Welcome to the world of ELL. Or TESOL. Or TEFL. Or whatever the correct term may happen to be at the moment.
On my very first trip to Asia during my DTS outreach, our team unexpectedly found ourselves spending A LOT of time teaching English. Before then, I guess I never really knew how sought after English teachers were. I mean, I'm sure I figured that foreigners would be interested in learning English, but I had no idea just how big of a world it was. I especially had no idea what a great tool it could be in ministry.
On that first trip, I found myself teaching to elementary aged kids in private classes. Most parents would approach me after class and ask me to give their child extra homework. The kids were all so smart and well behaved. In the evenings, our team would teach teenagers in a very fun gameshow-style class, which is where we had the most freedom to build relationships with our students. Some evenings after class, we would visit a local American-run coffee house and participate in their English corners. And then we had a few scary opportunities to teach at some giant universities. I remember one time, I was lead through a set of double doors that opened onto a stage, and I found myself looking out over a few hundred-seat lecture hall. The teacher swooped his arm with a big, "Here you go!" and left me to fend for myself. I was nineteen years old. I was terrified of speaking in front of people. These were students that were all older than me. They were all studying subjects that I couldn't even pronounce. But as these classes continued, hearts and ears were opened for me to talk about things far greater than the English language.
After I returned to The States and completed my DTS, I decided it wouldn't hurt to brush up on my own English and learn some more effective methods of teaching it. I ventured to a base in Pennsylvania and got my TESOL certification, and it was during that time that I really learned just how far of a reach this ministry had already taken. I was able to learn from people who had already spent years in the field and was eager to put it into practice once again.
My second trip to Asia was split into two different job contracts. The first one had me shuffling between two elementary schools where I taught back-to-back classes with forty plus students in each. These public school students were nothing like the sweet private school kiddos I had previously taught. These classes were wild and uncontrolable and I don't think an ounce of English was learned by anyone. I did, however, have a teachers assistant assigned to guide me to each class and translate for me, and that was a very sweet friendship I'm thankful to have built. I was also able to live in an apartment during this time with another young lady, a teacher from the Phillippines. Teaching those crazy kids was so worth it, just for the time it allowed me to spend living life in this foreign land I loved. The second half of that trip was spent teaching at a super intensive college-prep camp. I loved loved loved each of those teens I got to spend my days with. They worked so hard and made me feel so adored. Oh, do I ever pray over their precious lives!
I then had some small opportunities to teach in Norway. Teens in China are extra eager to raise their hand and participate in class. Teens in Norway, not so much.
Though my last stint in Asia was not with the purpose of teaching English, there really was no way around it. You can simply be walking down the street and someone will stop you and ask if they can practice their English with you! Sometimes I grumbled about it or didn't make the most of each opportunity, but today I can say how thankful I am to have been given grace and new mercies each day!
When I moved back to The States and landed here in Nashville, I knew I would have more opportunities to interact with other nationalities than I would have if I were still in Wyoming. I looked into a few community programs for immigrants and non-native speakers, but nothing seemed like a good fit.
Last fall, I finally learned of a ministry that had been started out of a local Haitian congregation (that just happens to meet in the church building where my triplet family attends church). It did my heart so much good just to be surrounded by foreign languages once again. And praying! And worshipping! It sounds so good when you can't understand what's being said! My new Haitian friends have welcomed me into their lives and are definitely the highlight of my week.
So life has done another circle. I spent the weekend with these books on my lap, typing out lesson plans. I never could have known this would give my heart joy. But my Father did. And I'm sure glad He's taken me around the world to find out.
This semester, I've been assigned the task of marketing coordinator. We're hoping to expand our English Language Learner ministry and open the door for other nationalities to join our classes. That's scary and exciting! Please pray for our ministry as it grows!
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