To complete that statement would be untrue – since there are 1.3 billion people who live there (30+ million in New Delhi alone). With that many people living on the subcontinent, we thought you might have some questions about how adding four more will help anything.
Why are you going? We’re going because God’s called us to partner with Him in what He’s doing in the New Delhi area. We have a skill that we can offer (English education) that can change the trajectory of the students’ academic careers. We’re going because Jesus is there; He’s placed a God-sized dream in our hearts and is asking us to join Him in loving the people of India.
What is your goal in going? Our goal is to share Jesus through relationships with administrators, teachers, and students. We plan to do that by being part of the teachers’ and students’ day-to-day English education. Bethesda Christian Academy is an English-medium school (meaning the language of instruction is English). Learning proper diction and communication from a native English speaker will provide an advantage for the village children who attend the school. The students come from very poor homes (farmers and cart pullers) where education is limited.
How will teaching English change anything? In India, the way out of generational poverty is education – an education that includes English. English is the language of business across the globe, and businesses that have hubs in India expect the workers to have a good working knowledge of spoken and written language. Students who learn English proficiently will be able to move out of the villages and garner jobs with better pay. They’ll be able to pour back in to their communities.
This is our journey in unknown territory – our journey to boldly go where we have never gone before. This a journey where some steps come faster and closer together than others, and then sometimes we stand and wait for the path to be lit brightly enough for us to take another step. We don’t have all the answers as to what will come or what to expect, but we do know that God is calling us and is making a way for us in His timing. His ways are perfect, and He is the light for our path; we remain confident that He will complete the good work He has begun!
Interested in partnering with us? Click here for more information.
The Subcontinental Sanfords 