Meet the Team - Susan Geer, MNA ESL Trainer
I have had the joy of serving in ESL ministry for almost a decade, and I currently teach the level-one class at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
My first ESL teaching experience was with my church, which began an outreach ministry (including ESL teaching) to a Nepali community that resettled here from refugee camps in Bhutan. I enjoyed serving in this way (which included some great training opportunities). When that ministry concluded, I discovered the program at Trinity PCA where I signed up to serve and began a wonderful friendship and partnership with Holly Lankford.
The classes that I teach include students from across the globe, and through this I have become personal friends with women from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and China. These relationships have helped me develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of a variety of diverse cultures, for which I am grateful. God has used this ministry to make me more aware of His care and desire to reach people with the Gospel all over the world.
One of the most rewarding dividends of our ESL ministry is the long-term Bible study we host for Chinese women who came to us either through the ESL program or by word of mouth. Meeting weekly in this small group setting allows us to discuss our personal lives and share the Bible in a more purposeful way, utilizing several different Bible-study guides specifically designed for ESL students.
I look forward to expanding my horizons and skills through further training and experience in the classroom, and in the opportunities God may bring in the mission field.
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Even Little Things Can Be Such A Blessing!
by Susan Geer
Herut could not speak any English when she and her teenage daughter, Betselot, arrived from Ethiopia in January 2015. Early upon their arrival, it was evident that God was providing for Herut’s needs. On her first night of ESL class, one of the teachers brought a gently-used down mattress she no longer needed to see if one of our students could use it. This was a godsend because Herut and Betselot had been sleeping on the floor in the home of a family member. What a blessing! We were showered with hugs and kisses.
Within a few months, Herut and Betsy moved to a one-bedroom apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. To make ends meet, Herut worked both a full-time and part-time job. As one can imagine, working two jobs is tiring – but Herut was committed to learning English, and so she faithfully attended basic level ESL classes. God used other students to bless this family by encouraging and providing transportation.
While learning a brand-new language is very challenging, Herut nevertheless has been a gracious and hospitable woman, happily welcoming us into her home, eager to share the delicious food and wonderful Ethopian coffee she prepares. On one occasion, she and Betselot spent an entire night – with no sleep -- preparing a delicious breakfast to serve to three ESL teachers as a way of saying thanks.
In the past year, Herut obtained her driver’s license, bought a used car and found a better job closer to home. She and Betselot (and a friend from Ethiopia) recently moved into a bigger apartment in a nicer area.
Herut’s Christian faith, learned and embraced in her native land, is certainly a guide and comfort to her and Betselot here in America, and it is a truly a blessing and honor to serve this wonderful family as they acclimate to a new land and language.
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Practical Ideas
Even though summer is still in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about and preparing for the start of fall ESL Classes. You can go to our website, www.pcamna.org/esl-ministries, and look through all the ideas in our start up kit. They are helpful even for a long-time ministry.
- Do you need to recruit more volunteers?
- Do you need to find or host an ESL Training?
- Have you updated your advertising material?
- Do you have a plan for advertising for students?
- Do you need to buy school supplies (while they are cheaper)?
- Have you ordered student and teacher books?
- Have you set the dates for important fall events, i.e. Thanksgiving Party?
And most importantly, have you gathered together as a team to pray for the coming semester?
“When we rely upon organization – we get what organization can do;
When we rely upon education – we get what education can do;
When we rely upon eloquence – we get what eloquence can do.
And so on.
But when we rely upon prayer –
We get what God can do."
Dr. A. C. Dixon
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Upcoming ESL Teacher Training Events for 2018:
MNA ESL Trainings are 12 hours in length and are done in a Friday night and all day Saturday format.
In this training you will learn:
- How to start and maintain a fruitful ESL Ministry
- How to teach ESL to adult Internationals including:
- How to place students in the proper fluency level classroom
- How to Lesson Plan using professionally written curriculum
- How to introduce new vocabulary & sentences using new vocabulary
- How to get the students to generate their own sentences
- How to build authentic relationships with your students
- How to share the Gospel both inside and outside the ESL Classroom
You do not need to speak a foreign language or be a professional teacher to be a volunteer ESL Teacher. All you need to do is speak English and love Jesus and we can teach you the rest. This training is interactive. During the training you will practice the skills that you are learning, create two lesson plans for different fluency levels and come away excited to serve the Lord through ESL Ministry.
- Cleveland, OH - August 10 & 11
- contact: Bruce Lyman at 5stonesministry@gmail.com
- Dundalk, MD - August 10 & 11
- contact: Sandy Leonard at sandyleonardmd@msn.com
- Gaithersburg, MD - August 17 & 18
- contact: Pam Wilbur at pamelawilbur@gmail.com
- Salisbury, MD - August 17 & 18
- contact: Faith Shelton at jaredandfaith@gmail.com
- Altoona, PA - August 17 & 18
- contact: Bruce Lyman at 5stonesministry@gmail.com
- Woodlands, TX - August 17 & 18
- contact: Nancy Booher at rbooher@comcast.net
- Austin, TX - August 24 & 25
- contact: Katie Dawson at katiegdawson@me.com
- Coral Springs, FL - August 24 & 25
- contact: Don Baret at donaldbaret@att.net
- Marriottsville, MD - September 7 & 8
- contact: Barbara Cober at barbaracober33@gmail.com
- Florence, KY - September 7 & 8
- contact: Bruce Lyman at 5stonesministry@gmail.com
- Lansdale, PA - September 7 & 8
- contact: Carol Hart at carolpatriciachen@gmail.com
- Hudson, NH - September 21 & 22
- contact: Bruce Lyman at 5stonesministry@gmail.com
- Boerne, TX- October 12 & 13
- contact: Allen Taha at allen@trinityboerne.org
- Augusta, GA- October 19 & 20
- contact: Liz Steketee at johnandliz77@gmail.com
- Westfield, MA- October 19 & 20
- contact: Amy Turner-Cooper at amyturnercooper@gmail.com
- Willard, OH - October 26 & 27
- contact: Bruce Lyman at 5stonesministry@gmail.com
- Wilmington, DE- November 2 & 3
- contact: Lisa Grimsley at grimsley@udel.edu
Additionally, if you are interested in starting an English As A Second Language (ESL) Ministry or want to schedule an ESL Training at your church,
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Already part of an ESL Ministry? Here are ways you can help MNA ESL spread the word to others.
Pray with us that God would use MNA ESL to reach the nations God has brought to our doorstep with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Specifically pray for more churches to start ESL Ministries.
And be sure you share your excitement about ESL with your family and friends.
Lastly, we ask that you prayerfully consider participating with us through your financial support. You can make a tax-deductible contribution online. All contributions go directly toward growing the ESL Ministry and nothing is used for personal support; God has already provided that. You can also mail contributions, made payable to Mission to North America to:
Mission to North America
PO Box 890233
Charlotte NC 28289-0233
Designate: MNA English As A Second Language (ESL)
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