Stories from the Field, 1 Nov 2022
Pagon spent two years teaching missionary kids (MKs) and later worked as a teacher in the field for five more years. She and her family are now back in their home country. She shared some of her reflections on education and youth work.
Education for missionary kids
Pagon realised the lack of affordable, quality educational resources for MKs in certain areas due to the lack of teachers. This kind of assurance that their children’s educational needs are being taken care of is crucial to enable missionary families to continue in the field. It also helps MKs prepare for returning home and eases their reintegration into the educational system back home.
Teaching local kids
During the later five years of her ministry, Pagon spent several years teaching in an international school, working with local students who were preparing to go overseas for further education. This teaching platform gave her opportunities to share her faith in that creative access country through relationship building and helped her sow seeds into the lives of her students by showing love and modelling godly character. Some students later received Christ when they studied overseas.
Education turned out to be an occupation that opened doors for Pagon and her family to serve in the creative access country. Reflecting on her training and experience, she said that she grew to appreciate her gifts as a teacher in the field.
Investing in youth
Pagon shared that both she and her husband received Christ as youths, and were discipled through campus ministries during their schooling years.
She said that in the area where she served, there was little investment in youth ministry. This was due in part to the prohibition of religious education for children. However, she and her husband felt that it was important to invest in and disciple youths as the seeds of faith could be sown during those formative years. They were involved in setting up a youth club, which later became a network that sought to reach out to youths and equip adults to work with them. Through teaching life skills and leadership development, youths were introduced to biblical knowledge.
Pray for this youth network that continues to be active in that country. Pray that those in the network will find creative ways to reach out to youths. May many more youths come to know God through the godly lives they encounter.
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