God at Work in ESL
By: Rhoda Morgan
Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness. – Martin Luther
Many on the ESL (English as a Second Language) team committed themselves to ask God for MORE, through intentional prayer, as we prepared to start the ’22-’23 school year. Prayer, God’s power at work, became our focus. Teachers and assistants made more of an effort to ask students for prayer requests, to pray with students in class, send messages of encouragement and Scripture and follow up on praises and more prayer. We also began gathering once a month in the Grace House of Prayer to pray for the specific requests and team members took the prayer requests into their own personal times of prayer to intercede.
The result….? Witnessing God do great, overwhelming, and even miraculous things – in us individually as His followers, through us as teams serving the nations in our classes, and revealing Himself personally in the lives of our students. How often we forget all that deep prayer to God can accomplish. As Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” This year we’ve had 12 committed students, along with their dedicated Conversation leaders, studying, discussing and grappling with portions of the Gospel of Luke. God’s Word is being heard! His Truth is being revealed! Jesus is being shared! Our prayer warrior elder Israel Iyoke not only makes sure one of our refugee families get to and from class each week, but he also makes rounds to each team on Mondays and Wednesdays to pray with them before their class starts. It is our desire that students spend their time in class not only learning and improving their English, but also experience Jesus while there. More students have asked for prayer than any other year, giving us even more opportunity to pray specifically. We’ve witnessed healing, open conversations, miraculous provision, higher retention in class and even students stand up in class to say “I have a praise I want to share!”
Never before have I experienced God’s consistent, amazing, abundant and mindblowing work more powerfully as when I, and several others, help some of our precious asylum-seeking refugees navigate their new life in the U.S. It is humbling to walk alongside those who have given up and/or lost everything in their home country, yet anticipate new beginnings with such gratitude. As we commit the impossible things that they need to God, through prayer, He DOES the impossible! Funds are made available for doctor and dentist visits; cars are fixed and donated; houses are furnished; rides around town to gather supplies become opportunities to enjoy, share and care; health issues are being seen to; processes and systems navigated, connections made and most importantly sharing God’s love through His Son Jesus are becoming more frequent, personal and accepted. As is so true in God’s economy, our students are greatly blessed, but we as an ESL staff who give are even MORE blessed as we count it a privilege to teach, love and care for the nations that God has sent us. The more we experience His overflowing abundance the more we ask and anticipate – what will He do next!?
