UBSC Volunteer Teacher: Catherine Chan

A Bridge of Blessing. It is now September of 2020. We have been going through a bizarre time of pandemic, a heightened time of politics, and an agitated time of civil unrest. Routine toil and labor was shuffled around or granted an indefinite break. Wildfires remain ferocious and even the ground beneath our feet chimed in to unsettle us. To some, the world has gone mad. Yet, to those of us who trust in the LORD, Jesus Christ, there is this inner peace and confidence that God is still in control. It was with this backdrop that the adult students and I at UBSC learned to go virtual with the rest of the world. Twice a week for an hour and a half, we came together before the screen unperturbed. We enjoyed a time of tongue-twisting exercises, a time of charades, a time of expanding our horizons, and a time of encouragement — in English and in laughters when sentences were broken and words were few. To some, this classroom serves as a starting point for everything new in their life — new language, new culture, new friendships, and even new citizenship. To others, it serves as a chance to make up for missed opportunities in the past due to hardships. I am simply grateful to still be able to serve these students in time like this. Just as the world is going through a rather disruptive interval, our students are also going through an interval of their own kind in life. May this classroom be a bridge of blessing to those who cross it!