QUICK UPDATE

We have been in Kyrgyzstan for the past three weeks and it has been awesome.

Currently, we are in Bishkek teaching English to 10-21 year olds at an English center. 

I came into this ministry indifferent. I wasn’t excited about it, but I also didn’t hate the idea of it either. But now that our first week of teaching is behind us, I am absolutely loving it.

Everyday we have a theme, we teach them a quote, and practice conversation, idioms, pronunciation, and memorization.

The older students have more motivation for learning English because many of them want to go to university in English-speaking countries. The younger ones tend to be more difficult to teach because their level of English is not as high and they just want to have fun. 

Afterwards, we descend into the chaos of playing ping pong, exploding kittens, uno, and just making memories with them.

In my spare time, I am studying the Russian alphabet. Even though in Kyrgyzstan the national language is Kyrgyz, many people speak Russian. They both have similar letters, but it’s crazy the different sounds they make compared to English. 

For example, a “p” in Russian sounds like a Spanish “r”. Every time I see a “p” I want to say it like “pet”, but that sound is actually made by this letter “?”. 

I love learning and I think that is why I’ve been enjoying teaching as much as I have. I pray everyday that God would use these lessons to not only help prepare the students for the future, but they would be seeds of love planted in their hearts that will flourish long after I’m gone.

PRAY REQUESTS

• Please pray for my aunt! She was diagnosed with lung cancer while I’ve been in Kyrgyzstan. I was devastated by the news, but now she has made it through radiation and will be starting up medication. We have learned thankfully that it is a very treatable cancer. Pray for her health and full recovery during this time!

• Continued prayer for my team and I that we would continue to be salt and light in the dark places, to out-do one another in honor, and unity.

• Also, prayer for finances. Praise God for all the donations I have received! It’s incredible! I went from $4,000 to only needing $1,334! Thank you to all the rockstars who have helped made this happen. If you would like to give, please click the orange donate button at the top of my blog. 

If ten people committed to give $33 for the next four months, I would be FULLY funded, by the end of the race! 

Also, I want to rebuke a lie that many people have believed. No amount is too small. I’ve had people apologize for giving a small amount because that’s all they could afford. Jesus didn’t poke fun at the poor widow who gave three tenths of a penny at the temple. He praised her because she gave not out of her wealth, but out of what she had (Mark 12:41-44). And that’s how I feel about this trip. 

Are there people who could do a better job at teaching English? Absolutely. 

Are there people who are better at evangelizing than me? Totally. 

But I give out of who God has made me to be and He sees my heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Blessings and love!

-?????  (my name in Russian)