ESL @ CCC

Translation: English as a second language at Christ Community Church.

Last night was week 3 for this new ministry that has started up at CCC here in Wheaton, IL. The ESL team is rolling with the changes that are going on (almost weekly) as we try to navigate this new way to reach out to our community. Our students show up every week eager to learn. It's inspiring for me to see their eagerness as I'm trying to learn Japanese. I know a bit of their frustration and joy, being a student myself.

The majority of our students are Spanish speakers from Mexico. But last night we had a family of 3 come for the first time from Vietnam and have one French speaker from Cameroon. I'm humbled when I hear why these people are taking the class. A student told me last night that he wants to learn enough English so that he can take classes at a local college for his job. Some people need the language so they won't be taken advantage of by a dishonest boss. Some need to learn how to communicate with their children whose primary language has become English.

I don't think I was prepared to have this much responsibility when I signed up for this. It is an awesome opportunity for me to learn some skills for teaching English in Japan. But, my prayer is that the Lord will teach me to be faithful with this time of ministry now, for the sake of these students--not just looking to how this will benefit me.