Learning more than English
“Hello, my name is Pwe Loe Paw, can you please teach me English?”
The small woman wearing a traditional Burmese dress with a baby wrapped around her back grasped my hand eagerly as she smiled and stumbled through saying this simple statement you most likely just read with hardly any effort.
This encounter followed my visit to the international bible class at Westover Hills Church of Christ, the church body that has been so supportive of Hill Country Hill Tribers efforts in the past few years. Several of the Burmese families we work with at Hill Tribers and some of their friends started consistently attending Westover this past summer. There have been numerous people immediately working to make them feel welcome through an international class, group bible studies and hosted dinners among other efforts.
I visited the Burmese bible class that first Sunday more out of obligation than out of the goodness of my heart. At HCHT, Jessica, Caren and I recognized the needs for these families to learn English and study the Bible early this past fall. We felt called to do something about these needs, and saw our ties at Westover as a perfect opportunity to do so.
Pwe Loe Paw’s excitement upon hearing my announcement about the new program overwhelmed me. This bubbly mother of five has only been in the United States around six months. While her husband works a job in Dallas, she lives with her kids in a small apartment in North Austin, and she is downright hungry to learn English. That morning, Pwe Loe confirmed the urgent necessity to get a program started, and so although I was very hesitant and even unwilling to be put in charge of such an endeavor, we moved forward to set in place our new English on Wheels program.
English on Wheels officially began a couple of weeks ago, and it’s so exciting to already see how God is using the program. We have worked over the past few months to find and match interested Burmese and American participants, coordinate schedules and train the Americans to use Let’s Start Talking’s Friend Speak curriculum to teach English and study the Bible with their Burmese partners. Now that partners are matched, the program is almost self-sustainable and this first trial period is set to last around three months.
There are several key factors we considered essential in order for English on Wheels to be successful. First off, we felt it was necessary for participants to learn together in the homes of the refugee families. It’s so easy to develop programs for people to go to, but we wanted to see what might happen if we were willing and flexible to meet people where they feel most comfortable. We also knew that by using LST materials, we would automatically encorporate study and discussion of the Bible into English lessons. All of the Burmese families in the program right now are already Christians, but some of them have never studied the Bible in a one-on-one setting or have not studied it in English. Some speak and read excellent English while others struggle with basic vocabulary words. We’re excited to see what interesting conversations arise and how these studies can challenge both American and Burmese participants in their faith. Partners try and meet consistently once every week for an hour, and our hope is that deeper friendships blossom out of this time spent together.
My apprehensions about organizing English on Wheels did not subside quickly. Even after the initial discussions with Burmese and Americans, I was still choosing to focus on my own inabilities to make this thing work, worried about what could go wrong. Pwe Loe Pah’s voice remained with me, however, a reminder that this was in no way about me.
And God has shown His good promises throughout the entire process. He provided Burmese participants who were patient with me and with waiting the few months it took to set things in motion. He brought enthusiastic and dedicated American participants who took the time necessary for LST training and time to move their schedules around in order to meet with their reading partners. And everyday, I am blown away by specific people involved in the program. I was worried about finding a partner for one Burmese participant who works odd and irregular hours, and within a few days, someone stepped forward willing to work with a flexible schedule and already involved in the life of this participant. When I started to doubt if one Burmese couple really needed to learn English, I learned they had never before studied the Bible and were excited to have time to talk about the word of God with American friends. And just yesterday, I discovered the American participant I randomly assigned to a Burmese partner with a learning disability has years of experience tutoring people with similar needs. There are several other stories I could share with you here that have all worked to prove God’s faithfulness to meet needs we so often can’t meet on our own.
Pwe Loe Pah’s desire that Sunday has been more than provided for through nothing that HCHT nor I, personally, have done. What an amazing testament to an all-powerful God to know and be certain of this truth, and we can’t wait to see the ways He continues to remain faithful in the future.
-Kelsi Williamson, Hill Country Hill Tribers Communications Director
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