I Have a Dream...

I've been teaching level 7 English for an hour every weekday afternoon at the Legacy of Hope International English Center for the past month or so. I also take my Khmer lessons at LOHI every day. It's been a great place to make friends and be able to invest in the lives of college students. I've also gotten involved in the cell group that meets there every Sunday. While there have been many challenges during my time in Cambodia so far, I have also had some really wonderful experiences and made lots of great friends, and it's mostly because of my connections at LOHI! I'm so thankful God put them in my path.

I love all of my students. They each have such different personalities. I have some girls who are incredibly hard studiers and they always know the answers to the questions. All of the guys sit on one long row in the back of the class and crack jokes. One of the guys ALWAYS cracks me up. He will say, "Teacher, it's so hot, can we go home early?" Or "Teacher, no class tomorrow right?! We take a break?" But he's also a very good student, and behind his joke cracking he has a great hunger to learn. He reminds me of a college age, Khmer version of my favorite after schooler back home, Clay.

On a recent quiz I gave a bonus question where I had all of my students write four sentences about their dreams for the future. I wanted to share some of them with you:
"I want to travel around the world with my family."
"I want to be a doctor in the hospital."
"I want to own my own business in my country."
"I want to have a good family and happiness."
"I want to have my own house."
"I want to finish successfully my studies at university."
"I want to have a car in my family."
"I want to marry with a pretty girl."
"I want to be a lawyer."
"I want to be a Khmer teacher, or a tourguide."
"I want to be a good student and I good child for my family and my community."
"In the future I will travel to the U.S. to visit my uncle."
"I will earn more money to be a millionaire."
"I will pass level 9 in LOHI and become a teacher of English."
"I will develop my country if I am a leader."
"I want to study abroad for agriculture because it can help me to find a good job."
"I want to make a shop in the Super Market in Battambang." (The super market is the mall.)
"I want to make Children Center to help children with no parents, if I have a lot of money."

These are just some of the dreams of my students. If you notice, these include the dreams of a Buddhist monk as well. There's really no difference in his dreams and the dreams of a normal everyday college student. Many of their hopes for the future are about getting good jobs, making money, or traveling the the United States. While I pray that at least one or two of each of their dreams really would come true in their lives, I also know that their happiness doesn't really lie in money or success. It certainly doesn't lie in simply making it to America. True joy and contentment is only possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray that each one will see something in me that causes them to wonder about that relationship.

Please pray for my 19 students, and for me. Pray that I would be able to find creative ways to share what makes me different in class without offending or pushing them away. Pray that the Holy Spirit would soften their hearts to the message of Christ crucified and risen!