We have been experiencing more people reaching out to us to learn English due to the recent influx of refugees (mostly from African countries, Iraq, and Afghanistan.)
When the Students Became the Teachers
When the Students Became the Teachers
Written by Yulia Wijata & David Tjiptogarson, ESL Volunteers
As another trimester teaching ESL at Mission Adelante came to an end, I could not help but reflect and be thankful for the opportunity, the friendship, and the joy that David and I experienced in the past year and a half.
It was late in 2020, at the end of a seemingly long and isolating pandemic year, that we were yearning for more community. The invitation to the volunteer orientation at Mission Adelante posted on our church’s Facebook page caught my eye. I had heard about the organization and its ministry working with the refugee and immigrant community in Kansas City, Kansas, years before but never took steps to find out more or made the commitment to serve. When we finally went to the orientation and learned about the different serving opportunities, we immediately felt the calling to get involved in the ESL program.
To be honest, in the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive at the thought of teaching English. My husband and I are immigrants ourselves, and English is not our native language. We had to learn English and American culture when we came to the United States over 30 years ago. While I was not confident in my ability to teach English and my lack of Spanish, I always felt a kinship with the immigrant community and thought that we had a unique perspective to offer since we had gone through the experience of learning a new language and adjusting to life in a new country.
We started in ESL Level 1, where we worked one-on-one with the students, helping them with simple tense and pronunciation of common words and phrases. In Level 2, we began to help the lead teacher with some sessions. We gained more confidence as we moved up to each level with our students, like Nancy and Manuel, who started the program in Level 1 with us. A few weeks ago, David and I just completed teaching Level 4 on our own! We had a lot of fun because it was so much more than just teaching and learning English. David always started the class serving tea and cookies as we caught up on everybody’s week. We also played games, celebrated birthdays and the birth of a grandson, prayed for each other, and learned about different cultures.
I’m not exaggerating when I say Thursday night is the highlight of our week. We love teaching ESL and seeing our students progress and learn new things. We love hearing their stories and building relationships with each one of them. It’s inspiring to see the hard work they put in and the energy they bring to class each week because I know some of them come after a long day at work, but they always try their best to make it to class.
Volunteering at Mission Adelante was one of the best serving experiences we ever did. It is a rewarding experience that taught us a lot about others and about ourselves. We found an amazing community and so much more.
Be part of our programs!
We are so excited to start the summer trimester and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?
How can you help?
Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.
Volunteer – Come to one of our obseveration nights the second week of July. For more information visit: https://www.missionadelante.org/observe
Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.
"Crossing Language Barriers"
Crossing Language Barriers:
A High Schooler's Inspiring Experience at Mission Adelante"
Written by Joe Thummel, ESL Volunteer.
As a junior in high school and Spanish student, I was looking for an opportunity to put my Spanish skills to use for a good cause. With fortuitous timing, I was informed about Mission Adelante by a family friend. Immediately interested, I signed up to teach ESL Level One for the summer trimester.
Serving as an ESL teacher at Mission Adelante has been super fun and engaging. I look forward to each and every Thursday when I get to meet and engage with students who are just as passionate about learning English as I am about learning Spanish. Hearing the stories of all the students and making connections through the language barrier has widened my view of both my community and the world.
I have enjoyed and learned from each and every student I have helped teach. Whether it is Michael, Sandy, Ligni, or Karla, each and every one of them has brightened up my Thursday with their positive attitudes and strong determination to learn English. When they choose to complete language worksheets rather than take a 15 minute break or insist on speaking only English when communicating with me, I admire their grit and resilience.
And while they’ve learned some English from me, I’ve also learned lots of Spanish from them. Michael taught me slang words from Honduras, and Sandy helps me distinguish between Spanish words that don’t translate to English perfectly, words like arriba and encima which both mean “above” in English but have slightly different meanings in Spanish.
I love being one of the youngest ESL teachers at Mission Adelante. Because I’m young I think both younger and older students feel more relaxed around me, and I also use my energetic personality to make newer students feel more comfortable in class.
I am not exaggerating when I say that ESL class is tons of fun and that Thursday nights are the highlight of my week. I would encourage young people with any interest in Spanish to join up with Mission Adelante. The mutual impacts that you and your student will exert on each other is so meaningful, and you will both get to enhance your language skills as a bonus.
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
Join our team of volunteers for the summer trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on May 20th and find your place serving kids, youth, or adults in the immigrant community in KCK
For more information about volunteer opportunities visit www.missionadelante.org/serve
Be part of our programs!
We are so excited to start our second trimester of this year and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this summer trimester?
How can you help?
Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.
Volunteer – Come to volunteer orientation on May 20th. For more information visit: https://www.missionadelante.org/serve
Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.