From the comfort and security of their home in the US, a team of 6 traveled to HongKong and then into China. The purpose – to assist with a one-week English Teachers' Training Program (ETT) in the hot, humid heat of July!

Knowing and understanding God's love for the lost and the needs of the rural teachers, the team spent many days to prepare and plan over a 6-month period to come to a country, where the language, the culture, the food, the weather and surroundings is so vastly different to theirs. The team's commitment to serve, to support and to be stretched out of their comfort zone indeed spoke out God's love they have for the people of this nation.

Approximately 40 trainees from the Han, Dong, Miao, Yao and Zhuang Ethnic minority groups living in the remote mountainous regions, came together to learn, to practice their English skills, to share meals and to learn about one another's cultures and customs.

As there is a shortage of English teachers in the countryside many of them have been told to teach English and are not trained or may have only received very minimal training to teach English. Their schools also lack teaching aids, resources and modern day equipment that can be so easily found in city schools!

The training program for the trainees consisted of teaching methodologies, small group discussions, interactive language games, activities and cross-cultural presentations. The aim of the program was to create an English speaking environment where the trainees are exposed to English and able to learn in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

During the time together, the US team and trainees learnt much from each other. Not only did the trainees have the opportunities to practice their English, learning about teaching methodologies and how to apply games, activities in their classrooms, they taught the team much about their ethnic background, culture, food and life in China.

Despite the intensity of the heat, humidity, having to walk up a steep slope and then up 140 steps three times a day, struggling with sickness, the spiciness of the food, long days of teaching from 9 am to 9 pm, they left richly blessed by their experience, having a better understanding of the trainees situations and insight into their culture and lifestyle. A deep love, bond and friendship with one another was established.

God may be challenging us to go … but so often we look at our inabilities, our age, our circumstances around us, the kind of facilities that are not available for us when we go! We can be frozen in fear and therefore say that we cannot go, to do this or we do not have that, but God wants our availability!

The US team overcame many obstacles that stood in their way to come to be a light to the people of this land. The program in the countryside with the trainees – learning together, sharing meals together, fellowshipping with one another was a time where their eyes were opened to experience a rich and colourful culture, but even more so their eyes were opened to see a land of people lost without knowing God!

Are you available - Volunteers/Teams are needed to help in 2008.