetBottom Row: JongHwa, Emiko, YanShi, Me, ShuHsien
I have 16 students (though, as you can see from the picture, attendance usually hovers around 12). We meet once each week for about 2 hours and spend the first portion of our time going over basic English skills. The last part of the class is dedicated to Bible study. Many of my students (most, in fact) are not Christians, nor are they even familiar with Christianity. We went over the Creation Story and several of them had never heard it before. . . same goes for Noah's Ark, The Exodus, and The 10 Commandments.
Pray that God would help me be an effective ESL teacher (if they aren't learning English, they won't be motivated to come to class). Pray that God would allow me to present the truth of Christianity to them in an easy to understand way (this is a Beginner class and most of my students have very limited English skills). Most importantly, pray that God would soften the hearts of these women toward the truth of His gospel.
4 comments:
I love you, Becca. Your heart is so beautiful to behold, the way it radiates the joy and love of God.
Wow Rebecca- I think that it is really neat that you are helping out those in need. I read in my devotional (Homeward) this morning that we are the most like God when we are giving to others. It is interesting to think on..... and you are giving of your time to others. I am sure that you will be blessed with friendship also.
I'm going to print out this photo and put it up in the back of church so we can pray for all those lovely women (including you).
It's an encouragement to see that God takes our past experiences and uses them for His Glory. We'll definitely be praying that He reaps much fruit from your labors.
"...As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!'"
Romans 10:15
Have you looked at your feet lately? ;-)
(P.S. Is one of those ladies Jingle Bells' employer?)
wow this is so cool. What a neat opportunity! =)
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