When I was in elementary school I decided that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. Once my mind was set on that it never changed and I graduated with a degree in elementary education, then taught one year before the leaving for the race. When I signed up for the race, I was excited to experience different ministries and discover what else I’m interested in since I already know that I’m passionate about teaching. However, for five out of the six months I’ve been on the race so far I have been teaching. At first I was kind of annoyed with this and couldn’t understand why I kept being placed doing the same type of ministry when I really wanted to see what else is out there, but God has really opened up my eyes as to why that has been happening. It’s because that’s where He needs me most.
I’ve had the opportunity to teach on two continents and 5 different countries so far. I’ve gotten to take what I learned from college as well as from my experience teaching and bring it into villages, cities, and towns across the world. Not only did I get to see the children grow in their English abilities while teaching, but I also saw so many of the teachers grow during my time there. For the most part, the teachers in these schools didn’t go to school to be teachers. Some didn’t go to university at all. God allowed me to take what I have learned and teach it to teachers who can continue to use those skills for years to come. It didn’t really hit me that the teachers were a huge part of why I was there until Cambodia. I got to teach in the classroom of a really amazing teacher named Toni. At night I would teach her middle school class, which is the age I teach at home. I taught them a lot of chants for encouragement as well as review games that they really loved. I wrote them down for their teacher so that she could continue to use those in her classroom. When my last full day in Cambodia came around, we didn’t teach. Toni taught the class herself that night. As we said our goodbyes the next morning, Toni hugged me and said, “Everything I do in the classroom now reminds me of you.” I may have only been able to teach these kids for a few short weeks, but she will be able to use teaching strategies that she watched me do for years to come.
It also goes both ways. I learned just as much from her as she would teach the Khmer portion of classes. I’ve been exposed to so many cultures and languages, and that’s going to continue to grow me into becoming a better teacher for all the children I get to teach in the years to come. God is taking me all around the world to teach me to be an even better teacher for His children. How cool is that?
My favorite part though are the seeds I get to plant. Teaching English opens up doors to share the gospel. I get to tell Bible stories to Buddhist preschoolers. I get to show them what the love of Jesus looks like. I get to teach them children’s worship songs. We get to go into these classrooms and plant seeds in the minds of the children that can be the light in the darkness. As I head into this month in Thailand, I’ve already seen that there is a lot of hurt and darkness in this country. I haven’t met a single Christian. The sex industry is huge, prostitution is huge, and so little is being done about it. I might only be able to plant one seed at a time while in a classroom, but these kids could be the ones that grow up realizing prostitution is wrong. I pray these children meet Jesus, even if I’m not here to see it. As I experience the painful past and present of these countries, it’s so great knowing I believe in a God that is bigger than the darkness, and that I get to share that with people. So God, keeping using me in whatever ministry You need me at, even if it’s not what my earthly desires are.
