Mathematical Mission Work in Merida, Mexico
Donation protected
Hello family and friends, brothers and sisters of the church…
I have been blessed with the incredible opportunity to spend 4 months in Merida, Mexico, working with a missionary there. This missionary, Missionary Kyle, has worked over many years to improve the state of education in underprivileged and low-income villages, all in the name of Jesus. I will be going in between the two primary mission locations of San Antonio Sodzil or SAS, and Cacalchen, leading activities and helping Missionary Kyle with whatever he may need.
One of the activities I will be leading is a mathematics program utilizing Legos as a tool to help students visualize mathematical concepts in a way that is hands-on, and hopefully fun as well.
I love math, and Missionary Kyle has explained to me that math has been an especially difficult topic for students to both find an interest in and to understand conceptually. I am hoping this program could be a start to helping students with seeing math as something interesting and worth learning.
This math program will work in tandem with a weekly building class, where students will work individually or in teams to solve different problems or achieve certain goals, such as building a tower with as few blocks as possible or building a bridge to hold up a weight. Beyond just having fun, I hope that these classes will push the creativity of students in ways that they may not have been able to with the resources they have.
Finally, I will have the opportunity to assist with the revival of the theater program at the Cacalchen campus. The program has been dormant since the Covid-19 pandemic shut it down, so I am hoping that I can utilize my theater experience in acting as well as on the technical side, to start bringing the program back to life.
Please pray that:
- The Lord would fully equip me to not only educate the students I work with, but inspire within them an enthusiasm for learning, and a will to persist through difficult problem-solving, beyond just math.
- I would be able to create a foundation of relationship between the youth of the mission, specifically those in San Antonio Sodzil, and the youth of my home church. God’s love is so great that it can be shared between individuals with thousands of miles between them, and that is something that I hope our youth can someday be a part of with the students in SAS.
- For myself, please pray that I would learn to fully depend on the Lord and his strength in all my endeavors. Something I have struggled with for many years is focusing too much on my own strength rather than the Lord’s. I hope to affirm my faith in his divine strength above my own, both in humility and courage in the face of difficulty.
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to sharing what the Lord showed me there with you all when I return in December.
Thank you!
*The funds will go towards the cost for 4 months of room and board ($2500) and airfare/teaching supplies ($1000).
*Due to incredible generosity from my home church, the goal has been lowered to 1500!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jonathan Choi
Organizer
Harrison, NY
Iggi Choi
Beneficiary