tutoring.

Every day in Thailand is a little different. Right now, we are between terms. Term 3 ended the week we arrived, and Term 4 does not begin until July 2nd. In the interim, Claire and I have been given one-on-one tutoring assignments. While instructing one-on-one for 1.5-2 hours per session can be a little tiring, it remains one of the bright spots of my day. I currently have six tutees, and I individually tutor each of them once/twice a week.

Mam: I tutor her on Mondays and Tuesdays. She is so sweet and thoughtful. We talk a lot outside of class and she has offered to take Claire and I around Bangkok! She works as police officer, and is trying to get a job with the Immigration department at the airport. She needs to be proficient enough in English to pass the exam for this position-- this is where I come in! We have been working together to practice scenarios and vocabulary that she might encounter at her job. I get to role-play the angry/sad "farang" (Thai word for the foreigners), and she has to walk me through filing a fake report. It is a lot of fun, for me at least! And I am getting to teach her some conflict management tips also... I-messages, diffusing situations, collaborative and positive phrases, etc.

Dr. Thom: I tutor him on Wednesdays and Fridays. He is the quintessential Thai: hospitable, friendly, generous. From our first lesson, he has exerted extra effort to help me acclimate to Thai life. He gave a me a great lesson on the titles that Thais use to address people, and also made a map for me with all the places I should go to eat and where the young Thais hang out. He's in his 20's also, so his advice on what he thinks Claire and I would enjoy is very relevant. He also marked which places are safe to go alone/not alone and what time of day to visit them. He is quite thorough! Yesterday was our last lesson together and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him; I pray that some seeds were planted and that I'll have the opportunity to teach him more in the future and continue sharing Truth with him.

May: I tutor her on Wednesdays and Fridays also. She is in high school, and very involved in ballet. She is planning to go abroad to further develop her talent, which is one of the reasons she is committed to improving her English. I've only tutored her twice, but she (like all Thais) is very respectful and eager to learn.

Mint: I am tutoring Mint every Thursday. She is my age and is incredibly proficient at English... most of the Thai's have trouble with their L's, V's, Th's, and R's, but her pronunciation is wonderful. She signed up for tutoring because she is in a Business class that has regular oral exams. And while her English is great, she doesn't have the scope of vocabulary that she needs to excel. I tutored her for the first time this week and we had so much fun. She has a great sense of humor and we role-played various mock "entrepreneurial" ventures that she had to generate for her oral assessment.

Fourth: I mentioned her in a previous post, but she is one of my Thursday tutees. She is going to be studying in America for a year, and we're brushing up on American socializing (Little things like... tipping in restaurants and how to use a knife), culture and history. She is a student at a very prestigious and highly selective high school in Bangkok. From what I understand, you have to "test into" the high schools, and schools only accept students with certain scores. (Can you say, "cream of the crop?")

Aeh: She will be my new Wednesday and Friday tutee starting next week!

As always, the purpose of tutoring is not exclusively to teach English, although, that is an important part of it! But rather, to build relationships and bridges to Christ. I've been able to share what I believe with a few of them and had partial conversations with others. I hope that as we get to know each other, they will become more comfortable opening up in more serious and spiritual dialogues. One of the things that I am increasingly convinced of is that-- no amount of being persuasive or clever or smart is going to win the Thai people to the Lord. It is only the the power of God which can soften their hearts. Yes, I need to be faithful to share-- but I also need to be faithful to pray, pray, pray! Because that is what will make a difference when I speak. The Holy Spirit is the only person who can make the Gospel make sense to their hearts.

Pastor Doug often quotes someone who said, "I heard the gospel, I heard the gospel, then praise God! One day I heard the gospel." The only difference between the first two and the last one is the Holy Spirit. Please pray that God soften hearts to His Word. That they not only recognize their need, but also see and accept Him as the solution for their need.