Crosslinks supports mission partners, projects and theological training in several Buddhist countries.

“There are many wonderful stories of how God has been at work. Teaching English provides a wonderful platform to work in countries where traditional mission work is not acceptable. It gives natural opportunities to make relationships, and especially in Asian countries students have a great respect for their teachers and are fascinated with Western cultures. This means that there is a great opportunity to share the Gospel, especially at Christmas and Easter. It is very special to have the opportunity to tell the story to those who have never heard it clearly before.We use puppets and pictures to share the message with children – they no longer think Christmas is about the birth of Santa Claus! It has also provided a way to work together with local believers, and one Christian mum has found lots of opportunities to share the Gospel with other mums while their children are in their English class. 

Being a witness for Christ as an English teacher is more than taking every opportunity to share the Gospel in words. Students watch all the time to see how you treat them, how well you prepare your lessons, how much you really care for them. All this is part of sharing the love of Christ. Being professional and providing them with a high standard of teaching is part of caring for them. They love to practice their English and all want to be your friend, so providing opportunities for them to practice English outside of class time means that you are also freer to use biblical material. I have held Bible studies in my own home and ‘English Corners’ in our centre, studying parables of Jesus and themes from Ecclesiastes. The students often come just to practice English, but soon many become sincerely interested in the Gospel. 

It is satisfying seeing them make progress in English and also challenging getting them to “think outside the box” and consider other ways of looking at life. One lesson I taught to undergraduates was about love. The students had to write their own definitions of love and then we looked at the passage “Love is patient . . .” from 1 Corinthians 13. It was great studying the Bible in the classroom (although they didn't know it was from the Bible) and really made some of them re-think their romantic notions of love. In the UK many people who become Christians as adults do so during their time at university – so it is a privilege to teach students in Asia who are at such a crucial stage in life.”