Making an Impact
Brent Willsmore, B Ag Sc, serves as the administrator at HOPE International School, which was established in 2002 in Phnom Penh. He has worked in various capacities including teaching science, working in industrial research, and managing a family business in Australia. He has been serving the mission community through HOPE school since 2004.
How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! —Lamentations 1:1, NIV
It was 16 years ago that God used this part of the Old Testament to start a personal journey that resulted in my becoming the administrator of HOPE International School. Then 12 years later, I stepped out of the Phnom Penh airport as the newly appointed administrator of the school. I met with a wall of humidity, new smells, and a crowd of locals wanting to help carry my bags and take me wherever I wanted to go.
It does not take much time in Cambodia to be made aware that it is a deeply troubled nation that has not yet recovered from its devastating history. The city of Phnom Penh was emptied in a week at gunpoint in 1976 and deserted after years of civil war. Four horrific years of genocide followed under the victorious communist organization Khmer Rouge. During that time, an unknown number of people died (estimated to be between 1 and 2 million out of a population of 9.5 million).
After a Vietnamese overthrow of Khmer Rouge in 1979, 11 years of Vietnamese occupation followed, and then Cambodia opened up again to the world in the early ’90s, after nearly 15 years. Because of the very serious levels of poverty, corruption, and social issues such as human trafficking and prostitution, a large number of humanitarian-aid organizations and mission groups are based in Phnom Penh. As the church has grown, there are an ever-increasing number of missionaries and humanitarian workers moving out into the provinces. I was deeply moved to witness the baptisms of 18 people in a village pond, where no church existed 15 years previously.
In 2002, HOPE International School came to be because a group of mothers had been praying for a school that would meet the needs of a growing number of families in Cambodia. A school was needed that had a firm Christian foundation and that would facilitate the transition of students into colleges and universities worldwide at an affordable price. Various mission agencies worked cooperatively to provide a Christian alternative to the limited numbers of quality international schools that were present in Cambodia at that time. HOPE has grown to more than 200 students this year from humble beginnings 6 years ago. Every year has seen dramatic change and has presented unique challenges. This year we will celebrate our first graduating students.
Alongside this growth has been a sense of fulfillment as we hear the stories from parents who are involved in numerous roles, rebuilding a nation and sowing seeds for the kingdom. These roles include combating human trafficking, providing medical aid, teaching the Bible, planting churches, and working with local Khmer in myriad development projects. As we have partnered with missions, HOPE has become a strategic part of building the kingdom of God here in Cambodia.
My calling. It was into this context that I was appointed the administrator 4 years ago. Within hours of arrival, I attended a meeting to build a new classroom, a project that was soon entirely my responsibility. I had five days to work with the previous administrator, and then I was left to fend for myself with Cambodian staff (praise God for e-mail). The many books and educational articles on the pursuit of excellence tended at times to depress me when I saw the enormity of what lay ahead. The steep hill looked more like a vertical cliff as I faced the variety and number of tasks. Many times I could relate to Moses when he expressed in Exodus 4:13, “O Lord, please send someone else” (NIV). However, I was continually comforted, since it has always been clear that God has established HOPE and that it is He who is building the school for His glory.
The basic need to survive one day at a time often overshadowed preparation and teaching. One of the complications that we have had to deal with is sickness. In one year, about 25 percent of our teaching staff or spouses were afflicted with Dengue Fever, which can remove a staff member from the classroom for anything from two weeks to six months. Daily power cuts in the hot season require sudden creative planning in sweltering classrooms. I made language blunders every day as I attempted to communicate to local staff how to clean properly or how to purchase items from the markets.
Community. Yet despite and perhaps sometimes because of the initial difficulties, HOPE has been moulded, and it has experienced steady growth each year. Often when people first arrive at HOPE, they express to me that they feel the strong sense of family, community, and love among the staff and the students. Since the majority of our students are TCKs (third culture kids)—currently 80 to 85 percent are missionary kids—they have limited social networks, and school is one of the most significant parts of their lives. These first impressions took me by surprise, and I began to understand what an impact HOPE was making. TCKs are looking for a place to belong, and as the parents of our students express, “If our kids are thriving, we will thrive also in our ministries.”
Love is powerful, and the way we live and relate in Christian school communities can have a profound impact. It draws people like a magnet and changes them. One of our senior girls came to the school bitter and hard from her previous school experience. It was encouraging to see her gradually soften as she received love and acceptance from her teachers and peers. God undertook a deep work in her life, and she was baptised in a local church before returning home to the United Kingdom.
I have always found it difficult to communicate to prospective families the uplifting environment we have at HOPE. We invite visitors to participate in community events such as an assembly so that they can catch a glimpse of being a part of the community. I am continually grateful for the platform that my predecessor, Jo Miller, left behind. Her vision and passion for Christian schools undergirded her clear vision and mission for the school. Our statements of faith and core values were established and basic educational curriculum decisions made in the foundational years. I cannot thank ACSI enough for its support and expertise, both of which have assisted us in this process.
