(Also available in Chinese as a PDF)

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?

Also available in Chinese

“Do you commit yourself to being a faithful follower of Christ for the rest of your life?” asked the pastor. Choi Ying (not her real name) replied in the affirmative. When she emerged from the baptismal pool, her face was beaming with joy. She smiled at the congregation and waved to her children.

Looking at her now, one cannot imagine that only eight months ago she was in such deep despair that she even thought of ending her life. Abandoned suddenly by her husband and left with two young children, she cried until she had no more tears.

Referred by a friend who attends Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC), Choi Ying came to ACCESS. She had almost weekly appointments with our Family Service Volunteer to sort out her confusion, discuss her hurt and fears, and seek guidance on how to be a single parent to her two young children. She was determined to help her children grow up to be emotionally healthy people despite their parents’ marital trouble.

Realizing her weakness and limitations, she began to seek God and eventually decided to let God walk beside her. “Now I want to draw close to God … to gain wisdom and strength and receive healing for my body, spirit and soul. I am thirsty for God’s love and help. I want to learn more about God’s word in the Bible and surrender fully to Him. I think it will revive my soul and spirit. I have enough depression… Life really doesn’t have to be that miserable. I want to be reborn with a happy, joyful, and abundant life,” says Choi Ying.

She is extremely grateful for the support and encouragement she has received from Christian sisters at ACCESS and BCEC.

—Sau-Fong Siu

Summerbridge 2009 Slideshow

See the childrens' week with volunteers from the Chinese Bible Church of Great Boston (Lexington).

Some of the Teachers' Favorite Memories:

• The K-1 "Bug" Relay and watching students cheer one another on (by jumping up and down on tables)
• A student asking of their teacher for every blueberry - "Is this one good?" At the end he said that he didn't like blueberries and gave them to the teacher.
• Making an under the sea theme pinata
• During an exercise focusing on disabilities, one student was leading another student who was blindfolded. But the first student saw a butterfly and ran off after it, leaving the other student blindfolded and alone in the parking lot
• Older students encouraging younger ones whilst playing Capture the Flag
• During a "desert journey", this conversation took place:
  Teacher: What can you do during a sandstorm?
  Student: Talk to Jesus!
• Seeing "The Titanic" beat out all other boats in a race due to superior design
• Hundreds more grasshoppers caught
• A student telling a teacher they would be okay in college because "God will be with you even when you run into troubles"
• The chance to tell the students that Summerbridge exists because God loves them and we want to share His love with them

From the beginning, ACCESS has built its program on a foundation of prayer and listening to God's direction. Join us at our site in Chinatown for the next quarterly prayer meeting on Saturday, October 3, 9:00-11:00 a.m. as we seek God's guidance in being God's extended hands in Chinatown. Whether you can come pray with us on site or will pray at home, please bring to the Lord the following:

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Thank God for...

• the return of our existing teachers and 2 new ESOL teachers.
• an additional volunteer tester at the start of a new semester.
• the success of the ESOL scholarship program.
• grant money received from English for New Bostonians and the Chinatown Trust Fund.

Pray for...

• cohesiveness of our ESOL team on a spiritual level
• students' adjustments to new teachers, classmates and classrooms.
• the level 1-1 morning class as some students struggle with a non-bilingual teacher.
• the implementation of the ENB grant and the administration of proficiency assessment.
• successful grant award from the Lenny Zakim Fund.

Enrichment Program (EP)

Thank God for...

• the successful completion of summer programs, including the 3rd annual Summerbridge week staffed by volunteers from CBCGB.
• continued relationships between our students, staff and volunteers.
• valued experience and relational strength of our returning
• teachers; many have been at ACCESS for five or more years.

Pray for...

• an EP mother, a new Christian, as a result of Stephen Tong's recent evangelistic rallies in Boston.
• 10 more students to enroll, especially in K-2nd grade.
• the success of a grant being written designed to improve
• English language skills of 5th grade boys.
• the successful implantation of the two front teeth of one of our 4th graders who fell on the playground last week.

Computer Literacy Classes

Thank God for...

• 3 classes scheduled to start at the beginning of October.

Pray for...

• more volunteers to teach different levels of computer courses.
• direction as we explore more effective use of our computer lab.
• The possibility of upgrading hardware in the lab.

Family Life

Thank God for...

• recent baptism of a single mother who used our family support services.

Pray for...

• wisdom in planning the first EP parents' meeting this year and in supporting single parents, especially mothers with boys, (about 25% of the EP students are parented by a single parent).
• wisdom in helping several EP students with learning and/or emotional needs.
• for Mrs. Lo, Mrs. Siu and Mrs. Wong as they demonstrate God's love in their work with parents and families, many struggling with complex problems.

Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP)

Pray for...

• success in our application and start of this new program.

Administration & Volunteer Support

Thank God for...

• our staff and volunteers who continue to serve so faithfully.

Board & Committees

Thank God for...

• faithful and active Board and committees.

Pray for...

• 2010 board and committee recruitment, that God would bring the right people, particularly as we undertake a process of reviewing our personnel structure.
• success in new efforts in communicating with supporters, fundraising, and grant-writing.
• supporters who will consider regular, ongoing support for the ESOL scholarship program.
• $30K projected annual deficit for 2009.