Would You Serve as an English Tutor?

In October of 2019, four Gateway guys braved a 2 day, 8000 mile trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh. With a full day of activities on both sides of the trip, not having a night’s rest for about 60 hours took us to the limits of our endurance. I suppose that was a fitting start for an adventure that stretched our comfort zones. 

First off, we experienced a new definition of “personal space” in one of the world’s most densely populated nations. How would you handle the guy behind you in line pushing you into the person in front of you to be sure no one cuts in line? Would you be ok with feeling the breath of the person you are talking to on your face? Can I tell you about our inland travel? We crossed the 1 mile wide Ganges River on a ferry hailing from ancient times. By far the biggest challenge was watching our driver speed down the road passing everything and everyone by inches (at ridiculous speeds). We all resorted to just closing our eyes with a common prayer… “Lord God, I’m yours. I’d rather not watch myself die.”

Greg, Ed, Noah and I smile and joke about those challenges without hesitating to acknowledge the value of the trip. Gateway provided computer labs for 2 small Bible Schools with the names of Word of Life- Gopalganj and Word of Life - Savar. These schools offer 1 year discipleship programs to young men and women typically between the ages of 17 and 20. The students learn new skills on the computers and have used them extensively for video sessions in the age of Covid.

For 2 years now, the school teachers have been asking if Gateway could set up English tutoring classes for the students. Most of them have had at least some English in grade school due to the fact that English is one of the national languages in Bangladesh. The schools would like to help the students learn more so that they can earn a better wage when they get out of the Bible School. The school helps with other practical skills as well, with the goal that these students will return to their homes, find good employment and be influential citizens, pointing friends and neighbors to Jesus.

Several weeks ago, we finally began tutoring classes with the two schools on Saturday mornings. There is so much interest now, that the number of students is overwhelming our video sessions. So we would like to ask if there are any who would like to join us in this endeavor? We very much need to reduce the student to tutor ratio. You do not need previous experience. But we certainly can use some tutoring ourselves if you have experience in teaching or ESL. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Kelly Green, Ed Grable or Greg Burton.