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Teaching Christ to Karen Children

June 25, 2007

By Kenneth Coblentz, edited by Timothy Stoltzfus

Thoughts

Some feedback from other teachers who participated in the Bible Camp with the Karen.

When asked the question, "What would you tell someone who may be considering to help out at a Bible Camp?" teachers responded by saying:

"Well, I thought I was going to teach but I learned more from the kids than I ever could have taught them."

"Go! Go! Go! You will make a difference in someone's life, and it will make you more content with what you have."

"By all means Go, Go, Go! (And may I go with you?)"

"Prepare for the privilege of seeing what the majority of the world is really like."

Other responses

"A taste of being a Dad. May God be glorified. "

"The Lord used the Bible Camp to show me something I need to change in my life. It turned out to be a very rich blessing. "

"I am still amazed that God allowed me to spend the week with these kids and do nothing but love them. I left a large piece of my heart there and will never forget this incredible experience I was privileged to have a part of. Thank you, thank you, for letting me go!"

"I was very blessed to be able to put a week into these village children. I had to think of how Jesus said unless we become like them we can in no wise enter the Kingdom. My prayer is that we may have portrayed the love of Christ to these kids."

Student Feedback

"What most impressed me is everyone who came from America so that we can practice English. If possible, plan Camp every year."

"I feel very impressed that I was able to go to Bible Camp and meet new friends and be able to go with staff from GTO.

I feel very excited that we were able to learn many new things such as flower arrangement, baking, and more."

"The teachers were very kind-hearted."

"We want everybody at GTO to plan another Camp we can all go to again because we want to be able to go every year."

Related Article
A Teacher Remembers Bible Camp

The room was stuffy in the sweltering heat and crowded with over 110 pupils. I felt tired from not sleeping very well on the floor the previous couple of nights. My legs ached from sitting cross-legged on the tile floor for so long. As the speaker droned on in Karen, I wondered what he was saying, and wished I could understand him. Yet, I did not want to be anywhere else in the world. I was among Karen friends – brothers and sisters in Christ – who opened up their houses for me. I was thankful that Thailand is a free country where we can freely have Christian gatherings. As I looked across the faces of the speaker, the children, and the other foreigners, I noticed the universal language of love in Christ Jesus. This was why I wanted to be at Bible Camp more than anywhere else.

Bible Camp was held March 26-31 at a school about three hours from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Although these hill tribes’ children were technically on summer vacation, the principal told grades 4-8 they needed to come back for Camp. The first day, all the children came and registered; we had approximately 110 children register. They were divided into small groups according to age and gender. Each group was assigned a foreigner to be with them for the whole week. They were also assigned a place to stay. Most of the boys stayed at the school, while the girls stayed at various houses in the village. The foreigner and the children in that group were supposed to interact during the week. They were to eat, sleep, and do chores together, and so on. This gave the foreigners a better picture of the culture, and let the children practice their English.

Each day consisted of an hour of singing and games, two hours of Bible, two hours of English classes, workshops, and an evening service. The two Bible teachers taught on Creation and Christian Leadership. The English classes and most of the workshops were taught by the foreigners.

I asked former EDGE member, Zachari Yoder, to write a little about Bible Camp. He writes,

Despite the comfort level being relatively low, I think I can safely say the week at Karen Bible Camp was an enriching experience for everyone involved. The opportunity it gave us foreigners to mingle with another culture by teaching English and playing games with the children left us all with memories that will last a lifetime. The children’s genuine expressions of gratitude for spending time with them, as well as the realization that you helped shape their view of God and His love for them, was rewarding beyond words. I thank God for the chance He gave me to make a difference in a child’s life!

Fah, a 15-year old Karen girl writes,

Going to Bible Camp was fun and taught me many things in the areas of English, Bible, and the workshops because most of what I studied and learned was new. Things I liked the most were the games and the workshops that helped many people be brave enough to try new things. I really liked Camp this year because we had different activities that helped us learn and were fun for everybody. Everything we learned we can use in our every day life. I would like to go to Camp again, very soon.

I agree with Fah – Bible Camp was fun. Yet it was so much more than that. It was a joy to see young people allow God to direct their lives. It was exciting to see how they channeled their vigor in glorifying God. It was challenging to dig into the Word as some of them did. It was thrilling to know that God was using this Camp to shape lives for His purpose. I guess to sum it all up, I felt blessed to be able to attend, and cannot wait until the next Camp. Thank you for your prayers and support for Camp.