Intensive English Class

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This is our second Intensive English Class. They come from all over Java to Jakarta to spend one month with us learning English. They live as they did while missionaries, spend anywhere from 6 to 9 hours a day reading, writing, and speaking English. They try very hard not to speak their native language and they succeed most of the time. We are truly blessed to have this opportunity to become a part of their lives for this month. We will never forget them and we hope that what we teach them will help them throughout their lives.

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This is Daisy and she is a recently returned missionary. She lives in Solo but when the class is over, she wants to find a job here in Jakarta. She has good English skills and is a pleasure to teach.

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Femmy and Wawan sharing something funny. Femmy is 18, lives in Bekasi which is near to Jakarta. She is the only student who is not a returned missionary. I would imagine that the experience of living with two other young women in a single room is something new for her. But she has been a trooper and is always quick to smile. I think she is gaining more and more confidence each day. Wawan is a returned missionary and has two brothers on missions at this time. He lives in Semarang in Central Java and we had met him before while visiting the Bennetts and putting on Career Workshops. He is studying to pass the TOFEL test but we are hoping that he passes the Michigan test that we will have at the end of the class. He is the quiet and serious one of this class, but he is also quick to smile.

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Ronald is an old friend. We served with him in Tangerang for a number of months before he was transferred. I tried to get him to study English as much as he could while he was on his mission and was happy when he wrote to say he wanted to be part of this class. He is lots of fun but works as hard studying English as he did serving the Lord. He has a very positive attitude and I hope that he will be able to get more education.

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This is Puji and she comes from a small branch in Magelang in Central Java. She is a returned missionary and was released in the last 4 months. When I mentioned that I might have a position for her here in Jakarta, she thanked me but said she wants to go back to her branch and help build it up. She had less English skills than the other students but she has such a great desire to learn that I think she will gain the most. She has no fear of failing and so she is willing to try to do anything with a big smile on her face. It has been a real pleasure to get to know her as well as teach her.

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Last but certainly not least is Rudi. He also is a recently released missionary and probably had the best English skills coming in. He wants to go to BYU Hawaii and hopefully we can help make that happen. Rudi had all of his wisdom teeth out the week before he came to class so for the first 10 days he was pretty miserable. About the time his teeth started to heal, he started having bad stomach cramps. But through all of this he has continued to study hard and kept smiling. Hopefully bu the time the class is over all of his illnesses will be gone and he will head home to Solo.

So that is our class. We have been told that there is some romances among them but since even holding hands is not considered appropriate it is hard to tell. I will say that it is true, the couples are truly well suited for each other. It will be fun to stay in touch and see if there are some weddings in the near future.



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