I was always interested in doing some mission
work but didn't think I had the skills or knowledge to be of any use, so I
never really pursued the idea. I’d never done a talk before, never been a
chairman, and never had to answer tough bible based questions, so I pictured
myself sitting in the back of lessons being pretty useless. I recently had the opportunity to go to
Cambodia and I thought I might check out the Bible Education Center (BEC) in
Phnom Penh. I went to one of the field workers meetings and they were looking
for volunteers to go to the BEC in Sihanoukville. I had no plans for the next
month and a half so I volunteered. 2 days later I was facing my first class.
Thrown straight in the deep end, I was teaching classes from beginner English,
to first principals. It was a bit scary at first, but I had all the teaching
aids I needed, so it was not difficult. The students are awesome and love to
have a laugh while learning, so building relationships was fun and very
rewarding, and teaching students from 7 years old to 40 years old, it never
gets repetitive. I learnt way more in my time there then I was expecting. I’ve
now done a few exhorts and seminars, and had to do some research so I was able
to answer some questions that students had asked me. I can't tell you how
valuable it is for there to be enough field workers at any BEC. Students come
from all over to get free English lessons from foreigners. You have to be there
for yourself, I think, to see how big a part of their lives the BEC is, First
for English, then friends, then bible lessons. And it really works. I was lucky
enough to see a student baptized while I was there. 1 year ago she found a
leaflet for free English lessons and now she’s my sister. And there's more like
her. When you’re not teaching there's always
students to hang out with, beaches to swim in and motos to ride. Savy and
Theung and their baby Saly are doing a great job running the BEC and made me
feel very welcome and useful in my time there. So if you’re looking for
something to do for a few weeks, head to Cambodia and don't book a return
flight, because I can guarantee you'll want to stay longer. Any time you can
give is valuable and needed. There is plenty to do and anyone can do it. If you
speak English, you’re qualified to teach it. And I'm sure you know a few Sunday
school lessons. It makes a huge difference, and you really feel like you’re
doing something real with your time when you spend it spreading the good news. Bro
Jonny
Well, dear Readers, Things have been busy here with preparation for our seminar this weekend. Catering, printing, emailing and phoning have been occupying our hours. James is sitting opposite me on the table working on his talks for Friday. We have had quite a number of bookings for our seminar and the numbers have only been limited by the size of our premises. God willing, all will attend and we’ll have a good two days of talks and chatting. We’re planning, God willing, a boat cruise as our social activity and that should be a blast since we can have a 2 hour cruise for 50 people for only $20. Have managed to hook up skype credit and tested a mobile call to Prydie. The 5 second lag meant it was like having two random monologues in the same room. The prices was fairly reasonable, but even as 3 cents a minute the cost climbs. James spends much time out on the balcony. He gets good wireless reception. It's quite a amusing to peek through the window and see James out on the balcony wa...
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