Around 7 p.m. the Mei-Li hair salon on Tyler Street begins to close up shop for the night, giving hair washer Oi-Ping a slim margin of time to rush down Harrison Avenue to her evening ESOL class at ACCESS. Oi-Ping immigrated from Vietnam in the late 1990s, and even though she has lived in the States (first in Washington, D.C. and now in Boston) for nearly a decade, she barely spoke a word of English before this past fall. The demands of working 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Chinatown for a meager income render little opportunity for learning English, even for the most hardworking and well-intentioned. That is, until ACCESS opened an evening ESOL class this past September and launched a full-tuition scholarship program in late May.

Oi-Ping, along with 39 other students, is one of the ESOL scholarship recipients for the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters. Their presence in the classrooms at ACCESS testifies to the Lord’s faithfulness and mighty work in Chinatown. When this year had begun, ACCESS found itself struggling with a financial situation so bleak that the Board considered shutting down the seventeen-year-old ESOL program. The agency managed to hold a 3-week course on restaurant vocabularies in late January and early February, and a single ESOL class in the spring semester.

In early April, however, when members of the Board gathered together in prayer to seek the Lord’s guidance, they sensed His calling to take a step of faith. Promptly, ACCESS launched the “Adopt a Student/Adopt a Teacher” scholarship campaign to raise funds for the ESOL program. As the staff and Board members trusted the Lord, they experienced His sovereignty and provision in great abundance. The Lord moved many hearts to respond to the scholarship campaign, and in late May, ACCESS re-launched its ESOL program with 5 full classes. Thanks to two grants the Lord has provided, ACCESS has awarded 40 full-tuition scholarships for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. Currently, there are 5 morning classes and 1 evening class.

This past year at ACCESS, we are reminded of what a privilege it is to serve the Lord and join in His work in Chinatown. He has provided teachers, He has filled the classrooms with students, and as His servants we have gotten to experience Him all over again. Because of the Lord’s faithfulness, students like Oi-Ping can have not only the opportunity to learn survival English, but to do so in a classroom that is filled with warmth, laughter, and enthusiasm. Oi-Ping beams when she speaks of her ESOL teacher and the friendships she has forged in class. To her, not knowing English is as if she were deaf and mute. Needless to say, Oi-Ping treasures the opportunity to learn English. We pray that the classrooms at ACCESS would continue to be places where students like Oi-Ping can come and not only learn English, but even more importantly experience the magnificent love of God!

—Ashley Chow

Would you consider a year-end gift to ACCESS to help support students like Oi-Ping?

I had once asked my church pastor for her opinion. She pointed out that the US started as an immigrant country, and that many Americans are utilizing the services of undocumented workers without acknowledging it. It is a flaw in the US system, and it is only right that I render any form of aid to people who are exploited by the system. I believe it is not only the exploitation inherent in the US system, but that these students come from a system that denied them equal opportunities for progress. I once shared my concern with another Chinese student (from China) who is now studying in my school of theology. He pointed out that the Chinese in urban cities have more equal opportunities; whereas those in rural or suburb areas are usually neglected and more easily exploited.

As I read Isaiah 1:12-17, Amos 5:21-24, and Matt 25:34-46, I recognize the important roles that ACCESS is playing for the Chinese immigrants. Though I may not be as visionary as Martin Luther King, Jr.—to challenge the system, or to rally others to street demonstrations—at least I can inspire hope among the Chinese immigrants who come to ACCESS. I can teach them elementary English so that they can navigate through the system and culture better. I can show concern for their well-being by buying them some snacks once in a while. I can decode some of the cultural symbols here so that they are less fearful of the unknown. It is in this setting that most of them feel safe and comfortable.

During the last day of class, some of them burst into tears. One of them said, “I feel like I’m a part of a big family here.” Another acknowledged that and said, “Other students are just like my own brothers and sisters.” Another remarked, “This is the place where I can forget my woes for a while and indulge myself in laughter and joy.” One of them added, “I look forward to coming here every day.” I thank God for the wonderful time that I had with them, and for the memories that I might have brought into their life. I think it is the least I can do for them, and as Jesus said “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do to one of least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25:45, NRSV)

Some may beg to differ by questioning that the least of these refers only to Christians. My reading of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 convinced me that the word neighbor refers to anyone whom God has placed within my capacity to render good deeds. In the environment here, I identify these Chinese immigrants who have little education to benefit from the system to be my neighbors, and the least of these. ACCESS is instrumental in helping these immigrants bridge the cultural gap. By integrating Christian values into the curriculum without explicit evangelism, we are bearing testimony for Christ. These Chinese immigrants could benefit from the service rendered by ACCESS, and yet have the space to explore their own identity. I believe God has laid upon the founders of ACCESS the vision and mission for the Chinese immigrants. For the Chinese churches that identified their mission beyond evangelism, and who recognized the mandate of doing justice for these Chinese immigrants, I would suggest that ACCESS is the place where they could turn to.

—Arthur Koh