New Hope School/ New Life In Christ Church
Ministry in Cambodia this month has been beyond amazing! My team and I have spent nearly all day, every day living and working at a Christian school/Church in Phnom Penh called New Hope School. Our contacts, Pastor Keat and his wife Sally, are two of the nicest hosts imaginable and they have welcomed us with open arms. I have been so blessed this month by all of the church and school staff, teachers, and of course the students.
I came into this month ready to work with children and youth, excited to just shower them in God’s love. At the same time, I’ve never really considered myself great with kids, and especially not a teacher. When I discovered that I would be teaching three English classes a day, to students of all ages, I was quite overwhelmed, but not discouraged. It was exciting to know that I would be forced out of my comfort zone once again.
Each person on my team was assigned a pre-school and elementary class for the mornings and we volunteered for our upper level classes in the evenings. Without hesitating, I took the highest level class available knowing these were the students I could invest in, and relate to, on a personal level. Since the beginning of this month, God has really been giving me a burden for college-age students and I want to see that passion grow.
Two of my pre-school students, and yes, they are all this cute
It’s been great seeing the smiles of the little children every day, receiving countless hugs and high-fives and just playing with them to the point of exhaustion, but it’s my older students that I really get fired up about! They amaze me constantly. They are so intelligent and I can just see how God has great things in store for all of them. It makes me smile when they understand new words and concepts, have stories to share and questions to ask, and when we just joke around in class. This past weekend I even had the chance to hang out with some of my male students outside of class at a nearby park. Lots of popcorn and laughs!
Guys Night Out with my Level 12 English students
I never thought I would say this, but teaching English as a second language might be my new favorite thing! Every day is an opportunity to impart knowledge, wisdom and the love of Christ to my students.
