Situation 1: A small group of Kazakh Babushkas (Grandmothers) is looking curiously at me and the colorful visuals I put on the wall. All are ready with a pen in their hand.
Situation 2: Around 40 Kazakh men hang in their chairs, some are smiling in anticipation, some are just observing those strange foreigners. Apparently it is a group mixed with pastors and exprisoners who became believers while in prison. Some are out for a long time, some just for a few weeks.
Situation 3: A group of “normal” Russian churchgoers chat while I get my notes and PowerPoint ready.
What do I do in any of these situations? I take a deep breath and greet them with my broken Russian. In my heart I pray for God to give me words and help them to understand.
It is a joy to see them nodding, almost like a light was turned on in their mind and they understand things about God‘s heart they have not before, tears running down their faces. Others look at me seriously and I can‘t figure out what they think about my teaching.
During the last 2 months of teaching I learned SO MUCH! We taught various audiences, as you can tell, which was a big challenge but also awesome chance to learn how to teach people according to their needs and ways of understanding. I‘m convinced that God was at work helping the people to understand the Bible for themselves.
The main point I learned was not trusting in the way I teach or my appearance but in what I teach: the Bible, God‘s
powerful word! I taught following the slogan ‘I will do my best and God will do the rest’. Looking back, I see how God helped me personally to grasp more of who he is and I can whole heartedly say that I am very glad that I did the Titus Project.
Seraina Monsch, 25 years old, Switzerland
Teaching Adventures 