WINONA LAKE - Grace College students recently had the challenge of teaching students at Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, how to speak English while serving on a missions trip for two weeks.
Thirteen Grace College students participated in the missions trip June 15-29. They assisted Thailand Campus Crusade for Christ students and missionaries Christian and Bonnie Beuggert in teaching English to Thai students.
The Beuggerts are missionaries with Grace Brethren International Missions, and are both Grace College alumni who live in Thailand.All students at Grace College are required to serve seven days in the United States participating in a cross-cultural experience, or seven days outside the country serving before graduating.
Scott Feather, dean of the chapel and global ministries at Grace College, oversaw the group in Thailand. Feather has taken students to Japan in the past, but this was the first time he took students to Thailand.
"I hope the trip provided an opportunity to allow God to speak to the students and learn about differences around the world," Feather said.
Feather kept a daily log of the group's experiences with photos on a blog at http://esfeather.com
Grace students gave the Thai students free English lessons for two weeks at the university with approximately 400,000 students.
Thai students learned how to say body parts and greetings in English. They eventually learned how to carry on a conversation in English. The students also were taught how to say clock times in English.
Ashley House, a senior Spanish major, said it was rewarding to teach the students English.
"It was rewarding to see the looks of understanding come across the Thai student's faces when they began to understand how to speak English," House said.
She also said Grace students invited the Thai students to bowl and go out to eat to build friendships and get to know the students better.
Kayla Bilbrey, a junior graphic design and painting and drawing major, said her favorite experience was visiting a classroom and giving her testimony to the Thai students on how she became a Christian.
Kyla Zenan, a junior public relations major, said she enjoyed teaching the Thai students to speak English. Zenan said the students were eager to learn English and she enjoyed meeting Muslim students.
"It was at times a challenge to teach the students English because they did not understand at first, but the important thing was that they they were eager to learn how to speak English," Zenan said.
She said she enjoyed building friendships with the Thai students. She has kept in touch with two Thai students since returning from the missions trip.
Hannah Marshall, a senior business administration and marketing major, said she was surprised at how the Thai students welcomed her and were eager to learn English.
"My comfort zone was small before the trip, but the opportunity to approach complete strangers and teach them English was rewarding," Marshall said.
Grace students also had the opportunity to visit NightLight, an organization that ministers to women and children who are victims of the sex slave trade industry in Thailand.
The organization was founded in 2005 by Annie Dieselberg. It helps women and children in the sex industry in Thailand to provide them with jobs such as making jewelry.
A book titled "Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade-And How We Can Fight It" was written by David Batstone and published in 2007.
One of the areas the book discusses is NightLight and the book includes research, stories and interview of females who are victims of the sex slave trade industry in Thailand, Cambodia and Uganda.
The book is being read by all Grace College freshmen this summer, and Batstone will speak about human trafficking in September at the college.
