Ruth (not her real name) is a university student in Asia. She had been unhappy for years.
Scarred by a long history of family challenges, Ruth wondered if she would ever find relief from suffering. She started bringing her questions to a teacher who seemed to have the peace she craved. What she heard changed her life forever.
Every year, Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) sends out dozens of CRC members to teach in international public and Christian schools.
The students they teach are from local families or from expatriate families in the area for missionary work, business, or diplomatic reasons. Some students are from Christian families. Others have grown up following Islam or no religion at all. But through their teachers’ words and actions, these students learn what it means to know and follow Jesus.
Ruth lives in a region where teachers are restricted from freely sharing their faith in the classroom. However, she could tell by her teacher’s lifestyle that she believed in something greater than herself. Wanting to learn more, she started connecting with her teacher outside of school.
Soon Ruth started having intense dreams. In her first dream, she saw the skies open up and pour out so much light that she was forced to her knees. The second time, she dreamed she was asking her teacher, “What happened to the lamb?”
Ruth told her teacher about her dreams, listening carefully to her explanation of the Lamb who had given himself up. Intrigued, she started attending a fellowship group. Later, she bought a Bible.
Ruth’s teacher watched her explore the truth for weeks. One evening she felt bold enough to tell Ruth that she had to decide whether she believed it.
Ruth spent the next few days thinking about their conversation. She read her Bible, did some research online, and continued to have spiritually related dreams. Then she hit a turning point—experiencing healing from chronic pain. This confirmed for her that the One she had heard and read about truly existed and cared for her.
On a wonderful fall night, Ruth committed her life to Jesus. Afterward she proclaimed, “Oh, I feel such a relief. I knew the decision was going to keep bothering me until I made it. I am so glad I did it now.”
The young woman who rarely laughed now lets laughter flow freely from her mouth. “It doesn’t really matter if I suffer in this life anymore,” Ruth professed. “No matter what happens, someone will always be there.”
It’s for students like Ruth that CRC teachers commit to teaching overseas. They know the experience will not be without its challenges and adjustments. Yet the opportunity to share the gospel with a student who hasn’t heard it is one they don’t want to miss.
For a list of open teaching positions, visit crwm.org/teaching.
About the Author
Christian Reformed World Missions
