Reflections on a Whirlwind Trip!

I just returned from a whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia: 9 flights and 4 countries in 13 days!  It was incredible to be able to see the schools, experience different cultures, and spend time with the current TeachBeyond members.

A "taste" of Southeast Asia!

Representing the TeachBeyond Mobilization team in Asia!

This trip reminded me of several key points about TeachBeyond:

No school or project is the same!  While the mission of transformational education remains the same, it plays out differently in various contexts.  Each school in each location has its own distinct challenges and blessings.  This makes it difficult to summarize the work of TeachBeyond in one sentence, but it means that there are opportunities for people with a wide variety of personalities, skills, and passions!  The conversations and experiences from this trip will be an invaluable resource as I guide future applicants toward a good "fit" for overseas service.

Quality education is a gift to a community.  Schools focused on serving missionary kids empower the parents of their students to stay on the field.  Others geared toward nationals have unique opportunities for outreach.  In each setting, good teaching and well-designed programs are a platform for exemplifying Christ to students, their families, and whole communities.

Praying on the site of the future Grace International School campus

Dinner with TeachBeyond members in Chiang Rai

There will always be a need for more workers.  School leaders in each location expressed gratitude for their partnership with TeachBeyond, yet also emphasized the overwhelming need for more staff.  They aren't looking for just anyone to "fill" the positions, but they welcome applicants for all sorts of positions - from librarian to seminary professor to teacher trainer.

 It was so fun to see friends serving around the world!

I'm exhausted from many hours on airplanes and two weeks of grueling travel, but I'm energized by this firsthand glimpse into God's work through TeachBeyond in this region of the world!  More than ever, I believe that God is at work through humble, surrendered servants who "shine like stars as [they] hold out the Word of life" (Phil. 2:15-16).  Greater things are yet to come.

Do you know someone (maybe it's you!) who might be interested in serving overseas?

How is God calling you to be part of reaching the nations with the Gospel?