The Current News:
The 2010-11 school year is underway. The first class was Sept. 22nd, and it is apparent God has put in front of us a lot of amazing people with amazing stories to tell. However, we are definitely in need of people who are called to serve with us. The more volunteers, the smaller and more effective the class groups. Please ponder (i.e. pray) whether this is a good time to try out the ESOL thing. Contact Joel or Aaron for the specifics.
What is ESOL?
The basic details: We volunteer with Portland Adult Education in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes. Volunteers assist the ESOL instructor Andrea by running small groups in reviewing homework and class lessons, answering questions, and practicing conversation. The class meets Wednesdays at 7pm.
The more-than-basic details: Our aim is to venture out from the Sunday morning church shell together and tangibly meet a need for the immigrants of Portland. Our goal is to humbly love and serve these students as Jesus does. Our longterm vision is to develop honest, authentic relationships in a foundation that lasts (again, we're talking about Jesus). Our hope is that God will use us fully -- broken and messy vessels that we are -- and make all this and more happen for his Kingdom's purposes. It's not always easy to keep our focus primarily on His plan, but God love us, this thing continues to run on His power.
The classroom is a very informal atmosphere. Andrea does a wonderful job of structuring the group plans, so very little preparation and experience is required for the volunteers to succeed in their tasks. We contend that a person really only needs a genuine desire to serve people no matter who they are. Our ESOL troop is always looking for people to join us, whether it is for every class or just a trial run. The more volunteers we have, the smaller and more personal the discussion groups are -- definitely an advantage for the students.
To ask a question, get more information about the ESOL group, or let us know you want to give it a try, please contact Joel or Aaron, or simply fill out the form below.
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