March ESL Class - What are you afraid of?

Hello!

I am a little behind in my blogging.  So, I am post dating this blog.  Sorry to those who have been patiently waiting for me to get this up!

My week of teaching ESL in March went pretty well.  I decided that since I had visitors arriving while my class was going on that I would delegate some of the teaching to a friend of mine.  Simon is a Turkana who almost finished high school here.  So, his English is very good and his understanding of English grammar is probably a bit better than mine since he had to learn it as a second language.  I learned it from my parents so I can't always tell you why you say something this way and not that way.  If I think about it long enough I can probably come up with the correct reason, but it doesn't always roll off the tip of my tongue.  So, I worked a little with Simon to make sure he understood the Past Perfect verb tense and gave him the worksheets that the students needed to work on.  It went very well and freed up a little time for me to greet my visitors and do the finishing touches on evening meals.

The class this week was about Abraham being called to move to Canaan and his sacrifice of Isaac.  It was a good lesson and we got some good discussion at the end.  We talked about what Abraham and Isaac might have feared as the time came for the sacrifice.  Then we talked about how God provided for them and how that might have helped to build their faith and trust in him.  Then we talked about the things they fear at this time in their lives and what worries them the most about their future.  I was again reminded how different their lives are and yet they are the same.  Here are some of their fears.
1) food - where is the next meal coming from, how do I provide for my family
2) school fees - so their children can go to school
3) keeping their animals well

They are concerned about their families and their work which is similar to our own lives.  Most of us though are not as concerned about food.  This was the number one concern for my students and it was repeated several times in different ways.  So, I remind you to pray for the Turkana!  Pray for the Lord to provide for their needs in abundant and life blessing ways.  Pray for rain for this dry land so that their animals can do well and provide new animals and milk for the babies and the Turkana children.  Pray that they would recognize the Lord's provision and so increase their faith and trust in Him!

I encourage you to think about that question for yourself.  In light of what you are concerned about, how are you seeing the Lord provide for you?  I hope it brings a blessing to you and that you in turn can bless others with your thoughts!  Have a good week!