For the benefit of new BTI students, we are posting this press release from the Christian Education Trust regarding the appointment of Dr. Andrew Smith as the Dean of BTI. You will meet him this year, and we thought you might like to know a bit about Andrew’s interesting background!

The Christian Education Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Andrew Smith as Dean of Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI). Andrew has been carrying out the key leadership role at BTI as the Acting Dean since the beginning of 2011 as part of a leadership transition. This formal appointment, effective 1 August, now makes that role substantive.

BTI is a Private Training Establishment with a special character, providing teacher, counsellor and social worker tertiary qualifications with an underpinning Christian worldview. Andrew’s role as Dean of BTI is to oversee the running of BTI and to ensure that BTI as a whole remains true to its distinctive Christian approach to education.

Andrew is very much a team player, and is grateful to be leading a team of staff members who each connect to and live out the special character of BTI in a meaningful way. He comments, “We sense, and I think it’s a corporate ‘we sense’, that our calling is to be a tertiary learning community that expresses God’s heart, God’s Kingdom on the earth; that we as lecturers, that students as learners, are relational and responsive to each other; that we are about transformation, and that we are here to have an influence in the professional contexts that we are called to, whether that’s teaching, counselling or social work.”

Andrew comes from an interesting and in his words ‘slightly unusual’ professional background. “I started my working life in hospital medicine,” explains Andrew. “I trained at medical school, and I was gradually working my way up to the surgical hierarchy but God intervened.” Andrew and his wife Ruth moved to New Zealand in 1983 where Andrew soon became involved in church leadership, before going onto become a counsellor with his own private practice for around ten years. A slow move from counselling to counsellor education, led to Andrew becoming part of the team at BTI in 2000, when BTI first offered the Bachelor of Counselling programme.

Over the last decade, Andrew has fulfilled a variety of roles at BTI including Counselling Programme Coordinator, Academic Dean and Head of Research. Andrew believes his familiarity with BTI is an advantage in his new role as Dean. “It’s been a great journey. I think what it does mean is that I bring to this role 10 or 11 years at BTI so I have, I think, a reasonable handle on what we do and how things have happened and some of the history, and I think that has been a real asset in this new role.”

Here is a message and special invitation from BTI’s Dean of Counsellor & Social Work Education, Richard Cook.

Social Work Degree Approval
Late last year we completed the requirements for NZQA and SWRB approval of BTI’s four-year social work degree and received a lovely framed certificate that sits proudly in our reception area. This is structured as a 3+1 degree, meaning the last year can be undertaken as an in-work or internship year. We send our thanks to you for the support and input given through the approval process.

New Staff
It was been good to welcome a new staff member to our team as this new year has started. Helen Troughton trained and was registered in the UK having worked with Tear Fund for some time. She joins Leisa Moorhouse our resident Programme Coordinator and Chris Thomas as a guest lecturer. Chris has contributed significantly to the writing of the curriculum and will travel from Palmerston North to teach in the onsite intensives at BTI. We also hope our consultant Mike Garland and our international consultant Professor Beryl Hugen will share in the delivery of specialist modules as time goes on as well as experienced practitioners from our stakeholder partners locally and nationally.

Social Work Launch Invitation
We are on track for our target: a cohort of 25 starting late February. The stories applicants share of praying for a programme like this and following a clear sense of mission and call in applying have been inspiring.With this cohort starting in a few weeks time, we thought it would be good to have an official launch of the programme. We would like to extend a warm invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we begin this new venture – all welcome.

· Where: BTI in Te Kohao (The eye of the needle – our cultural room on the BTI Campus, Elder Lane, Bethlehem, Tauranga)

· Please send any messages and we will read or play them at the launch
(these could be typed or recorded as an audio or video file using your webcam or smartphone)

· RSVP and messages can be sent to: Reception@bti.ac.nz or phone 07 579 1702 or freephone 0508 bethlehem.

Each year, second year students in BTI teaching programmes take part in a ‘Missions Through Service’ week during which students choose a place where they can serve a community. While students can find an area of service in New Zealand, some look further afield and enter into a service experience that broadens their horizons – personally as well as geographically! Sarah Tzathas (in centre of photo in pink), who organized a trip to Israel definitely falls into the latter category.

As Sarah explains, one of the key intentions of this BTI trip is for students to explore the realm of servant leadership. “The reason why BTI allows students to have a missions week is so that we can have an experience of serving others and it fits in with the module of being a ‘servant leader’ and that is a very important role to discover through becoming a teacher.”

