September in the States usually arrives with the start of a new school year. Usually, being on the Race makes me forget the flow of life and the comfort of routine. Nevertheless, September arrived on the Race and I was not begrudged the opportunity to go back to school. After a final round of team changes at the end of Thailand, my new team (Team Summit) rolled into Siem Reap, Cambodia to work with Bible Church International School. There were kids from preschool to first grade enrolled, and we had the opportunity to take over as teachers for a month to give the regular instructors (the most passionate, and incredible group of Filipino ladies who love the Lord!) a much needed and well-deserved break.
Monday through Friday, we got up, did dances, sang songs, read flashcards, and colored pages. I never thought that I would love teaching preschool as much as I did. Usually I enjoy working with adolescents or adults because there is more potential for intellectual engagement. Whether these conversations pertain to science, philosophy, or theology, I love talking about the complex, and delighting in how so many components fit together to create something that works. This past month, I realized how delighting in the simple things simply because they were simple (sorry, couldn’t resist using the word “simple” that many times) and not for the profound complexity behind them, was a lost art to me. I’m glad I rediscovered it.
With a group of five year-olds, the most profound thing I did all month was tell Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The kids went bonkers. The cycle of metamorphosis absolutely fascinated them, and it wasn’t because of all these reactions taking place within the organism. It was because an egg became a caterpillar, and then a cocoon, before transforming into a beautiful butterfly. To these kids, what happened was not understood to be an amazing, complex scientific process, but they were still in awe nonetheless. It was magical because it was simple. The fact of the matter was that matter had rearranged itself to become something new and different, and even without knowing the mechanics behind that transformation, it was still a miracle. The kids gave glory to God not by cutting it open and looking at it under a microscope (don’t get me wrong, this also gives glory to God), but by simply delighting in it. This truth is also comforting because it tells me that I don’t need to know the ins and outs of the things far beyond my comprehension in order to sing His praise.
The miraculous dwells in the complex, but it also makes a home in the simple things. I had forgotten to delight in the beauty found in both explanations, and I no longer wanted to let my fascination over the complex rob me of my delight in the simple as well. Just because I know how something works, does not mean I should be any less amazed by the fact that it does work. Teaching these children became refreshing as I marveled over everything they learned, from shapes to colors to numbers.
Because we were teaching preschool children, everything the kids learned is foundational to everything else they will learn as they get older. As mundane as it was to lay the bricks of ABCs, 123s, and red blue yellows, the importance of the task was never brought to question. Joy came in those moments when I knew that we were participating in building that solid foundation for what would be constructed upon it someday. Of course, the thing about being a foundation builder is that not only is the work ordinary, but also nobody sees and appreciates the work put in because it is the structure above that is on display. It is only when the house collapses and things go dreadfully wrong that the foundation builders get thrown into the spotlight. Needless to say, few things humble you more than teaching preschool; especially as you’re reminded that this job is a lot more like how building the Kingdom should be than what we actually think or do. And we were only teachers for a few weeks! During this time, we were able to fellowship with an amazing missionary team of Filipino women who pour out their lives to these Cambodian children the other fifty weeks of the year. We were deeply moved, inspired, and encouraged by the living testimonies of these lovely ladies. Through coming on the Race this year, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and serve with so many servants of God doing amazing things. Because of His goodness and faithfulness to the nations, Cambodia was definitely no exception.
“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation." Daniel 4:3
