This morning I was asked to give a short talk, on why I had chosen to volunteer to work in an English Teaching School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Until today, I had never stopped to think about why I chose that particular place and job; I just believed that God wanted me to serve Him there and so that is why I was going. So now I have thought about it and I know why.

Have you ever had a childhood dream of what you wanted to be when you grew up? Were you ever asked, what you wanted to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a teacher, there was never anything else in my mind. Unfortunately, my parents had other ideas, and wouldn't even let me do the high school course that I needed, to allow me to pursue my dream. I also suffered badly from a nervous condition, which made me unable to speak clearly, and I went through my early stages of life being asked to repeat myself, or to speak up and stop mumbling - none of which helped the nervous condition.So I ended up in the Public Service, eventually sorting mail for 26 years.

But God had other plans for me. After leaving home at the age of 17, I began to gain confidence and within a few years, I was able to speak without mumbling. I was still reasonably shy, but a few glasses of alcohol took care of that. I won't go into the life that I experienced, but suffice to say, I did not live the life of a Christian. Fortunately, God still had His hand upon me and placed me in the right job, and then the right house to be led into His loving arms and find fellowship with my Church family

Shortly after I was converted, I spent 2 years living with my newly adopted parents, Bevan and Lois, on their farm. One morning, after he had attended a Christian men's breakfast, Bevan gave me a card which said, 'God has a plan for your life.' I believed it then and I believe it now.

In His Word, God tells us that He has known us forever, and that means even before that dream of mine was first dreamed. As I look back, I can see God's plan leading me to this point. Even those bad times that I went through, have proved to be beneficial to me in my new endeavour. Many of the people that need to learn English have suffered greatly in their lives, others have disabilities which make it harder to learn and are therefore pushed aside so that others may learn in their place. I don't intend to have you believe that I suffered greatly, but through my mild sufferring, I have been able to develop an empathy with those who have sufferred terrible things.

I have a great love for children and a heart for the disabled. One of my best friends at work came from Vietnam and told me of how she had to leave her country to continue studying, as her father had assisted the Americans during the Vietnam War. I felt for those people then and I still do.

I have met Hoa Stone, the Vietnamese war orphan who was, and still is, crippled by polio. He was brought to Australia and adopted by a Christian family and after severe trials and torments in his life, he finally gave his life to Christ and is now back in HCMC, and serving Christ. His plan is to enable disabled and disadvantaged young people to learn to make a living for themselves. One of the ways in which he helps to financially support his work is by running an English Teaching School.

Praise the Lord, I can be a teacher after all. Thank Your Lord, for putting me in the right place at the right time. Thank You for being my Potter and moulding me, as clay, into the vessel that You created me to be.

This will be my first involvement in volunteering overseas. I believe it will serve as a great experience and if God wants me to serve in Malawi or Mozambique next, then so be it and all the praise and all the glory will be His.

I would love you to pray for me. It has been many years since I last studied and I am commencing my ten week course in TESOL, on February 1. Please pray that I will be able to set up a schedule, whereby I can fit everything in and still allow time for the large amount of study that I will need to do. Pray also, that I will have a clear understanding of what I am being taught. Pray that I will be diligent in my work and do more, rather than less than is required of me. Above all, please pray that by my actions, I shall show the love of Christ to all I meet and that I shall never be afraid to tell of His great love for us.

Your sister in Christ, Susiegee.