Sarah’s decision to go to Israel was the result of a history of connection that had built over several years. She explains, “In 2008 I went over to do a tour and I fell in love with the place and the organisation called Bridges for Peace. They just really touched my heart, and it just changed my worldview and even my Christian worldview and really brought me closer to God. Although Bridges For Peace is not a Missions organisation they welcome volunteers to serve Jewish communities in Israel.”

Less than a year later, Sarah had an opportunity to take part in a four week lecture series in Israel with Bridges for Peace, and she became a Bridges for Peace representative just before coming back and starting her Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary programme at BTI. “I was really excited to hear that we had an opportunity in the second year to go anywhere we wanted and serve. I ended up going back – finishing off all of my assignments ridiculously fast, two weeks prior to when they were due – and just met up with some girls in Auckland and flew to Israel and stayed there for six weeks.”

The main areas of service that Sarah took part in was assisting with the Bridges for Peace Food Bank, which delivers parcels of food to families in need throughout Israel, as well as providing administrative assistance to staff at the Bridges For Peace headquarters in Jerusalem. “It was fantastic,” says Sarah. “It was a great experience to see how the inner part of the headquarters worked, and what they believed and what their heart was like, which was really amazing….really great crew of people working in the headquarters.”

A key theme amongst the BTI community is a desire to make a positive difference in the world – whatever unique shape that may take. Sarah has a real heart both for missions and for teaching, and acknowledges that ‘making a difference’ looks very different in her Bridges for Peace service than is would in a typical Kiwi classroom context. She comments, “Making a difference in Israel is really amazing and it’s really neat to be there actually seeing a person receive a food parcel and actually have tears in their eyes of genuine appreciation – that was just amazing to see that first hand. Coming back and studying to become a teacher is quite a different scenario. You don’t really see the impact directly all the time. I think it would be easier for me to go back to Israel and see all the little immediate things, but teaching children – I think I will grow more in teaching children for the long term. In saying that I would love to mix the both in together. To be honest, I don’t really see myself in a European setting in just a classroom of 20 children. I do see myself on a mission field or a service field doing something quite different with children that are in need – in need in a different way than here in New Zealand or a western culture. So I would love to bring those two things together.”

CLICK HERE to find out more about BTI’s Teacher Education Programme
CLICK HERE to watch out interview with Sarah on YouTube

Jen Payton loves children and is passionate about working alongside them, helping them to learn and grow. One year into her Early Childhood Education degree at BTI, she is very confident that the path that she is on is the right one for her. “I have always had a strong bond with my cousins,” says Jen, “and also working at Tauranga YMCA since I was 14, has made my mind up that I really want to be a teacher.”

During 2010, Jen studied at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic completing a National Certificate in Early Childhood. Wanting to take her study further, Jen was looking at options and had heard good things about BTI. “I heard a lot about BTI, that it’s a strong community based university and how we are all one family and that they all support you in every way that they can. When I found out the other girls in my class where applying at BTI it felt like they were coming with me, and that we were already a family and that we were going to make a new family at BTI as well.”

Jen says that BTI has lived up to its reputation and she had found the lecturers very supportive. “I’ve really enjoyed all the lecturers at BTI, they are all supportive and they will go out of their way of helping you. I find that all the lecturers I can just go and talk to even if it’s not about assignments – always open door.”

Jen has found the faith aspect of BTI’s approach to be a positive experience, even if some of it is unfamiliar. “I personally am not a Christian, but I am open to all the Christian values that have been at BTI and I am willing to learn because not everyone is the same. I have felt that I have always been welcomed into a Christian environment, where you know, if I don’t get what they are talking about, I can just ask and not feel silly about it. Not everyone is perfect, and not everyone has been brought up the same way either.”

One of the first year papers that Jen really enjoyed was focused on arts and music. “I really enjoy music and drama, just the movement to the beats and seeing how children can use it as well. With arts and crafts it’s so important you just let them put it on the piece of paper and not telling them ‘look, you have to draw a butterfly or you have to do this’, but it’s all about them expressing themselves and you can find emotions through that as well. “

Motivated by a desire to see children enjoy learning in a positive environment, Jen enjoys many things about teaching. “What I really enjoy about teaching is seeing the children wanting to learn – them picking up a book and saying ‘can we read this together’, and getting the children involved and having different activities so they can explore and having different learning opportunities.”

