My ESL Class

As I have mentioned before, Amanda and I are teaching English to a group of African guys at our church on Wednesday nights. When Amanda felt the call for us to be a part of this ministry at church, I had yet to hear that particular call; but I was willing to concede that maybe the Lord could tell her something before He told me.

It only took one night and my reluctance turned to certainty. My excuses were all shot down and I realized that this was a basic need that I was well prepared to meet.

Our curriculum begins something like this. Can you write your name? How about your address? There's the first half hour. Those questions inevitably lead to others, and before you know it another two hour Wednesday night ESL class has passed and on the drive home I pray that the guys in our class have learned half as much as they have taught me.

First? Listen to your wife. Or whomever might be around that encourages you to move just outside your comfortable field of expertise. It is completely in God's nature to tell someone else something that you should know in order to perfect your listening skills.

Second? Gratitude. These guys, all of whom are refugees from violent and desperate situations arrive on time each week with smiles and notebooks ready to meet whatever challenge awaits them with sincere gratitude. When I asked the students to tell me something they liked about living in the USA, the answers ranged from, "I like it because we can meet other people who love God," to "I like nice teach-chah."

Lastly, it is impossible to explain how my heart is changed each week by these brave and intelligent men who are walking into new and foreign challenges daily that would make most of us curl up into the fetal position and cry like babies. The Lord is changing me for the good, and hopefully, before He is finished, these guys will be able to write their names and addresses perfectly.