My Powerpoint presentation

Mingalaba (Greetings) Here is a map showing Yangon (Rangoon).  This is where I live.

Many International schools are approximately 45 minutes to an hour from my neighborhood and they charge around $150 to $200 per month and would require some kind of transportation service to get kids to school.

I plan to keep the prices at $50 per month for 5 days a week preschool.
I also would love to do student sponsorships which would come to about $500 per year for one child.

I am saddened by the amount of riches that go toward these temples and gods who have no life and then see so many impoverished and oppressed people nearby.

This is the main purpose for why I am in Myanmar.

CEF has many amazing connections for me to plug kids and families into growing environments, good fertile soil.

CEF has  good teacher training courses.  I'm excited because Jan said that I could take a training course and do the written classwork in English.  My spoken Burmese is about 90%, but writing is a different story...

Our landlord from this past year is an amazing man of God.  His family has a home church upstairs in one of their homes.

Our landlord, left, and his two sisters, right front.  Picture taken at their orphanage dining room.

U Win Zaw, Our landlord's sister's husband.  When I was trying to decide what to do next after my resignation, he suggested I start a school.  This brought back the dream I'd had 2 years earlier, to help locals with their English and other needs. 

This is a CEF Sunday school that I attend often.  It is a nearby place to send little believers from our preschool.

Singing at a Sunday school Christmas party.

Many of my friends are volunteer staff at CEF, they are all future prospects for teachers.

I appreciate all of you who are assisting me in prayer and support.    I know that you will be blessed as you bless others.

Burmese script is read like English, left to right, top to bottom.  (Pa ya tha kin gaun gyi pe ba ze) for those of you who may take an interest in languages.

A letter to summarize Sunday's presentation at Calvary

Greetings,

My name is Stacie Evensen.  It was exciting to share at Calvary on Sunday. I was thinking back and 29 years ago I started out my education at Calvary Lutheran preschool and now God has called me to start a preschool in Myanmar. 

I have chosen the name Legacy English Center, as I want the power of God to change the generations.

There is a great need for preschool education because public school in Myanmar does not start until 6 years old 1^st grade.  Also the typical family does not have storybooks nor toys and so many basic skills are not learned at home.

There is also a great need to learn English in Myanmar.  10^th grade exams for Math and Sciences are all given in English.  It is almost impossible to pass 10^th grade without separate private tutoring and even many of those who can afford tutoring fail.   Passing 10th grade is equivalent to getting our 12th grade diploma.

Legacy English Center will start with a 3 year old nursery class this year and then add 4 year old preschool and 5 year old kindergarten the next two years.  After this I hope to teach after school English classes for 1^st grades on up to 10^th grade.  I believe this will help many students achieve their 10^th grade diplomas and give them a better start in life.

At Legacy English Center I hope not only to provide education, but also to share God’s Word with the students and their families through Bible lessons and the relationships we make.  Myanmar is 87% Buddhist and only 4% Christian so there is a great need for God’s truth in Myanmar.

I also plan to provide employment and training to some local people I have met in Myanmar.

My friend Naw Eh Wah, whom I’ve known for 5 years, is a very gifted teacher although she was not able to pass her 10^th grade exam.  She has received Level 2 teacher training with Children Evangelism Fellowship.  She will be my teacher for the Burmese and Bible lessons.  She will also assist my English lessons and train to be an English teacher in the future.

There is a mother, Ma Doe Doe, whom I’ve known for 3 years now.   Her husband has been away for 3 years working in Thailand.  She has two sons that I am planning to teach in the preschool.  I would like to provide her with the opportunity to work for me to be able to afford for her sons’ tuition costs.

Another mother, Ma Po Mu, has one son.  Two years ago she asked Naw Eh Wah and I to unofficially adopt her son to educate and raise him.  It is touching to see how desperate parents are to give their children a good chance in life.  I would love to have her son attend our preschool and to give her a job at the school to be able to pay the tuition and be near her son. 

Please pray with me as I start Legacy English Center.

