Me–Go to Sunshine Orchard?

Is God calling you?

Is it possible that God is calling you to work for Him away from the comforts and conveniences of home? Have you ever considered teaching English to someone in a foreign country? Or do you have a practical skill that could be useful in a place like Thailand? You might say, I’m not a teacher. I don’t have a degree. I never went to college. Sorry, those excuses don’t work here–not if God is calling you to this work.

So what are we looking for in volunteer teachers? Most importantly, Have you accepted Jesus’ offer to fill you with His love and grace? Do you have a burden to share the love of Jesus with everyone you meet? Do you believe Jesus is really coming soon? Do you want to help others get ready for Him to come? A “Yes” to each of these questions is more important than all the teacher training you can get. If you are truly committed to serving the Lord, He can help you gain all of the knowedge and abilities you might be lacking.

There are many areas where we could use help here at Sunshine Orchard. However, some staff needs weigh especially heavy on my mind as school principal:

English teachers — One young lady who is teaching English has committed to extending her stay one or two more years, but we could really use one or two more teachers. If we had a couple more teachers, we believe could offer some evening English classes to people in the community, which would be a wonderful outreach opportunity. You don’t need to be an English “whiz” to teach. Yes, some of our local teachers can help teach English, but they still struggle to pronounce the words correctly, compared to someone who grew up speaking English.

Office help — As the school grows, we are keeping more records, and there is more correspondence. One way or another, we could use help. The work in the office might be part-time, but there are plenty of areas where a self-motivated volunteer can be useful!

Vocational training — If you have developed skills in any of the following practical areas, you can multiply your talents by teaching these skills to others:

• Building (probably involving cement-block buildings with steel trusses; minimal wood). Soon we will be appealing for funds for our next phase of building, and it always seems good to involve the students in the work.
• Small-engine repair
• Car (gas or diesel) engine repair
• Computers (if one of our English teachers cannot teach this subject)
• Welding
• Healthy cooking
• Farming/gardening

Other opportunities — We are also praying for more help in farm & garden training and oversight; boys’ and girls’ deans; a general maintenance person; and additional teaching help in our one-year medical missionary training program.

For all of these opportunities, we may be able to use someone who can give only 3 or 6 months, but we have seen that a one-year commitment for teachers (May to March) is ideal. If the Lord is calling to your heart in one of these areas–or to help at Sunshine Orchard in some other way–please read our Volunteers page and email us the application at the bottom of that page. If you cannot come right away, begin now to plan for next year.