She’s a dreamer, that girl.
My friend Chenda was so excited when her church moved from
downtown out near Logos. “Do you know
what this means?” She laid out grandiose
visions of the neighborhood kids pouring in there, tots and tweens and
teenagers. I was happy with her, but
personally I wasn’t convinced. She said the
congregation had never been huge and had lost a lot of members who didn’t want
to drive so far north of town. Would they
be in a place to draw in kids? And did
these kids want to come to
church? Would families even allow them
to?
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| The two original "church kids," whose family not only attends, but lives in and cares for the building for the organization who owns it |
But if anyone could make it happen, it’s Chenda. She’s a go-getter, a farmer’s daughter who
rose from Logos teacher’s assistant to graduate student and coordinator for the
Catch-Up School program that meets at Logos.
Every Monday to Friday evening, over two hundred kids aged five to
maybe twenty come to study grades 1-5 Khmer and math, or English, if they test
high enough in Khmer. They also learn
about God’s love, as well as practical issues like hygiene, sexual abuse, and
respecting their parents. Some of the
grade 1 and 2 students are much older than the others, mostly girls who never
had the chance to attend school. Most
are enrolled in the local public schools or have scholarships to low-budget Christian
schools, but many of them still struggle because teachers here lack training
and have far too many kids in their classes. Elementary schools meet half-day, with a morning class and an afternoon class, meaning students don't have much classroom time. The Catch-Up School has made a huge difference for several kids I know,
and many parents have reported transformation in their children’s attitudes at
home and their achievement at school. Chenda
oversees their teachers and plans curriculum with remarkable competence and
dedication.
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| Preaching |
I ended up seeing for myself what was happening at her
church when I began attending there this past June. I was just starting to learn Christian
vocabulary in Khmer, so it finally made sense for me to go to a Khmer-language
church. People were very welcoming in
her church, urging me to eat snacks and chat after the service. It only had about 25 members, which dwindled
to about 15 over the next two months. I
never asked about those who left, but I’m guessing they likewise found a church
closer to home. Still, a core group showed
up every week: a handful of late adolescent boys, and a bunch of ladies. Some of them are single, while others are married
to Buddhists who don’t want to come to church; only one comes with her husband
and kids, who conveniently live at the church.
Often a guy comes and preaches; he’s not a pastor, but he works for a
Christian NGO that helps people in prison.
When he can’t make it, one of the matriarchs shares some thoughts. Sometimes someone shakes a tambourine to help
keep our singing in time, though perhaps not quite in tune. My personal favorite part is “sharing time” -
hearing their testimonies of God’s goodness the past week.
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| Counting the offering after church |
A Sunday School class was just forming in June, which Chenda
soon delegated to her friend Dani. Enthusiastic young
kids arrived each week at 7:30 AM, before the 8:30 service. Chenda met
several times with all the ladies to discuss ways to expand the program to
teens. I was worried that she’d bully
them into it or that they’d give her a half-hearted “yes” but not follow
through. There were so few committed
women at church already; were they willing to work together and invest in kids every week? Still, they went ahead with it, adding a
guitar class and a soccer team which both met Sunday afternoons. (The team borrows the nearby Logos field.) Two of Chenda’s friends from outside of church
agreed to run both clubs.
I was invited to come along and help pick out five new guitars for the
class at about $25 each. Two students
share each guitar; Chenda’s hoping next year they can add a second class to
reach 20 students total.
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| Stringing a new guitar |
Flyers went up on the Logos gate with a date when
applications would be accepted first-come, first-served. That first day, both guitar and soccer filled
up within hours. Some students already attended
the Catch-Up School at Logos, while others had heard about it from friends or
just seen the sign. Shy at first, they
soon gained confidence to enter the church building and joke around with each
other. Better still, they soon felt
comfortable with the church ladies, who waited around for them and invited them
into conversations. The ladies may be
few in number, but they excel at being friendly and motherly! The goal is that these ladies can be positive
role models and adult figures in their lives.
While many Khmer families spend plenty of time together, they often
don’t really give kids and teens a voice or ask how they’re doing. If the church can both encourage students to
participate in wholesome activities and nurture them emotionally, they can
strengthen students and help them grow.
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| Arriving one Sunday |
Within a few weeks of the clubs starting, many of those
teens began showing up at the church service as well. And they all participated in the Christmas
program two weeks ago…see my next post for details.
My roommate Annalisa said Isaiah 54:1 reminds her of
Chenda. “…More are the children of the
desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”
Chenda’s in her mid-30s and would love to be married, but she’s got more
kids than the Duggers. And all her kids
know how much she loves them.
She’s a dreamer, that Chenda, and it's beautiful to see her dreams coming true.
