When I was a young girl, I was in awe of Lottie Moon who went to China back in the 1870s. She began a girls' school--very unusual back then--and was able to go into her students' homes and invite many to her home in hopes of telling them about God the Creator and Lord of all. I grew up in a very small town and church, so I hadn't heard of all the opportunities to serve God other than being a pastor or being a missionary to China. About 20 years ago, I began to hear that Christians were going to China to teach English and to share about the Good News of Christ when possible.  

While living in Edna, Texas, where my husband served for 20 years in various positions, a company moved near us that hired many employees from Asian countries. I was teaching school at the time, but a few ladies from our church had the vision of teaching English to anyone who would come. I substituted a few times and began to realize that possibly God was leading me in this direction.  

We became empty nesters, my husband accepted a position as Director of Missions, and we moved to Gonzales. There were no ESL ministries for adults in our churches, so I began getting all the training I could and have since helped begin at least 3 ESL ministries. I joined Literacy Connexus because, whether as a certified teacher or as a volunteer in ESL ministries, I know that relationships are often built between student and teacher. Some of the adult ESL students I had began to bring their children on Wednesday nights to our children's choir, which I directed. One former student calls me occasionally to help with a child's homework. I often see former students in our small town--at HEB, Walmart, or the exercise center--and we joyfully catch up with each others' lives.

One of my young students told me one day that as she was driving by our church building, she said, "Mommy, that's where we learn about Jesus!" It meant so much to me that her first thought was learning about Jesus, not learning English! It is really hard to build a relationship with others of another culture, but we can when we offer to tutor, teach English, and/or give books. And, now as a trainer of ESL volunteers, I can help many more build relationships that will provide opportunities to point all nations to the Creator and the Lord our God.

This past May, after many years of praying, I was able to go to Lottie Moon's China. I met a 15 year old at a private school specializing in preparing young people to be foreign exchange students in the U.S. She continues to correspond with me through email, allowing me to build on that relationship. There are so many opportunities here in Texas to reach all nations by building relationships, and a great way to do that is through Literacy Connexus!

Blenda Wilson

FBC Gonzales