Gently Offering Jesus when Religion and Language has Been a Weapon.

Gul, a Kazak-Uyghur Muslim, was arrested when she returned to China to visit family. Though a Kazak citizen, she was born in China, and her return offered the government grounds for "re-education". In the brutality of re-education, she was beaten, injected with unknown medical substances for experimentation, forced to learn and speak Chinese, and forced to go against her Muslim faith by eating pork and burning prayer mats.

Her language and her faith were stripped from her. Now she sits in my class where I teach her English and the Bible. I've given a lot of thought to how our class must be different than the policies of China.

In America, the history of welcoming immigrants has been mixed. There are times and places where diversity of culture, religion, and language have been welcomed and preserved. But more often, the "American Dream" has required a loss of culture, loss of religion, and loss of language. Here are three ways I walk the fine line of honoring one's heritage while inviting them to deeply engage in their future.

1. Your language is always welcome.

2. Your faith is always accommodated.

3. You are always my neighbor and my friend.

Your language is always welcome! Yes I teach English, but I teach it as an opportunity not as a requirement. Some students will become fluent, some students based on age and aptitude may only acquire a "survival" level of English. But all our learners are honored for their effort and receive services from our program regardless of the level of English they achieve.

In immersion settings such as my classroom, experts would say that only English should be spoken. But for some of my students, language has been used as a punishment and a weapon. Therefore, their language is always welcome in my classroom and their multilingual ability is always presented as a strength. Students are welcome to converse in their language and discuss the lesson in their language with fellow students. Like any experienced teacher, I can tell when they're no longer discussing the lesson and have moved on to chatting. A simple "time for English" brings them back into the large group lesson.

I also seek to learn pieces of their language. I've had up to 8 different languages in my classroom at a time, so I can't learn everything, but I can honor them by trying our English vocabulary words and phrases in their language.

Your faith is always accommodated. It is an incredible blessing to live in a country of religious freedom and I seek to bring that freedom into the classroom. If a student wishes to be excused for prayer - no problem. During the Ramadan fast, we don't have snacks, drinks in the main area and ask that our students and teachers not bring food or drink into the classroom. We don't hold class on feast days. Hijabs and birkas are welcome, and I often comment on the beauty and detail of their scarves. This may be deeply controversial to some. Is it okay for a Christian organization to make room for Islamic and other expressions of faith?

All I have to do is look at Gul and know why we accommodate. The Chinese government used religion as a weapon. They sought to strip people of their culture and language. I do not see Jesus behaving in these ways in scripture. While he did turn tables, he turned the tables of the people misrepresenting God within the temple. He never turned tables on those who were on the outside - with them he listened, engaged, spoke truth, and served.

I also look at my students N and S. Because of strict Taliban rule, they never attended school and are illiterate in their heart language. Their families are writing a new story of opportunity in a place of freedom - if I put a requirement on them to reject their faith practices in order to receive services I put myself on the same spectrum as the Taliban who require faith practices to receive services.

Our approach to the gospel is simply to present the stories of scripture and wait for students to initiate discussion. For many of our students who have lived their lives under repressive governments, they are eager to have these discussions and debates. We also do not seek to have the deeper discussions in group settings. Nicodemus came privately to Jesus because of the social situation he was in, it simply wasn't safe to come to Jesus among the crowds. And Jesus welcomed him! Our students often ask questions privately, because to do so among their peers could cause conflict or controversy. Just like Jesus welcomed Nicodemus, we welcome our students into our homes for small dinners and gatherings to allow for deeper conversations about life and faith.

You are always my neighbor and my friend.

If the English never improves, if we never agree on faith, my students remain my students and my friends. I love them because they are made in the image of God. They reflect his love and goodness in their love for their families and their incredible sense of community. My desire is for them to know the hope and freedom of Christ, but even if they never receive Him, they will continue to receive my friendship.

You need a long view of life and of God for this kind of missions work. I can see progress in English over the course of a year, but I might not see progress in faith for several years. And as our FTN director shares, we aren't in this business for the short term quick change. The fruit of the seeds we are sowing may not show up for another generation or two.

It is much easier to love when I don't worry about the results. I sow in love, in hope, and leave the rest up to God. My job is to love my neighbor, His job is to bring salvation.