In 2016, I had the opportunity to take a mission trip to Honduras with my church. Before we left, we collected school supplies that we were going to put into backpacks to deliver to the schools that we were to visit each day. I challenged my students and fellow teachers to donate. Their generosity overflowed. We were able to not only fill enough backpacks for this trip but also had enough to save for the next trip.
When I arrived in Honduras, I was overwhelmed by the excitement, possibilities and adventures that were ahead. We had rehearsed skits, testimonies, and songs. We had prayed endlessly for God to move and for us to be a light.
As we approached our first school, we were greeted with hugs and handmade signs by all the little kiddos who had been eagerly awaiting our arrival. We got down in the dirt and began to play with them – such joy, we felt!
School by school, we delivered the supplies, and though the students did not have some of the “luxuries” we are used to here, like air conditioning, one thing stood out to me most: the kids were happy. Despite their circumstances, these children had joy. Right there, I knew I wanted to go into missions.
Someone once pointed out to me that I don't have to go far away to go on missions and to be a light; my mission field can be right where I am.
As a kid, I always “played school”, so I think I was destined to be a teacher, to share my love of learning, to be a light. I have a passion for kids, being able to invest in them and know that I am creating world-changers. I love being in the classroom with my sixth-graders and then spending time with them at Young Life as high schoolers. Seeing my kiddos grow and thrive is what motivates me. When I can be a light, allow students to appreciate their circumstances and make connections beyond the classroom, that exceeds anything I could plan for myself.
It is at that moment I know that God has chosen me to do what I do for a reason. It is not always easy, but with faith, I get through.
-Jennifer Ryberg, FJH World Cultures Teacher
