These children, and their teachers, stole my heart this month. Monday, our last day of ministry in Ecuador, our last day at T.W. Anderson School, came and I wasn’t ready for it, I wasn’t ready to say good-bye.
I think back to our first day of ministry at the school, the day that I felt completely inadequate and unsure of myself, and I am amazed by how great the month was, by how much I grew, by how much God taught me.
That first day, when I learned I would be teaching English lessons to 5 and 6 year olds, I was internally freaking out. Back in Colombia I had planned one English lesson for the Oasis program and it didn’t go well. It didn’t keep the kids attention at all, and I got a little impatient with the kids when they misbehaved. With this as my record, how was I going to be helpful in a classroom teaching English for an entire month? Would the kids learn anything? How would I manage to share Christ’s love with these kids if I couldn’t plan anything to keep their attention and just got frustrated? I should have finished that Elementary Ed degree I started years ago, rather than dropping out of college! If I had that now then at least now I’d be qualified to be doing this, rather than just stumbling around in the dark like I felt like I was doing! Of course, I prayed about it, but I still felt lost and inadequate. Over the course of the month though, God did not prove my inadequacy, but rather he proved how adequate He is!
After our first day of ministry I told my team how I was feeling, and a teammate spoke over me. She told me that she felt God tell her to tell me that His love was enough. That made me feel more at peace than I had felt, but I was still a little overwhelmed. I shouldn’t have worried though, God carried me through the month and taught me what I needed to know.
He gave me a heart for the school as a whole and especially “my” class.
He gave me patience with misbehaving kids, so much so that the teachers commented on my kindness and patience when they told me good-bye on Monday.
He provided me with helpers when I needed help getting control of the classroom at the beginning of the lesson. Then by the end of the month I’d even learned enough classroom management strategies I was usually able to gain, and keep, the kids’ attention myself! Always after a prayer for wisdom and patience of course!
Throughout the month God guided me in what I was doing, gave me peace about the past, (I no longer regret not finishing that degree, like I did at the beginning of the month. As much as I loved this month I know that I am not called to be a teacher in a classroom setting.) and peace about the future (I’d be just fine teaching English for the rest of the race. If, when I go back home, I go back to nannying, I know I could tutor those kids better now than I was able to before I left. If one day God calls me to homeschool my own kids, I know I will be capable.). God also taught me about sharing his love with others, and looking past behaviors to the person. When I got frustrated with a kid for misbehaving, I prayed for them. I prayed that God will give me wisdom in how to respond to the situation. I prayed that if the behavior was a result of a not so great home life, that God would resolve that situation. That’s what made this month so awesome; prayer.
All too soon the month came to an end. Monday morning the class threw a good-bye party for me. I came into the classroom after my morning break, got attacked with hugs from 21 5 and 6 year olds, and found this written on the whiteboard:
Then we had snacks and the teachers coached the class in saying (in English) “Alyssa, we love you so much!”
That was the sweetest thing I ever heard. I had tears in my eyes as I responded with “Te Quiero Mucho!)
After that both the class teacher I worked closely with and the regular lower elementary English teacher told me how much they’d appreciated my help this month, and how they hoped God would bless the rest of my journey. They gave me gifts, and I gave them each a big hug and a thank-you note. They were both so wonderful to work with this month!
At 3:00, after a group picture, and one last round of hugs and goodbyes, I got on the school bus for my last bus ride home this month. Now, I’m headed into month three of my race. On Friday I will be in Peru. Will you join me in praying that God makes this next month just as fruitful as this last one was? And, just as importantly, will you continue to pray with me for those at T.W. Anderson? I’m really gonna miss those kids and their teachers, and I can only hope that each one of those 21 boys and girls will grow up to be men and women of God.
