This is a John Piper-like Don’t-Waste-Your-Life appeal to twenty and thirty-somethings seeking an amazing way to invest two years.
OR this could also be a great second-career opportunity for folks ready for a new adventure. If this describes you or someone you know, OR if you just want to find out about a new opportunity Encompass is hatching up, read on.
This past weekend, Jennifer Christenberry and I traveled to Birmingham, England’s second largest city. We went there not just to taste some of the many spices of the east, although we certainly did that. Nor did we go just to connect with amazing Encompass workers, which we also did. We went to see firsthand a program called “Speaking Allowed”, being hosted by Bill Kiddoo, and most recently also by Jason & Crystal Horner.
First some background.
Bill and Becky Kiddoo moved to the UK in the mid-80s where they found a city filled with immigrants and other displaced people in need of help – filling out forms, getting driver’s licenses, and just basically figuring how to live in a new country. But of all their needs, the greatest was that of learning the language of the UK. Enter Speaking Allowed clubs.
SPEAKING ALLOWED
Speaking Allowed is a fun space where non-English speakers can come to learn English and Encompass staffer Jennifer Christenberry and I wanted to see it in action. So we traveled to Birmingham to do just that. We were joined there by JoEllen, who is seeking to help some of the one-million immigrants and refugees in Germany.
INSTANT ENGAGEMENT
Though we were only able to be there for a weekend, it was long enough to realize the incredible need for this type of help, and the ease with which English-speakers could arrive and get to work almost immediately!
These clubs pull together men and women from all over the world – India, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan – and teaches them how to converse in English. Participants are from all levels of English proficiency, from people who just need practice using what they know to others who know almost no English. Whatever their proficiency, all are highly motivated to learn because they know that their success living and working in their new country depends on their mastery of the language.
THE PLAN: BIRMINGHAM HOPE TEAM
Encompass is looking for English-speakers willing to join what Encompass is calling a Hope Team, which for 24 months will serve non-English speakers in Birmingham, England.
Qualifications:
- able to speak English
- loves God and people
- enjoys working in a team
- ready for a life-changing adventure that will alter the immediate and God-willing even eternal futures of displaced people in England
Hard to imagine a better way to live and serve abroad using skills you already have to make a difference!
Be among the first to sign up for a 2-week exploratory team Encompass just announced being planned for June of 2019!
Learn more:
- About our experience in Birmingham
– email Jennifer Christenberry or me, Barb Wooler - Hope Teams, see this article.
- Videos about Birmingham Hope Teams
