”Okay, students. Vamos a empezar con introducciones… we are going to start with in-tro-duc-tions.” -me
“Nooooooo!” -the amazing nine year old boys in my class
“Sí! You can do it! Puedes hacerlo!” -me
*silence*
“…fart! (abrupt with laughter)” -my students saying the one word they can always remember. Did I mention they are nine-year-old boys?
If you can’t already tell, this is right up my alley! I ADORE teaching these silly kiddos! Which is a good thing because it’s my team’s main ministry for these three last months on the race here in Guatemala.
Peyton and I are co-teaching four classes per week. Three of the classes are an hour long every afternoon Monday-Wednesday, and our fourth class is two hours long at a local school every Wednesday morning. Our students at the school are around 14 years old, boys and girls combined.
These students aren’t receiving consistent English teaching in their school, if they can even go to school. Being able to speak English can truly change the course of a Guatemalan child’s future because it opens up so many other job opportunities aside from farming. So, being able to consistently teach these children English for three months is a huge blessing to us and them. But it’s also a ton of pressure! I had to pray a lot before ministry started that God would allow Peyton and I to be effective, but also for us to be at peace knowing that their future is in God’s hands, not ours. If God wants them to speak English, they’ll speak English. I get to just be a vessel and let God do what He pleases. What a gift! Thank you, Father.
We lesson plan every Monday morning for the coming week. So far, our students have been learning pronouns, different verbs, colors, numbers, family vocabulary, emotions vocabulary, the 5 w’s (through song!), and introductions. We test them once a week and I love seeing the effort they are putting in. The majority of them truly want to learn. For fun, we like to play Uno, have a candy break, or, to be honest with you, simply say the word “fart” and watch them throw their heads back laughing…. it’s just so hilarious to me how that’s universally funny. It’s a solid brain break!
*Sorry to all of the moms who deem that a “potty word”. If I babysit your kids, I promise I will not engage in such jokes with them LOL
Through teaching, God has grown my appreciation for the often overlooked gift of education. Being able to play a role in molding the brains of these little ones is such a privilege. Thank you, Father, for teaching me through so many different teachers in my life. Thank you for being the ULTIMATE teacher!
Last but not least, my favorite part of teaching is being able to share the love of Christ. All of our students know that Peyton and I are Christians. Every Wednesday before class, we have a 20-ish minute presentation of a bible story with a worship song, prayer, and a skit. My whole team does this together for all of our students combined and I truly believe it has been a huge factor in how we are bonding with our students. It was also cool to be with them for “Holy Week” and share the HOPE of the resurrection, as some of them didn’t even know the resurrection happened.
Please pray for Peyton and I as we have only three weeks left with our kids. Please pray that they would see Christ’s love in us, that God would bless their efforts to learn English, and that they would be bold about asking questions about Jesus. Thank you so much for partnering with me in this mission!
“‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.” -Matthew 18:3-5
-Anna:)
