Misha and Sasha Open My Eyes
I’m an English teacher in Ukraine. One of my classes is made up of kids from about 12 – 14 years old. I absolutely love teaching this class. They’re beginners, and so we’ve been learning things like food, parts of the body, places in a city, etc… I love these kids. They’re always in class and are usually excited about what we’re learning.
My group is mostly girls, but I also have two twelve-year-old boys. The boys, Misha and Sasha, stay after class almost every day to draw pictures on my dry erase board and talk to me. After a few minutes we have to leave the classroom so the next class can come in, and they usually say goodbye and leave. This week they surprised me. We left the classroom and the three of us stood in the corridor talking for 40 minutes. They told me about how their day went, what kind of music they like, how their teacher in school said that they did something well, jokes, and the usual things that twelve-year-old boys talk about. I was so surprised that they would want to stay, talking in a cold hallway, with their teacher. I’m not their age, I’m not particularly cool, and I’m not easy to talk to (remember, they’re beginners and so English conversation is still pretty limited and difficult). Why would they want to spend 40 minutes after class talking to me?
Something I’ve noticed before about some of the kids that study with us is that they don’t get a whole lot of attention at home. Both the parents and the kids are very busy, and there just isn’t enough time in the day for them to spend a lot of time together. I’m not saying that it’s this way in Sasha and Misha’s homes; it may be, but I don’t know enough of their home situation to say for sure. What I did realize is that they just like having someone listen to them. I also realized that this is my way to minister to this class. Earlier this semester, I was somehow thinking that I would minister mainly to students in my adult classes. Kids are harder to invite out one on one, after all. But God has given me the precious opportunity to be a witness to young hearts through my actions. He’s given me the chance to show His care to these important people by caring for them, His patience by being patient with them, and His love by loving them. It’s a huge responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity. I didn’t see it before, but I see it now.
I’d like to encourage you to take a look at your relationships. Who are you ministering to? Look closely; they may not be the people you expect.
