May was overwhelmed in her new school. She had classes on topics that she had never studied before, and she didn’t know enough English to understand what her teachers were saying. She hung her head and felt like crying. Her teacher touched her shoulder and asked if she needed help. May nodded, embarrassed. Don’t worry, her teacher said softly. I’m here to help you. Tell me what you need.

May
Courtesy of GC office of Adventist Mission

May had never experienced such kindness from a teacher before. Softly she said, I don’t understand. The teacher knelt beside her and explained the lesson to her again. May smiled; she understood.

May lives in Myanmar. Her father, a Christian, wanted May to learn about God. When he learned about Yangon Adventist School (YAS) not far from where the family lived, he visited the school. It was an older building with crowded classrooms, but the children seemed happy and the teachers cared about their students. He enrolled May at YAS for the coming year.

May struggled with the new school curriculum, which was different from her previous school. She didn’t know English well enough to understand what her teacher said. And Bible class was entirely new to her. But her teachers helped her, and May worked hard to catch up.

May liked that in her new school students worked together to learn new lessons rather than compete for the top ranking in the class. She discovered that learning was fun!

May made friends and enjoyed learning new subjects. Two years later she asked to be baptized, and her parents willingly gave their permission. May continued to study and mature; she learned what it means to follow Jesus completely.

May completed high school at YAS and enrolled in elementary education at the Adventist college in Myanmar.

She’s glad to be an Adventist and a member of God’s family. But as the only Adventist in her family, May sometimes feels separated from her relatives. I wish we all could worship God together with the same faith, she says. I’m so thankful to have had a chance to study in Adventist schools and learn the way to God.

Today May is a tutor, helping other children master their lessons and grow both spiritually and mentally. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to study at Yangon Adventist School, she adds. I thank everyone around the world who gave to the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to help enlarge the school so it can accommodate more students.

Your offerings to mission do make a difference, a real difference in the lives of children and adults around the world. Thank you.

May teaches school in Yangon, Myanmar.

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