So last Wednesday and Thursday evenings I joined Travis at the Bible Institute to help teach a couple classes. Being that these conversation classes just started five or six months ago, I was surprised at the turn out. One of the men who came to learn has actually been teaching the beginner class for the past few months. He is a Catholic man who is in his 50's who is currently unemployed. Travis has a growing friendship with him and has visited with him in his home on a couple of occasions.
He welcomed me into his class and for the next hour I did my best to help him teach. He used memory and spelling to teach conversation and didn't seem to explain key grammar points. It was difficult for me to assist him when I knew that he was doing his best to teach but was teaching some fundamentally wrong things. At one point I said a quick prayer in my mind, "Lord help me graciously correct this man so the class might learn the appropriate way ask and answer these questions." I couldn't quite gauge how he accepted my correction, but I think it turned out for the better. I am a highly communicative teacher that likes to get the class interacting in creative ways. Travis has plans for me to teach some of the beginner classes so that his teacher might take a few pointers. Pray that things go smoothly with this idea as I don't want to offend him or make him feel belittled. It seems to me like a it could be a fragile situation, but I am new to this culture and maybe it will be a positive situation for all of us.
On Thursday I helped teach Travis' class. I say helped because I was the basically the topic of the class. We did introductions and his five students of various "intermediate" levels introduced themselves to me. Afterward, I introduced myself and gave them opportunity to ask me questions. It was a blast. By the end of the class the students actually came up with the idea that they would like to make one of our classes a field trip where they got to take me and my wife and brother-in-law to local attraction--kind of like personal tour guides I think.
Anyway, I'll be helping out again this week and I'm really looking forward to it. Please pray that in the short time I have with these students I will be able to build relationships that will bridge relationships between the students and the missionaries and church members here. Thanks following me!
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