I want to tell you all about some of my readers. I realize that often my posts do not describe in detail what goes on in the class, and I'm sure many of you would like to hear more about that.
Corey and I work with at most 10 students a day. Usually at least one person cancels or doesn't show up for their reading session, but many of them come to class. We work in classrooms within the church building and we start at 10am everyday and end at 10pm every day except Saturday. On Saturdays we work until 5pm. Mondays are our days off, so we work Tuesday-Saturday. We have been in Chile for 2 weeks now. We leave Chile Sunday evening, and head off to Texas for our End Meeting. We expect to be back home on Tuesday night.
To describe my readers, I will put them into categories.
The first category includes those students who believe in Christ and attend the Church of Christ. There are four women whom I read with who fit in this category, and they speak English adequately or pretty well. When reading through the book of Luke or John with these women, we are able to discuss on the topics of the readings and agree in opinions. There isn't much debate there because they are receptive and open to the word of God.
The second category of readers includes those who grew up Catholic or were baptized Catholic, but no longer practice that religion. Some of these readers still believe in God, and recognize some the stories in the Bible. These people are okay with using the Bible to learn English, but only come there to learn English. We offer free English classes, and they come to practice their English. I can think of two such readers. One of them, a married engineer of about 35 years old, comes to class everyday that he is scheduled to come and we go through the lesson of the day. He often asks me questions concerning the pronunciation of the words, or on the meaning of the words, and usually we spend the whole class time figuring out what all the words mean. We don't discuss the meaning behind any of the lessons because we never get the opportunity to do so. The other reader that fits into this category is a young woman who is currently studying law at The University of Chile. She and I connected well because she is a social worker and is studying to become a lawyer, while I am a sociology major, with plans to pursue a law degree after college. Last week, we read about the birth of Jesus and how Jesus was tucked in in a box where cattle fed, shortly after He was born. We talked a bit about the irony of the King of kings being born in a manger because there was no room for Him and His family in the inn. She told me sadly that today, a lot of Chileans do not believe in God. We talked about the economic system in Chile and how the poor really suffer here. I could see that she was very concerned with the poor in Chile and that she still believes in God even if many people around her find it hard to believe in something they don't see. I was very glad to have the opportunity to talk more in depth about the reading. Usually we don't get to discuss the meaning of the stories because by the time we are done defining all the words and figuring out the verbs and their tenses, the class time is over.
A third category of readers are those who believe in something (although that something may not be the same God that we praise) and although they are not opposed to using the Bible to practice their English, they do not like nor agree with many of the Christian beliefs that we hold and share with them. I can think of two such people. One of them is a young woman who would like to be a journalist. She is a human activist and has spoken to me passionately about the need for peace and understanding between human beings. I told her about Jesus' prayer for His disciples at the end of the book of John. Jesus prayed that His disciples may be one, just as He and the Father are one. And I explained to my sister that Jesus wants the same thing she hopes for. He wants justice for the oppressed, freedom for the prisoners, unity and peace among the people. Although she didn't respond to this comment directly, she listened to me as I said this. However, when we read about Jesus saying it is the sick who need a doctor not those who are well and I started talking to her about our need for God and our need for salvation, she disagreed with me. For one, she does not consider herself to be among those who are in need of the doctor. And she tells me that she believes she is living right. After talking with her more, I discovered that she believes in a spirit of the universe, an abstract phenomenon that she had not been aware of when she was younger, but for which is now opening her eyes to see. She is reluctant to connect this "spirit" with God. But something she said gave me hope. She told me that what she believes in right now, is what she thinks is right. But maybe, she said, in the future, she'll believe in something else. But right now, what she believes is right for her.
There are other readers whom I would like to share with you, but seeing how this is already a long post, I can share them with you Wednesday.
I have hope for these readers. The last thing the angel Gabriel said to Mary when he brought the news of her future son, Jesus, was that God can do anything. Indeed, God can do anything!
On a lighter note, today my teammate and friend Corey turned 21 years old. We had a small fiesta at the house and invited the missionaries and readers to celebrate with us. Adella made some chorrillano, a Chilean dish which consists of chicken, chorriso, salami, onion, and a few other ingredients. She also made some fries on the side, and I helped her with the garlic bread. For dessert, we had walnut pie, which was Absolutely Amazing, and ice cream. We had about 16 guests at the party. Corey really enjoyed it especially the walnut pie and Adela's gift. I hope he tells you more about this later.
Please remember our readers in your prayers when you pray, and do not cease to pray for us. We are supported by your prayers.
Thank you sooo much!
God bless you
Linda
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