I was able to do three different ministries in Cambodia last month! From 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. I was able to teach English, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. I was able to teach English/share the gospel at a restaurant and from 4:00-5:00 p.m. we did outreach in the slums. Each ministry had its own lessons. This blog is to share a bit about what God did in my time there and my first ministry teaching 1st grade students.
I started off being a teacher’s assistant for a 3rd grade class on my first day in ministry with Ben. I ended up getting sick that same week we arrived so I wasn’t able to do ministry for a few days. The school noticed my teammate, Ben, was able to take care of this class by himself so I was switched to help another teacher. When I came back I was placed in a 1st grade class as a teacher’s assistant. I think it was overwhelming how much I learned in this class setting about the Cambodian culture and how we can be of impact in a short period of time.
The Cambodian schools have a shortage of teachers and volunteers are always welcomed. Anyone that is up for the task can be a teacher in Cambodia. Matt and Ben didn’t have experience in class settings prior to this month but they were each given a class to teach. The school I taught in was composed of foreigner teachers that came to Cambodia with long term plans to stay. Cambodia’s past with the Khmer Rouge left few educated people after their genocide. There is a gap of a generation missing, since the government killed off any intellectual it could find, and 25% of it population was gone. To learn more about this topic, I encourage you to see The Killing Fields and the documentary First They Killed My Father.
I would talk to teachers from the school during my breaks and I was informed about corruption in the Cambodian culture. Parents didn’t like to hear any negative comments about their children so the school was “forced” to speak “positive” when they would talk to the parents about the students. I noticed students sometimes were disruptive, couldn’t sit still and they threw tantrums unlike anything I had ever seen. One time I saw a student flip a table because a teacher told the student they had to stay 5 minutes during their lunch break for being disruptive. I was shocked and scared. The first thing I could think of was to pray.
Okay, Jesus, where do I start? I was told I would be an assistant that would focus on the children that were having difficulties learning English. I started focusing on one or two students per day. It was overwhelming, it was intimidating and it was frustrating but I had three weeks to show I was worth being there. The little victories were the ones that kept me going. I wanted to create a change in this school environment. One time I was told by another Cambodian assistant “teacher, that student is smart but he is lazy!” She said this in front of the class while I was helping the student do work. I was told by the teacher in this class that it’s in the Cambodian Culture to speak negative or to be tough on the students. I replied to her out loud, “no, he is smart and I am sure he can do it”. Positive reinforcement was my key to success. I would tell the students “I believe in you”, “I can help you”, “you’re doing great”, “stay focused” “if you let me help you I bet we can be the first to turn in this assignment!”
Everyday had a little victory and soon the students that were struggling were asking me for help instead of a me approaching them. Every night my teammates would hear about how a student was able to turn in an assignment for the first time this month, how I had a student sit still for the first time, how another student impressed me in how quick he could learn new vocabulary or how another student asked me for help in an assignment. It was all the little things that kept me excited that month!
On my last day I was able to confirm the change that was happening before my eyes. The teacher that I worked with said he saw an improvement in his students. I also notice the Cambodian assistant had changed the way she was talking to the students. My prayer is that the students continue to see their potential to learn, that the environment in the school changes to positive reinforcement and that the students change the society around them. Please keep Cambodia in your prayers. My heart truly grew towards this country as I learned about their past.
As I overview this month I am overwhelmed by the Father’s love. I am thankful that He picked me to do this mission trip. He picked me to be assigned to this ministry. He trusted me with these people and allowed me to come along side them. Thanks again for your support and love. I truly feel your prayers! I am excited to announce that I only need $1507 to be FULLY funded. I am 91.44% funded and am expectant that God will provide by the end of the year the remainder of the funds. As always, please keep me in your prayers, share the blog and remember this is not just my journey! You are as much part of it. I love and miss you ALL. Blessings your way.
