When you think of “mission work,” what comes to mind? Building schools and hospitals? Preaching on street corners? Outreach events?
Of course, some missionaries around the world do these things, but it depends on the social and cultural context of the place. So, what does my mission work look like?
Most days, it takes the form of teaching English conversation classes—from babies and their moms all the way to advanced adult learners. But how do I share the gospel with Japanese students? Welcome to “Bible Time.”
In addition to teaching conversational English, the missionary teachers also lead a 10-15 minute Bible time in each class. This serves a missional as well as a practical purpose. As missionaries, this time is our primary opportunity to talk about the Bible and share the gospel with students. Moreover, legally speaking, this qualifies us as “missionaries” rather than “teachers” for our visa paperwork. We work under a “religious activities” visa, meaning this Bible teaching must appear in our main area of work.
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I feel I must clarify something. Before our students sign up for classes, they are fully informed of the existence of “Bible Time.” We don’t just surprise our students with, “Oh, and by the way, we’re going to spend the last 15 minutes of class reading and talking about the Bible.” All of our students give their full, informed consent to have the Bible as part of their curriculum.
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What does it look like?
While every class has “Bible time,” they all take a slightly different form, depending on the class.
Adult Classes
In our adult classes, we talk about the Bible entirely in English, regardless of level (beginner to advanced). I use a bilingual Gideons Bible in all my adult classes (like the one shown below). However, I’ve known some teachers who have used children’s storybook bibles in their lower-level classes.
Personally, I prefer the bilingual bible. The English is difficult (and so is the Japanese, for that matter), but that’s just because the Bible is a difficult book. Plus, I feel like it’s a bit condescending to teach adults the complex, beautiful news of the Gospel using reductionistic retellings of famous Bible stories that are intended for children. Sure, it’s more work on the teacher’s part to help the students understand the English. But I don’t think we should underestimate God’s work in the classroom.
Children’s Classes
Our children’s classes (kindergarten through elementary) use a myriad of children’s storybook bibles. Each class uses a different bible, depending on availability and age level. Since there are days when up to three classes are taught simultaneously, all the teachers have to use different books in that time slot (hence availability issues). Moreover, several of our elementary students have been attending our English school for years, and have already read through one or two of the children’s bibles, so you have to consider that as well when choosing a bible.
The teacher conducts Bible time in English, but there is a Japanese staff member present to translate for the elementary school kids. I think this is extremely helpful, since Japanese elementary students are not at a high enough level to understand even children’s bibles in English. It ensures that they have some semblance of what’s going on. This way, the students can really engage with the stories. However, as there are a limited number of translation staff, the timing of the Bible times is staggered, depending on the number of classes simultaneously happening. So, the timing of Bible time is not nearly as consistent as the adult classes. In my experience, though, it hasn’t presented much of a problem.
Junior High, High School, and Returnees Classes
Bible time in the junior high, high school, and returnees classes feel like a cross between children’s classes and adult classes. We usually use some children’s bible or storybook format bible (rather than the bilingual Gideons Bible). However, Japanese children start studying English more intensely in school from junior high school onward, so they are expected to understand more English. As such, there is no translation provided in these classes. Additionally, in the case of returnees classes, these students have either lived overseas in English-speaking environments for some time, or attended an international school, so their English level is higher than the typical Japanese student. So translation is even less necessary for them.
I have never taught high school classes, and have only taught returnees classes as a substitute teacher, but from my understanding, the students seem to follow the Bible time just fine without translation. I have taught a first-year junior high school class, and their English level is pretty low. A full English Bible lesson would be near incomprehensible to them, so I fill in the blanks with Japanese on my own. This is a special case, as I am functionally bilingual in English and Japanese. That being said, I’ve known other teachers that taught only in English and manage to make it work. It really depends on the individual students and their needs.
The Blessings of Bible Time
In my experience, I’ve been immensely blessed by the classroom bible time. Granted, there are some days where it feels like the students just aren’t getting it. They zone out, or just look utterly confused. Sometimes this is a language issue; often it’s a spiritual barrier. However, more often than not, Bible Time usually brings forth rich blessings.
Of course, this time has blessed a number of students over the years. Several current church members came to Christ through our English classes. Sometimes one of our events got them thinking about Jesus. But often, the Bible times would invite these people to learn more about Jesus, and to seriously consider their own life paths. Other students may not have committed their lives to Christ yet, but they have been greatly encouraged by our studies in the Bible, and have—at the very least—improved their quality of life a little bit.
Bible Time is also such a huge joy and blessing to the teachers. We all come here as missionaries, so naturally, we want to teach the Bible and share the good news about Jesus. Personally, I’ve realized so many beautiful aspects of God’s Word while teaching my students. God has taught me things that I may not have noticed had I not been teaching. And often, these ideas come unbidden as I’m speaking! It’s an incredible experience. When you’re in a position where you’re always pouring out, it’s important to also be fed spiritually, and I’ve found that Bible Time is one thing in my life that accomplishes that.