Let me set the scene.
I am sitting on the balcony at my hotel in Yangon, Myanmar. The sun is setting, filling the skies with beautiful pinks and oranges. The moon hangs overhead just the tiniest white smile. Kids are playing futbol in the field across the street. Small children are laughing the most joyful laughs as they play their little games. People are riding home to their families on their motos. Dogs are barking, cats are meowing, and my worship music is playing in the background. I can hear the stereo at someone’s house, and I can imagine them having Sunday dinner with their closest friends and family (that’s what I’d be doing at least). I’m getting bit by mosquitoes, despite the bug spray (typical). I’m crying tears of joy reflecting on the month that the Lord blessed me with.
Wow God.
What a loving, powerful, gentle, caring God you are.
This month I got to teach English and other bible classes at the Myanmar Bible College in Yangon. I got to co-teach with one of my lovely teammates, Sisay (what a wonderful woman she is). We had the privilege of working with the first year students. Gosh, what an amazing month it has been.
Okay, back story
….
When I was growing up I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. When it came time to pick a major in college teaching was my first and last thought. I knew I was going to teach, always and forever. Well, the last year of college my heart become callused to teaching. I truly thought I had made a terrible mistake and would never actually want to be a teacher. I thought to myself,
“It’s okay, you will go on the World Race and the Lord will reveal something else to you… at least you have some kind of degree…. But the Lord will lead you in a different way..”
Or at least that’s what I thought.
Fast forward to month 6 where my team leader tells me that we are teaching English. Again. I have kind of gotten used to teaching English because it something that I have had to do a lot of on the Race. I thought it would be like any other month. No big deal.
Oh boy was I wrong.
Everyday that we are here, working with our students I can see their English improving. I can see them understanding why we use the words ‘for’, ‘since’, and ‘ago’. I can see their sentences getting better day by day. I can see these students trying their best to have conversations with me outside of the classroom. And golly, I just love it when they ask questions!
“Teacher, how do I say this?” “Teacher, is this how you would say this?”
I cannot express the feelings I get when a student understands something that they have been learning for a few days. Or when they keep a conversation going for more than 30 seconds because they have been practicing their English outside of the classroom. You guys, do you know how smart you have to be to learn a second language?!! I don’t know a second language! Do you?!? These students have wow’d me continuously with their dedication to what they are learning. Then seeing that they are learning the bible in English as well. WOW GOD.
These students come from broken homes. Harsh situations. Things that some of us can’t even imagine. And they are here, wanting to learn more about the God that saved them and gives us hope daily. They want to be worship leaders, pastors, evangelists, and so many other things. They just want to serve the Kingdom! How inspirational. The Lord has shown me where my love for teaching came from through these students. He has softened the part of my heart that said I would never teach again. He has softened it and these students have stolen it.
As I sit here and reflect on my month, tears streaming down my face, I am so sad to leave. I don’t want to say goodbye to all these young men and women that have made my heart love teaching again. I don’t want to let them go. I want to stay here. I want to stay and be continually encouraged by their work ethic, their love for one another, and how they so willingly work for the betterment of the Kingdom. But I can’t.
Tomorrow, I will say goodbye to my students. I will get on a plane to Cambodia on Tuesday and this month will be officially over. But I know that God has a bigger plan. A better plan. That these students will continue to learn. That they will go and make disciples of all nations. They will seek out God and whatever He has for each and every one of them.
I say goodbye with the utmost appreciation in my heart. I am thankful I got to make these new friendships. That we all got to live life together for one month. Eating meals, playing ping pong, dancing, learning, laughing, serving. I am thankful that the Lord used these wonderful men and women to restore this piece of my heart. I will never forget them. I will always thank God for using them to change my heart.
With love and a piece of my heart,
sav
PS — here’s that sunset gosh I’m going to miss it
