Meen-ga-la-ba (hello) from Myanmar! I’m currently in a small village called Hlegu which is located about an hour bus ride outside of the capital city of Yangon. I’m in my third and final week at this location, and I would love to share with you what I’ve been experiencing. The specific place I’m staying at has a lot of components to it. It is 1. A missions school, 2. An orphanage, 3. A place where children can stay long-term if their parents simply can’t take care of them, 4. A church, 5. A home to a family who has a vision and passion for all of these things. Although there is much going on, there is also so much peace on this land, which is a treat after living in large and loud cities the last 2 months. So what have I been doing? Well I’ve been doing what I love, TEACHING!
Here in Myanmar it is summer. Yes, it’s hot, at 100 degrees Fahrenheit with a single fan and no A/C, but what I mean is there is no school during this month. So I had the amazing opportunity to teach English to 13 children ages 8-14. These children are all on different English comprehension levels which made teaching quite the challenge for me. In college I was trained how to incorporate 1 or maybe 2 English Language Learners into my classroom of English speakers, but I was not trained what to do if ALL my students didn’t know English. Not to mention, that I have no materials or resources to give my students or to guide me on where to start. I was at a loss, BUT GOD…!
God has so much knowledge and wisdom which He loves to share! I had no idea what to do or how to start so asked God to help me, and He came through EVERY TIME! The first week was full of laughter from the children as my team and I taught them Locomotor Movements which I learned in my Teaching P.E. to Children class.
Walk! Run! Jump! Skip! Stomp! Slide! March! Gallop! Dance! And the class favorite, Kick!
We also taught them emotions which they go to act out, which was hilarious! Then one day God gave me an idea to take the entire class outside and learn how to say the different colors in English. I learned that day that I need to encourage children to point to the nature around them rather than destroy it in order to bring it to me! It makes me laugh just thinking about it! My favorite was when my teammate Elva said “Find me something PURPLE!” and all the children ran into the garden and unplanted the eggplants and brought them to her! Or when I said “Find me something WHITE!” and the children brought back plastic wrappers and bottle caps, which we could have said, but instead Elva says “Now this, this is garbage…” And it makes me laugh every time I think back to that moment. That day is still one of my favorites!
On Friday, of that first week, we tested them to see how much they remembered, and what I learned from their results was that sounding out letters to figure out a word was close to non-existent. So I had a new challenge and that was to continue using verbal English while at the same time introducing literature. The children know their alphabet names very well, but not the alphabet sounds. So my team and I have continued to form that base knowledge for them so that they can continue to practice and learn English once we leave. It’s definitely sad to think about leaving a place where you have invested so much time and effort. There may even be some fear that I can’t control what happens after I leave, but I know God is faithful and He will bring someone to water the seeds I have planted and cared for these past 3 weeks.
I have learned so much about myself through teaching these children. I’ve learned that with God I am more than capable. It’s funny to think that if I was back in the States right now instead of being on the race, I would be finishing up my Student Teaching, and preparing to walk the stage in May. However, 6 months ago I felt completely incapable of being a great or even a good teacher. Coming on the race postponed the reality of becoming a fully functioning adult. Although I ran away from something I was in fear over God put me in a position where I am having to face that fear and came to the realization that the boogeyman was actually just the tree outside my bedroom window. The thing I feared, teaching, turned out to be irrational, and in turn has become extremely fulfilling.
I look forward to what God has for me in the future, and am readying myself for Him to highlight other fears in my life and turn them into joyous truths!
