What 3-Year-Olds in Peru Taught Me About Following God
“Would you be willing to teach some English classes for 3 to 5-year-olds at a local preschool?”
That’s a question I was asked by our mission partners in Chuquibambilla, Peru, two weeks before I would be leaving for my internship. I had spent weeks preparing the curriculum that I would be using to teach English classes for adults, but I had very little prepared that would apply to a preschool classroom context.
Although I said yes, I wasn’t sure if I would be up to the challenge. I have tutored children who are learning English in the past, but I have never taught students quite that young, and because kids this age can’t read or write yet, some of my favorite classroom activities weren’t ones I would be able to use. Over the past couple of weeks working in these classrooms, my students have shown me a lot about what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
At the start of each lesson, I always have my students sing a song and do the hand motions to go with it. We will also do a short exercise where they learn to act out simple actions such as “sit down,” “stand up,” or “jump”. The first time we tried these activities, I got a lot of blank stares from the kids. Eventually, they might do the action or say the word I wanted them to say, but only because I was modeling it for them and not because they could do it on their own quite yet.
There are moments in the classroom that can be frustrating because the kids are confused and don’t always know what I want them to do or say. I speak enough Spanish that I could explain what I am asking them to do, and then they could do it very easily.
But then they wouldn’t be learning English.
In the same way that my students have to learn through repetition how to recognize and respond when I speak to them in English, we have to learn how to recognize and respond to how God speaks to us. God could make every decision for me or give me a clear explanation for everything He asks me to do. Instead, He invites me to listen, to trust Him, and to follow His commands even when I do not always understand why.
My students don’t always know what I’m asking them to do. Sometimes they look around at the other students to see what they are doing, and sometimes they simply do nothing because they are not sure what I said. But as we practice, they begin to recognize the words. A command that once meant nothing to them eventually becomes something they understand and can respond to.
I think my relationship with God often works the same way. I do not always recognize His voice immediately, and I do not always know what He is asking of me. But the more time I spend listening to Him and learning His Word, the more familiar His voice becomes. Following Him requires practice. It requires patience. And sometimes, it requires taking a step of obedience before I fully understand where that step will lead.
I also have a 3-year-old student who I work with 1-on-1 twice a week. One day, about halfway through our lesson, she stopped answering the questions that I asked her. She knew the answers, but she was DONE with our lesson. At this point, I didn’t scold her or get upset that she wasn’t listening to me. I adjusted the plan for the day and moved on to a different activity so that we could come back to it later when she felt ready. I came back to that activity during our next lesson, and she exceeded my expectations with how well she completed it.
I think God is patient with us in much the same way. There are times when I don’t understand what He is teaching me, times when I am distracted, and even times when I simply don’t want to listen. Yet He does not give up on me. He continues to teach me, gives me opportunities to try again, and patiently calls me back to Him.
After two weeks, my students can recognize commands like “jump,” “stand up,” and “sit down”; they can also introduce themselves in English, as well as recognize some colors. These may seem like small things, but I remember the blank stares I got the first time I tried to teach them those words. Seeing them respond to something they once didn’t understand has reminded me that learning takes time, even when it doesn’t feel like anything is happening.
I’m still learning how to recognize God’s voice, just like my students are still learning English. I don’t always get it right, and I don’t always understand what He is asking me to do. But I’m learning that I don’t need to have everything figured out before I take the next step. Sometimes I just need to listen.
Ashton Montgomery is a recent graduate of Asbury University serving as a three-month mission intern in Chuquibambilla, Peru. Partnering with the Antioch Missionary Base and their ministry to the Nomatsigenga people, she teaches English and writes about cross-cultural ministry, language learning, and the daily practice of recognizing God's voice in unexpected places.
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