Unity in Christ—God’s Word a foundation. One of the crucial foundations in an international school is the need for the staff to have unity as the school works in the new country and culture. Not only do we live in a new country and culture, but we have diverse staff from many nationalities as well. I have become acutely aware that as an Australian I am a strange creature indeed to many Western and Asian cultures. Many aspects of education and many expressions of faith are cultural. It takes time for people to see their own prejudices and to realize that decisions need to be biblically based and educationally sound. People also need time to accept new ideas. In some instances, staff members who cannot reconcile these truths or accept the need to change may need to move to another school. We need to appreciate one another’s strengths, to delineate areas of belief we cannot compromise, and then to delight in the diversity when we come together. Jesus spoke clearly about His desire for the unity of believers: May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23).
Prayer. One of the most significant choices we make every day for the teachers and the students is to begin in prayer. D. H. Hoste was appointed as the director of China Inland Mission, and he had the responsibility of over a thousand missionaries, and the work was undergirded by prayer. When questioned about this emphasis on prayer, he expressed that his time and energy were always saved by prayer and wasted without it. It was the lifeblood of the whole work of God in China (Crossman 2001, 127).
The expression “The family that prays together stays together” has important truths in it. There is a tremendous sense of oneness that people feel when they pray together. All too often we believe we have too much to do, such as important meetings to attend, and not enough time to pray. But I
believe that this belief is misguided and that if we truly wish to be more efficient and use our time well, we should commence with prayer. If we as a staff are taking time to pray, it will set the tone throughout the school and declare to the principalities of the world, We will serve the Lord Joshua 24:15).
Staffing has been one of the most difficult things I have had to face at HOPE. In Australia, the responsibility was left to the administration. At HOPE, all members of our community are asked to pray. It is such a crucial aspect of who we are. Visiting administrators have been surprised to find our staffing needs openly posted. The parent and teacher prayer groups are the first to know our future needs so that they can pray. The best recruitment strategy in the world cannot replace laying our needs before the Creator of the universe. The apostle Paul expressed his emphasis on continual, joint prayer: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9).
Worship and celebration. Some of the most significant events at HOPE are the assemblies and worship times. My predecessor’s passion for praise and adoration of the living God has laid a foundation that I have never before experienced. For my own children, it is in the context of school that they are drawn to worship. Our parents are drawn to assemblies by the worship component alone. Jesus emphatically stated the importance of children in the kingdom: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Luke 18:16). Assemblies are times of celebration, and we actively seek to reward students for displaying character and excellence. The Scriptures provide a list of what we want students to focus on: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).
Teachers. Working at HOPE demands a sacrifice in terms of family, friends, and finances. The demands we face require a calling from God. The result is that God continues to bring amazing teachers who bring the expertise and skills we need. They have a passion to serve the poor and a heart for missions.
Our lives and relationships should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, such as joy, and thus should draw nonbelievers to us. The example that we set as teachers for our students to follow is of extreme importance. So much of what we do is caught and not taught. Teaching for me has always been about a calling to serve the children and to use my gifts as an educator, to bring students to see and know the Creator not only through my words but also through my actions.
Mission orientated. As a school, HOPE has as its mission “to serve missionaries in education.” It does not stipulate a creed or a colour. The time has come when many of us from the West are privileged to serve those from nontraditional nations. Daily, about 40 percent of all enquiries that come to our office door come from Korean missionaries who apply for a variety of reasons. When I first came to Cambodia, I was not prepared for this situation. Nevertheless, we need to ask, What is God saying to us? We need to turn to God and seek His face to find ways to better serve these faithful servants rather than just relegating them to a waiting list and hoping the issue will go away. As I read books such as Back to Jerusalem, I am inspired by the desire of the Chinese church to reach the lost (Hattaway 2004). Maybe the day will come when the majority of students seeking a place at HOPE are Chinese.
As a school, we are always grappling with ESL (English as a second language) ratios, which are pushing the recommended boundaries and are creating difficult learning environments for the teachers. Times have changed, and the face of missions is different from what it was 50 years ago. I pray that we will be equipped and will find solutions to meet the demands we face.
Christian community. The platform for an excellent education comes from the school environment in which children learn. Christ must be the cornerstone and the foundation in Christian schools. We as educators need to faithfully choose each day to follow Him—to live and teach from a place where we put Christ first in all we do. Our faithfulness in following Him will permeate all components of our schools and will transform what we do as others experience the love of Christ, which draws people to Him. I pray that our students will leave HOPE with a sense of having experienced the love of a Christian community in action. Praise be to God!
References
Crossman, Eileen Fraser. 2001. Mountain rain: The biography of James O. Fraser, missionary pioneer of China. Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications.
Hattaway, Paul. 2004. Back to Jerusalem: Called to complete the Great Commission. Carlisle, United Kingdom: Piquant.
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