Treating play as a learning context is also important to Jen. “It’s not about just learning it’s also about them playing, it’s not the whole ‘you need to do this by this week’ – it’s just play and they are always learning through play.

When asked what advice she would give to those who are thinking about studying Early Childhood Education, Jen said, “ If you are thinking about coming and competing your degree at BTI, I do recommend it. We are one big family and you have lots of support and encouragement around you.

To watch our interview with Jen CLICK HERE
To find out more about BTI’s Early Childhood Education degree programme CLICK HERE

Ruth Smith wears a lot of different hats at BTI. As well as lecturing in the counselling programme, she is responsible for international students, student support and is the Year One coordinator for counselling students. Her role as the Student Support Coordinator makes her an important person for all new BTI students to know, and places Ruth, as she describes it, at the ‘welcoming end’ of BTI.

Welcome is actually a key theme of Ruth’s life. As she explains, “I’m not sure if it’s my Irish heritage or not, but I am passionate about welcome… about hospitality…about people feeling at home.”

New Zealand is Ruth’s third homeland, having emigrated to England from her native Northern Ireland before moving to New Zealand with her husband Andrew (current BTI Dean) in 1983. These significant moves and experiences have forged in Ruth a strong empathy for others who are facing the challenges of settling into a new place. “I guess, having lived in various countries myself, I am very aware of loneliness, … of how often you have to begin conversations and start relationships and take the initiative all the time, and so I try and do that for the students.”

Another warmly practical expression of this empathy is Ruth’s passion for hospitality, something many students have benefited from. “Most of my students will have been invited to our home at some stage or other at their time at BTI, usually for a meal. Home for me is where the centre of hospitality is, but also here in my office. We have an open door policy at BTI, so students are free to just wander in and talk.”

Students coming into BTI for the first time will usually meet Ruth in the first few days of study, during orientation week for onsite students and online for distance students. Ruth’s door is always open to students needing support though, as she explains, help is available from all staff. “Thinking about student support, although I might carry the title or the ‘hat’, BTI is actually known for its caring nature, and all staff are involved in supporting students in our different contexts and roles. We have an academic support person, Penny, Raymond is there in terms of pastoral support, so there are other people alongside who are very involved also in supporting students. I guess really, for a student, whoever they feel that they can approach or trust or talk to, then that’s the person to talk to first, and if they are not the best person to be of help, then they will point them in the right direction.”

CLICK HERE to find out about BTI’s Counselling programmes which Ruth lectures in.

CLLICK HERE to see a YouTube clip of our conversation with Ruth

You can email Ruth directly on r.smith@bti.ac.nz

Rachael McKoy is in a very exciting time in her life. She has just completed her three year primary teaching degree at BTI and is very happy to be walking straight into a great job teaching Year 6 students at Bethlehem College next year.

As thrilled as she is with this new position, it’s not the sort of position she ever planned to go for. Rachael explains, “Originally I never wanted to work at Bethlehem College. I thought, ‘I’m going to teach at a lower decile school – God has called me there because kids there don’t have a lot of contact with Christian people necessarily or with God and I want to be that.’ But after a lot of involvement with the school here – I ran the school production here this year and I was on practicum here my last placement – I really grew to love the kids. I took such an ownership for the school that I just couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else.”

Rachael acknowledges that ‘making a difference’ looks quite different at a school like Bethlehem College than it would in a lower decile school. Rachael muses, “These are kids that come from privileged families, from wealthy backgrounds, most of them. Making a difference in this context to me is about teaching them how to work hard for something, and teaching these kids how to have respect and how to really go for what they want and have goals and have dreams. If they come out the other side knowing all these things, then they’ll be set up for life and I think that that’s really where a teacher makes a difference.”

Rachael has developed a strong sense of her own personal and professional identity during her years at BTI, and would advise students just beginning their teaching study to discover their own motivations for teaching. “Find that reason that you want to teach and really hold tight to it because there’s going to be some really tough times through your study – especially in your second year there will probably be some times when you can’t imagine why you are here doing this still when there’s so many other things you would rather be doing – but hold tight to that because if that is true to your heart then that will carry you through.”

Rachael is in the enviable position of being able to enjoy her Christmas break with her years of study behind her and a great job ahead of her. “I love the position that I’m in at the moment, explains Rachael.” “I’ve finished my training, I feel rearing to go, and every time I was on a practicum placement more and more into my studies I realized this is exactly where I’m meant to be and exactly what I’m meant to be doing. So, it’s really exciting to finally go out and be able to do that, and know that I have something lined up for next year that I can start planning for now.”