Thank you, Calvary, for all your prayers and support over the past 10 years that I’ve been overseas.  It is such a blessing to have you be a part of what God is doing in Myanmar.

God bless!

First Steps

One of my first steps when I return to Myanmar will be to cement many of the connections that I have started to make in country.   There are many people, churches and organizations the I have connected with in the past 2 years and I will be spending some time setting up a stronger support system and even some advisory/mentoring relationships with those who are around me.

Another step that I will be taking is to hire school staff.  One is my friend Naw Eh Wah whom I have worked with for about 5 years.  She will be the Burmese teacher and my English assistant.  In the future she will become one of my English teachers.

Another staff will be a mother, Ma Doe Doe, whom I have known for about 3 years.  She has two sons that I would love to teach in our preschool.  I am hoping to give her a job helping to shop at the market, cook and clean the school.  I'm excited because this will not only give her a job, but also enable her two sons to attend preschool.

Ma Doe Doe, seated holding her youngest, I'm holding her oldest.

Ma Po Mu, the mother on the right holding hands with her son, has already asked Naw Eh Wah and I to unofficially adopt her son to raise and educate him.  All three boys are cousins and have grown up together, so all three will be my first 3 students.  I am looking at the possibility that both mothers move to Yangon city to work at the school to be near their sons.

My Supporting Church

Calvary Lutheran Church

The beautiful sanctuary

I was blessed on Tuesday to have a meeting with pastors Luke Kastner and Dan Vines. I was  encouraged to share with them about what God is doing in my life.   I'm so blessed to have their prayers and support as I am home to prepare to open a preschool in Myanmar.

Legacy English Center, How it Started

Over the last 6 years my heart has grown for the local people, in particular the children. They have their whole lives ahead of them and yet they have so many challenges.  One big challenge is the English language.

I recently found out that the 10th grade examination (equivalent of 12th grade) is primarily in English.  Only the Myanmar language and History are not in English.  At a friend's house I came across a Math examination and it was entirely in English, story problems and all.  I was shocked, especially as I was unable to solve a single problem myself.  Many students fail their examinations.  Those who are financially able to, spend a year attending special tutoring sessions, and yet many of them still fail.

I am currently starting an English center, Legacy English Center, to make a difference in children's lives.  I will start with 3 year old preschool and build each year to kindergarten. After that I'm considering 1st through 6th grade after school English language classes. 

Naw Eh Wah

This school idea was started the same day that God showed me that I let go and let God.  My friend Naw Eh Wah had gone to speak with the landlord about my returning to America.  When she came back she reported that he thought I should start an English school.

Naw Eh Wah teaching at an orphanage

At this point, steps just started to come into place.  The permission to start the school in our neighborhood, our understanding of what is required, or not required became clearer.  Step by step this idea has come into reality, this dream of mine has come true.

I will be returning to Myanmar the end of May to set up and hopefully open in mid to late June or July.

Please join me to pray for wisdom and guidance as my friend Naw Eh Wah and I start this new school.

Let Go and Let God

I want to invite you to my blog to learn and stay updated about what God is doing in my life.

As you may know I had been teaching English for a private homeschool in Myanmar for the past 6 years.  Though I have enjoyed this job, I decided to move on to what God has been putting on my heart the last couple years.

Since I resigned from my previous work God has been faithful in reassuring and directing me to His purposes.

During the first week after my resignation, I had a lot of doubt and thoughts of going back to my previous teaching job which provided a salary and my visa.  This was because I was afraid of the possibility of having to leave Myanmar.

On March 8th, while I was having my quiet time, I read Matthew 6:24b "You cannot serve both God and Money." I realized that I had been using my own power and strength through my working (serving Money) in order to live and serve in Myanmar.

My Myanmar and English quiet time book

Next I read 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  By giving up my job I was seeking God first and I was so encouraged that his promise is that all these things will be given.   I had finally let go and let God.
 and 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  From that day I have had peace about being fully in God's hands.


I flew home March 28th and had the pure joy in surprising my whole family.  My very good friend Helen Shaw helped by picking me up and bringing me home.  Surprising my family was the most fun I've had in a very long time.