Self-Reliance Profiles: Immigrants Go From Learning English to Teaching It

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This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Mary Richards, Church News

Editor’s note: This is the third of a series of profiles of people increasing their self-reliance through classes from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part one on “Starting and Growing My Business” is here and part two on “Emotional Resilience” is here. Part four on “Find a Better Job” and “Education for Better Work” is here and part five on “Personal Finance” is here.

Elkin Jimenez of the Westchester New York Stake says everyone he knew in the Bronx speaks Spanish, so it was not easy for him to improve his English skills when he first moved to the New York City borough seven years ago from the South American country of Colombia.

But things started to change when he enrolled in EnglishConnect — a program provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help people around the world increase self-reliance and expand education and employment opportunities through learning English. The program is one of several self-reliance classes from the Church.

The goal of EnglishConnect is to help people increase their English proficiency in a gospel-centered environment. The free classes concentrate on vocabulary and conversation. Learners improve through personal study and group practice over the course of 25 lessons.

“I have more confidence talking to people,” Jimenez said.

As part of his class, Jimenez worked on a goal to practice English 10 hours every week. He attended English-speaking meetings on Sundays and practiced at work.

His boss noticed a difference, Jimenez said. “I asked someone to translate for me, but my boss said, ‘You don’t need anyone because your English is the best.’”

With his English skills and talents, Jimenez has been given more responsibilities at work. “I saw the fruits of my labor,” he said, adding that the changes in his life are a miracle.

The class also inspired him to keep learning. Now he is volunteering his time as a teacher for EnglishConnect classes.

Finding Strength in the Spirit

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When Sheyla Amador de Rivera came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of 17, no one in her family could speak English.

Today, she and her husband, Juan, volunteer their time to teach EnglishConnect classes. They live in the Bronx and are a part of the Westchester stake.

Now the Riveras have taught hundreds of people. “We know this is what the Lord wants us to do,” Juan Rivera said.

Sheyla Rivera said God’s power plays an important role as people find strength in the Spirit while learning.

“If I had a megaphone, I’d tell everybody about EnglishConnect,” she said.

She said knowing English makes a huge difference in the quality of immigrants’ lives. “Not knowing English makes people vulnerable. It isolates them.”

Her husband agreed. He had to translate every day for his mother when he was a child. Now he hopes all families can improve their English skills through EnglishConnect.

He also said he has seen professionals move to the United States and struggle with their confidence: “They feel diminished because they can’t express their knowledge.”

Sheyla Rivera said, “When you speak the language, you stand a little taller.”

The classes can also help students with the goal of citizenship and a better job.

To be a good EnglishConnect teacher, Juan Rivera said two things are needed: “Patience and love, love, love.”

Reaching Maximum Potential

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When classmates of Angelica Almonte, in the Westchester stake, graduated from their EnglishConnect class, they received a certificate and could say a few words to those attending the ceremony. Most spoke in Spanish, but Almonte stood and spoke in English.

“It was a personal challenge,” she said. This was her first time in any kind of English class — she grew up in Puebla, Mexico, but never thought she would live in another country.

Her 14-year-old son Ryan has been her inspiration. The family moved to the Yonkers neighborhood of New York City when Ryan was 9 years old. Ryan’s father helped him learn English at first, then he learned in school, and now he is an honors student — and he is proud of his mom for learning a new language.

“Mom has made a lot of progress,” he said.

Almonte practices English through a smartphone app and by listening to music. She wants to get to the point where she can speak English to people at her children’s school and at church. She plans to take more EnglishConnect classes and someday take college courses.

She knows Heavenly Father is helping her with her challenges.

“Now is the moment to learn,” she said, “to reach your maximum potential as children of God.”

— Elder Bob Hansen and Sister Lorraine Hansen, self-reliance missionaries in the New York New York City Mission, contributed to this article.

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