Joanna Hilario has just finished her 2^nd year of her primary teaching degree at BTI and is looking forward to 2012 as she embarks on her 3^rd year and a new leadership role as president of BISA (Bethlehem Institute Student Association).

Joanna is excited about the BISA role and explains it is her heart for God and focus on building relationships with people that compelled her to run for BISA presidency. Joanna says; “I feel closest to God when I am active, when I am doing something for him or something to serve people because I really enjoy being with people, being among them, talking to them, building relationships. I really wanted to stop sitting in the back of the church and listening, I wanted to start giving out what God has given me.”

Joanna is also keen to see people from the different programmes pull together and get to know each other. “I decided to run for it because I wanted to see all the year groups, the counselling, early childhood and primary all connected – and apparently there are social workers coming now – that will be extra fun!”

It is not surprising that Joanna was elected for BISA President when her approach is so in keeping with BTI’s passion for community. Joanna says, “What I like about the BTI community – it’s probably one of the most things that have been recognised – when I talk to my classmates they say BTI’s very relational. There is no other way of putting it – I think that’s the basic foundation that you come across when you come here to BTI… you walk through the lecturers’ hall of offices and every single one of them – the door is open for you, they care about you.”

Meeting people who are new to BTI will be a key aspect of Joanna’s role for BISA and she is looking forward to welcoming new students to BTI next year. “If you are thinking of studying here at BTI next year – it will be great to get to know you, to hear where your heart is at, what your passion is and just build connections with you – you’re more than welcome! Have a look around, phone us up – you will find that it’s not like any college or uni around.”

Her own experience with lecturers and fellow classmates has enabled Joanna to confidently recommend studying at BTI to people, saying; “There is such a richness, such a family feeling to it. Relating that back to BISA – it’s building connections, it doesn’t matter where you are from – there is a place for you and there is something that you can do to serve – there is some way that we can serve you. That’s basically one of my biggest pin-points for the vision of BISA.”

Along with her future role as BISA President in 2012, Joanna is looking forward to the third year of her primary teaching degree. Teaching children helps keep her grounded by the simplicity of children’s approach to life. Joanna says; “I love children – just being around them, it’s really refreshing. I love being around them. The regular child is usually care free, worry-free. I believe I am a light-hearted person, but a lot of times I can take life too seriously or think too much. They ask me questions and I have to look at it in such a simple way and it just re-aligns my vision …”

2012 promises a dynamic experience for Joanna and her fellow students at BTI. Her proactive approach to community makes her a great connection point for students and her friendly manner makes her very approachable – so look out for her on campus because she would love to chat to you!

To find out more about BTI’s Teacher Education Programmes CLICK HERE
To watch the interview with Joanna on YouTube CLICK HERE

Rachael Schnauer graduated from BTI over ten years ago and has had many adventures since then! We love to hear the stories of BTI alumni and the many varied journeys that unfold and we were thrilled when Rachael agreed to respond to some of our questions. She has had a full decade so we have split this Q & A into two parts. Enjoy her story!

Working with families and the children, planning effective programs and units, creating a fun and engaging learning environment, and most of all getting to know the children by forming safe relationships with them where they can grow and develop to their potential.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome (or are overcoming!) them?

As mentioned earlier, I have taught family members, including my own daughter. I think it is important to have clear plans in place and direct lines of communication and regular meetings. When I think about it, I have found in just about every difficult time with parents of children I work with there has been an issue of communication breakdown in some form or another. After apologising for my part in the communication issue, I have allowed the parents to talk through details from their behalf, and then working out together how to go forward from there. However, when parents get regular, clear feedback on their child’s progress, are encouraged in their abilities as parents, and are offered suggestions as to how they can help their child at home, most parents are happy, and good, effective working relationships are formed. If the communication cannot be carried out in conversation, then communication books are very useful.

Communication is also a very important key to get along with your colleagues. Occasionally I have had difficulties with other staff members talking behind backs; I guess kind of bullying in a way. I found if you value every staff member as being as an important team member as yourself, including the cleaners and the care takers, and remember to thank people for the job they do and the advice they give, then the awful stuff is replaced with good rapport and the work place becomes a wonderful environment to be.

