Sometimes, when my arms are full of children’s hugs and there’s a bunch of tiny hands rubbing my hair, I close my eyes and I soak it all in. I recall that at one point of my life I was sitting in a classroom auditorium with about 250 students learning about organic chemistry, wondering if I’d truly be happy as a veterinarian. After all, I’ve been working in veterinary medicine for about 7 years, so getting my doctorate made sense. But the wisdom of the world is not the same as the wisdom of God. I did try, but I didn’t try my best because I knew deep in my heart, God had other plans for me.
After a lot of prayer, I took a leap of faith and began working with children at a Capoeira Martial Arts summer camp in 2016. Since then, God blessed me with an opportunity to work in two faith-based schools and a Tae Kwon Do summer camp until I started my World Race journey on August 8, 2018. As the years passed, I grew more in love with teaching, with my students, and with the schools that I was blessed to be a part of.
Now, on the World Race, God is giving me the opportunity to teach around the world! And I love seeing His plans unfold. I’m continuing to gain experience being a teacher, and I know in the future God will continue to use it for His good.
Here’s some things I learned as a missionary teacher on the world race:
1) Stretch daily to prevent muscle soreness or injuries because children will randomly climb on your back and you might find yourself carrying multiple children at a time.
2) Children will fight each other for your hands during free dance so try to dance for as long as possible with your hands raised.
3) Speaking of dancing, teachers might randomly ask you to bust a move for the children, so if you’re not a confident dancer, have at least one signature dance move in your teaching arsenal.
4) And, speaking of teaching arsenal, be prepared with at least three nursery rhymes or songs to teach the kids.
5) A classroom filled with story books are not commonly seen during the race, so use your story telling voice, funny facial expressions, and exaggerated hand movements to keep the children’s attention.
6) The “Baby Shark” song survived, and I’ve heard it sang by kids in four of the countries I’ve lived in so far.
7) Older children really love to showcase their skills. Appreciate and cheer for them while they play soccer, throw frisbees, dance, or do their homework. Your presence and attention mean a lot to them.
8) The older children you meet will remember you. Be intentional with your time with them. Give them knowledge and wisdom of the word of God and plant seeds of hope in their hearts. And, if possible, keep in touch with them.
9) The teachers want you there! They’re eager to see you play with the children and give them rest. So, keep in mind that ministering to the children with 110% of your energy means that you’re also ministering to the teachers and showing them the love of Christ.
10) Have the tough conversations. Many of the older children have a preconceived idea that life in the United States is simple and easy. But, the truth is the world is full of problems, hardships, and trials. It’s through Christ Jesus that we are saved from it. So, proclaim the Gospel especially to the children.
11) Language barriers won’t keep children from wanting to talk to you or be around you. The good news is that LOVE is a universal language that everyone can understand. So, when you don’t have anything to say, just run with them, laugh with them, hug them, hold their hand, or cradle them to sleep.
It’s month four of my World Race journey and I’ve experienced Christ in ways I have never before experienced. I place my confidence in His hands, knowing that this is all for a purpose. I can’t imagine my life any other way. Jesus came to give life and life abundant! I am ALIVE. I pray that God will use my testimony to draw many others to spreading the Gospel either around the world or your own community. There’s work to be done for the Kingdom and lots of children who need to experience the love of Jesus.
