International (MNN) — Summer is just a few months away and TeachBeyond is recruiting for its short-term mission trips: English camps.
Why Teach English
(Photo courtesy of Teach Beyond via Facebook)
The ministry needs volunteers who are willing to donate some of their time to teach English to people in Brazil, the Philippines, and even parts of Central Asia. While teaching a language may be intimidating, these camps are also an opportunity to share the Gospel. TeachBeyond, through working with national churches, brings together both education and the Great Commission.
“English camps are really a perfect way for people to be involved in short-term missions,” TeachBeyond’s Diane Kraines explains. “There is a huge demand for learning English globally; and in many locations, it’s a way for young people to improve their conversational English — anything from being able to get a better job in the future or improving their English so they can enter a university in an English-speaking country.”
Learning English can also be a way to better understand cultures, such as through modern music and the media. Regardless of the reason to why people want to learn the language, Kraines shares, “The people we partner with in the host countries are seeing English language learning as a huge draw for not only young people, but also for adults as well.”
TeachBeyond has been helping lead English camps for a few years now. Previously, the ministry held camps in Germany, a place where they had a lot of success. Now, using the model they formed in Germany, TeachBeyond has helped people in Moldova, Portugal, Brazil, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia learn English.
“What we do is we recruit teams from local churches who want to bring a team and we are able to train them in team building, spiritual development, working cross-culturally, and also in their individual roles,” Kraines says.
Don’t Teach?
However, if teaching isn’t really your thing, TeachBeyond needs more than just language teachers. The ministry can also use activity and craft leaders, people to lead worship, and even Bible teachers. So if you’re interested in spending part of your summer teaching English or just volunteering, the deadline to apply for TeachBeyond’s English camps is the end of March.
English camp in Brazil. (Photo courtesy of Teach Beyond via Facebook)
“We’d really love to see some people come on board and join us,” Kraines shares.
For a lot of volunteers, it’s huge to do cross-cultural ministry in their own language. In fact, for a lot of the people learning English, just having conversations in the language is impactful and gives them an opportunity to practice their new language skills. More so, it’s a chance to build relationships, often times through which the Gospel can be shared.
“We create a safe, warm, and loving environment for our campers at each English camp. For many campers, this is their first time in a Christian environment, and they immediately notice the difference of warmth and acceptance. They see how we treat each other, how we love and care for them,” Kraines explains.
“In most locations, each staff person is asked to give a testimony of how Jesus has changed their lives. And these testimonies have a huge impact on the lives of the campers.”
What better way is there to spend a couple weeks this summer than to teach English and share God’s love for others?
To learn more about TeachBeyond’s English camps, click here!
To apply to TeachBeyond’s English Camps, click here to apply!
TeachBeyond English Camps Deadline: March 31st
I would like become a volunteer. I am available for the summer. I would like to know more regarding steps to take inorder to become a volunteer for this mission. Thank You
I would like to discuss teaching english as a volunteer.