One challenge that often came my way was with behaviour management. Many people told me that I was just too nice, and children would see me as a push over. It is something I struggled with for a long time, because I wanted the children I worked with to know that I value, appreciate, and love them, not treat them in a way that was against my beliefs and nature. I know, you are probably thinking, “And she works with children with Autism!?” In my experience, I have learned that being too nice is the right approach to managing behaviour; it’s called ‘Positive Behaviour Support’. I have taken out the, “don’t do thats”, and “no running”, and replaced with, “great job for sitting on the mat so nicely”, and “remember to walk”. We use a quote when conducting parent and staff training presentations on Positive Behaviour Support, which is as follows:

Something that really got me thinking and helped to change the way I teach for the better, I think.

I guess I feel so blessed to have learned in an environment with people that were not in competition with each other to gain the best grades, but in cooperation with each other, committed to each other’s success. It was especially wonderful be in a tutorial/lecture one minute and then to often have the opportunity to observe or try your learning out in a classroom the next. All of the lecturers were approachable and willing to take time out of their busy schedules to discuss ideas and to help when needed.

Which aspects of your teacher education have been the most useful in preparing for your current role?

Group assignments that were presented to the class and then given as handouts are still as useful now as when I started teaching. I often go to my teaching resources (I guess I am a bit of a hoarder, like a lot of teachers), and pull out special needs assignments, art assignments, maths assignments, etc., and go through them when a teacher asks about an idea they can use in the classroom.

We did many more prac sessions than any other teacher’s college I know of. These pracs really helped to reinforce our learning, and helped us to glean ideas from the teachers we were with. They also helped me gain confidence in my ability as a teacher as I had many opportunities teaching the classroom before I started in my own classroom.

First of all ensure that you pray over everything that you do. Pray over your classroom, over each child in your classroom and their families, over the seating arrangement, over the decorations, over your planning and assessments. God will be with you in everything you do and Jesus will shine through your work and be blessed by it. It doesn’t mean that things won’t become difficult at times, but those difficulties are what prepares you for what God wants you to do in the future.

Let each and every child know that you value and appreciate them for who they are, even in the way that you look at them. They will learn best through the positive relationship that you form with them. Even if you have the greatest lesson plan in the world, the children will not learn unless a safe and trusting relationship is formed first. I think back to high school and remember that I succeeded well in the subjects where I got on well with the teacher, and I did not try with the teachers who I knew didn’t have the time of day for me.

Finally, have confidence that you have had the preparation and training that you require to be a successful teacher. BTI is a wonderful nurturing place to learn, and I was well prepared to teach to the best of my ability and succeed. Yet always ask questions of fellow staff members, and continue the ‘succeed as a team’ mentality in every work environment you participate in.

I think it is obvious that I am very passionate about young children with special needs. I love my job because I get to work one on one with children with autism, form great relationships with them and their families, plan and implement individual programs for each child on my case load, and watch God bless everything I do when the child achieves the goals set. I also work closely with the teachers of those children and recommend strategies, such as, visual schedules, behaviour management, fine and gross motor activities, and many more. My job is so challenging and sometimes I cry in the car on my way home, and often don’t sleep well at night worrying about a child and their family, but the rewards are very great indeed!

Just last Tuesday one of the children who attends the Wednesday afternoon school readiness group that I teach walked up to me when I was talking with a Speech Pathologist and a teacher that was visiting the Early Intervention Centre, and said, “Rachel, how come you didn’t work with me today. I miss you very all the time.” I replied, “Oh, I miss you too, but I teach you on Wednesday afternoon’s, remember? And today is Tuesday.” The child said, “Oh, so you will teach me after?” And I said, “Yes, tomorrow, okay?” “Okay”, he said.

I was nearly in tears of delight because this is the longest conversation I had ever had with the child, when another child, who is learning how to have a conversation stood beside the first child and said, “Hello, Rachel”. I greeted him in return and he stood for a while, obviously thinking about how he could have a conversation with me too. Finally, after waiting for a while he said in a deep, serious voice, “I love bananas.” This started a little conversation about bananas. Just to explain, both of these children could only speak in one and two words utterances before. Wow… , now you can understand why I went into my office, trying to hide the fact that I was crying with joy, and shared with the other case managers what miracles had happened.

