After we arrived, we gained more information about what
our days would look like for the next two months. With only one-sixth of our
team having any official training in education, we were both excited and
hesitant to learn that we would be spending much of our time here teaching
English. That being said, it did not take long for the traces of nervousness to
disappear.
We are now entering our second full week of teaching and
rapidly approaching the halfway point of our time here. Each day, we take on the
task of teaching seven English classes.
During this term, students have the opportunity to study the
story of Joseph, study the book of Mark, or study from The Big Picture Story Bible. Because the organization we are
teaching through is allowed to teach English using the Bible, many students are
able to hear the gospel as they study English – many for the first time.
There are many parts of teaching that bring us joy: seeing
the students enjoy games we play in class to learn vocabulary words, listening
to students read stories directly from Scripture, and even simply their
eagerness to learn. But what brings us the most joy is the students’ focus when
they are listening to the gospel. We have had multiple opportunities to
present the gospel through a word and picture presentation, and each time the
students sit with focused eyes and a clearly sincere interest in what is being
shared. Even more, they ask questions afterward!
The interest is there for many of the students, yet there
seems to be a strong hindrance in the way of them willingly and openly
accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. In Cambodia, family is first. Much of
the hesitation students have to surrender their lives to Christ stems from the
possibility of them being disowned by their family due of their decision. For
many students, this is more a fact than just a possibility.
- Please pray that the students would begin to understand that surrendering their life to Christ is worth anything and everything they may have to sacrifice. Pray that they will also understand that becoming a part of the Body of Christ is a chance to be a part of another family.
- Please pray that the hearts of the family members of students would be softened to the idea of following Christ and that students would be able to share the gospel with their families without persecution.
- And finally, please pray that God would use our team to speak the words the students need to hear in order to understand the importance of following Jesus.
-Cambodian DiscipleMakers