Multicultural ministry

I am blown away by what the Lord is doing through Conversation Clubs. Who would have thought that after a year we would have people from five different countries involved in weekly meetings on a church campus. Each week we have new people coming into the group. This past week, three ladies from China, Korea, and Japan joined. All the group participants speak English but they want to learn how to speak it more conversationally, learn more about American culture, and increase their reading comprehension skills.

We start our time each week with word studies and grammar skills. OK, grammar is not my strong suit. Thank God for Susan and Sue Ann and their innovative ways of helping the group in these areas!

One of my favorite times each week is enjoying a home-cooked meal with the group. The group members typically bring something from their native country. Our lunches consist of food from Columbia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and the U.S. Not only is the food amazing but it really opens up great conversations as we show appreciation for different cultures. I must admit, I have a very adventurous taste for food and really look forward to this time every week.

After our meal we work on reading comprehension skills. We felt led to use the Bible to study the life of Joseph. After all, Joseph was a person who moved from one country to another. He had to learn a different language and culture. In the midst of so much change, the Bible says over and over that God was with Joseph. Our goal is to help our group participants know and understand that God is with them and has a plan for their lives as well.

Another area where I'm grateful for Susan and Sue Ann is their ability to pick up on the subtleties of group interaction. Not only do they pick up on group dynamics that sometimes sail right over my head, they also help explain all my southern expressions. Conversation Club has taught me to communicate much more clearly. That's probably a really good thing!