I attempt to make a positive difference by loving the people I come in contact with, and forming effective working relationships. I try to be humble and try not to be better than anyone else. I don’t like to use big words and fancy language, and think of myself as having equal value in God’s eyes to any other person. I know that God is fulfilling his purpose for my life through the way I bring up my daughter and through the work I do as a teacher.

Diploma of Teaching (Primary), 1999. I had an interview with Dr Martin, Dr Bob and David Giles on Valentine’s Day in 1996 when my daughter, Melody, was 7 ½ months old, and began studies at BTI the following day. I studied two years part time and then two years full time.

My first position was teaching a New Entrant, Year One, and Year Two class at Ngakuru School – a three (which grew to four) teacher country school in the Rotorua area. I absolutely loved it there! I taught my own daughter when she started school, which is, as I found out, very difficult as the boundaries at home are quite different to the tighter boundaries required in a classroom. We were both very fortunate to have such a supportive principal who would let me know when I was being too hard on Melody, and would often take Melody aside for a break from her mum J. I also taught my cousin who has Williams Syndrome, and was required to maintain a family relationship with my Auntie and Uncle, his parents, as well as a professional relationship. Let me tell you that these things brought about a lot of prayer, tears, and laughter.

At times I had thirty children in my class with a large variety of abilities. Two children were gifted and talented, as I said earlier my cousin had Williams Syndrome, one child was diagnosed with dyslexia, one child with ADD and paediatricians were looking at other diagnoses (I now wonder about ASD), and three children who were premature at birth and required extra support with learning. To make dynamics even more interesting, my class generally had more boys than girls. Thank God for BTI! I know in comparison to friends and family who have completed teacher training elsewhere that I was far more prepared to face these challenges with a smile and a heart of love and compassion for each child I taught.

My husband and I were dairy farmers before I began my teacher training. I was at Ngakuru for about two and a half years before moving on to farm in Kerepehi, near Paeroa. Since then we have moved around an awful lot where sometimes I would support my husband farming, then relief teach, and obviously support Melody growing up. We have lived in many areas, such as, Waikato districts, Rotorua districts, and Southland. All places I have enjoyed, and have had many laughs, even secret giggles behind the classroom door as the children in Southland performed speeches while stumbling occasionally over their ‘r’ sounds! I love it! Everyone can laugh at me now because my accent is now so confused – brought up in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty, taught in Southland for about three years, and now teaching in Perth, WA!

Now to the part about how I got to where I am now. My husband asked one day, if he could come to Western Australia to do a few months of the harvest season driving tractors, as it is something he had always wanted to do. Silly me, I allowed it, and the few months extended to eight months and he gained a position operating heavy machinery on a mine. On one of our visits to Perth, we discussed moving over permanently. Melody and I prayed and fasted for weeks. And then Melody looked into schooling for herself in Perth and discovered that if she was accepted, she could attend a school for gifted and talented students. We decided that it was right for us to make the move. Melody sat an exam the day after we flew over, and was accepted into Perth Modern High School. She loved attending a school of peers that think in a similar way to her, and she is no longer bullied for being different.

I spent a year supporting Melody emotionally, as she was not in the best of places following the bullying at the school she attended before moving. Then with more prayer and fasting, began job hunting myself. God was gracious and I was instantly accepted to only one of the many jobs I applied for, as an Intervention Assistant (IA) at the Autism Association of Western Australia in Early Intervention, working with eighteen month to six year old children. God really knows that I love working with children with special needs. However, I had never worked with children with Autism before.

I have been working for the Autism Association of WA for three and a half years now. After a year as an IA (kind of like a teacher’s aide) I was asked if I wanted a position as a Case Manager, which I accepted. I work four days a week and have fifteen children on my case load. Most of the children on my case load come to the Early Intervention Centre one or two times a week, sometimes more. Each child has an Individual Education Plan with three or four goals that are agreed upon with the families following speech and OT assessments, and observations. The aim is to prepare each child to cope and be as independent as possible to attend school and function in society. We also offer a School Visit service and a Home Visit service.

I work as a team member with Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, and other Teachers. My responsibilities also include, planning and setting up of the playroom (the theme changes every two weeks), and parent training. I have never been so happy in my job! It is extremely challenging, there is no doubt. But the rewards of working with children with autism and seeing them achieve goals set, and even goals that aren’t set outweighs any of these challenges, by far!

I do apologise for the lengthy writing, getting to this final point. However, I hope that you can see from it that God has brought me on quite a journey to get me to the place I am now, and every part of the journey has been so valuable to support my position. Maybe, one day, God will bring me back home where I can support children with Autism in my own country with all of the knowledge and skills I have gained. …We’ll see!

