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July 1, 2024
English helps build eternal bridges By a worker in Central Asia “Are you teaching English classes in my city?” “Can you fit my niece into your teaching schedule?” “Can you come to our town and help our church start an English club as an outreach?” I hear questions such as these on a regular basis. People’s longing to learn English reveals their desire to live better and to get ahead in the world. It is such a passionately felt need here in Central Asia that my heart breaks every time I have to tell someone that my schedule won’t allow me to add any more private students or that I only have time to teach in one city. Teaching English opened the doors for me to come here, but what’s keeping me here is realizing that teaching is an excellent way to build bridges to Christ by first building relationships with my students. These relationships give me the privilege of being let into my students’ lives in a non-threatening way, which leads them to want to know me personally. Then, when they feel more comfortable, they ask me about my faith. Recently I had the privilege of sharing the hope of Christ with two of my students. That’s what this is all about. Since the government here actually encourages its people to learn English, the invitation has gone out for more English language teachers. For us, it’s an open opportunity to build bridges that will last for eternity. If only more English language teachers would come! At present, I am the only person on our small team with the time and training to teach English as a second language. If you are interested in seeing God at work in this part of the world and have some experience in teaching the English language, then come help build bridges to Christ through ESL! If you’d like more information, connect with a missions coach by filling out the Get Started form.