Sarah van Meygaarden graduated from BTI with a Bachelor of Counselling some years ago. Her and her husband have spent nearly five years in Thailand helping local women to leave prostitution through an established ministry called Rahab Ministries. Sarah is doing an amazing work and it was a real privilege to be able to interview her via email and hear something of her experiences since leaving BTI.

Sarah, how did you first hear about Rahab Ministries and what was it that prompted you to move to Thailand to become part of the ministry?
We are the third couple from my home Church – Te Puke Baptist Church to volunteer at Rahab, so we’ve known about it for many years. We first visited in 1999 on our way home from Nepal. God first pt the issue of prostitutes on my heart in Nepal when I heard about young virgin girls being trafficked into India. He brought it up strongly again when I was at BTI – I did one of my assignments on the Prostitute Reform Bill and learned a lot of background on the issue.

What is your role at Rahab and what does that involve day to day?
Rahab is now under very good Thai leadership, so our role is more of a support role for anything that involves foreigners. We host visiting teams, fund raise, write reports and I am part of the outreach team into the sex bars, which we visit 4 times a week. We also live at Rahab House and have an open door for any of the women and their children living there. Alex has an important role showing that men can treat women with respect and provides a role model for a 5 year old boy living at the House at present.

What have been the highlights for you in your journey at Rahab so far?
Seeing broken women coming to Christ and leaving the sex bars. Last year one woman left the sex industry after 44 years. Another highlight is the way these precious women bless and change my life. I never hought I would feel a sense of belonging to a red light community and that some of themost important people in my life would be ex prostitutes or some who are still trapped in the sex trade through poverty. We have had the privilege of going home with some of the women and being accepted and welcomes into their homes and villages. It is very humbling.

What have been your biggest challenges and how are you overcoming them?
Patpong, the red light area we work in at present is the devils playground right now – it is about corruption, abuse, and love of money. It is a hard place to be day by day – the oppression can be very real and we need prayer coverage every day. Hearing sad stories, seeing some women forced into the trade as their circumstances change and keeping a balance between feeling the pain of these women, but not becoming burnt out or de-sensitized to it can be difficult.

What aspects of your counselling training have been particularly useful in the work that you do?
I do not counsel the women, but the skills in communication, self care and how you relate and cope with working both cross culturally and with other missionaries and ex-pats when you are away from your home and normal supports – this is invaluable.

When you think back to your time studying counselling at BTI, what stands out to you?
The inner work and journeying I went through on a personal level, friendships, excellent tutoring and support. I only have good memories of my time at BTI.

You are working in what I imagine could be a fairly intense or draining environment. How do you look after your own emotional and spiritual well-being?

I have a couple of friends who I have coffee with every week – God is good, when I’m struggling, they’re strong; when they need support, I seem to be in a good place. I have a trusted friend I email every day usually who I can be very real with and she with me. We are in a Life group andthe International church here has good worship and teaching.

What advice would you give to other beginning counsellors about self-care in difficult environments?
Be honest with yourself and others. Find someone you can trust to share your hard times with and be real. Most of all stay close to God, I could not do this without him.

What motivates you to do the work you are doing?
My past hurts and mistakes have been turned to good by God – it gives me a connection point with these women. At Rahab you see God change lives every day, sometimes mine most of all. God has put an incredible love in my heart for Patpong prostitutes which is much bigger than me.

Isaiah 58: 9-12 in the Message were the verses that confirmed my call to
Rahab – they are still important to me.

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places
9-12″If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

What are you passionate about?
Jesus, my husband, my Rahab family, seeing lives changed for good, growing in faith and knowledge of who God is in my life and others.

I see you and your husband have been working as long-term volunteers for five years. How do you survive financially? How can people support you personally if they wish to?
Our home church partially supports us, we have friends and family who add to that and we have a freehold house rented out in Te Puke. If God puts us on anyones heart to support, we can be contacted through this email (rsvdude@gmail.com) or World Outreach International which is the mission organization who Rahab is under. http://www.world-outreach.com

How can people in New Zealand support the work of Rahab Ministries?
Contact us through Rahab Minsitries web site www.rahabministriesthailand.com. We also have a monthly prayer bulletin we send out by email and a 2 -3 monthly newsletter, you can subscribe to through the Rahab website.