Teacher Jen’s Conversation Partner Testimony
Last spring, I received a phone call from my friend Betsy Seeley, which ended up being a very welcome invitation in the midst of a long stay-at-home season brought on by the pandemic. During that call, Betsy asked if I would think about being an English conversation partner for a woman who had recently reached out to Friendship House. Betsy shared her own experience of being a conversation partner and she explained that it was a one-hour-a-week commitment and that all it required was showing up and having a conversation.
I am a former high school English teacher who only recently–in the wake of the pandemic–become a stay-at-home mom, and quite honestly, Betsy’s question (at that particular point in my life) was an easy one to answer. Yes. Yes! Of course, I could carve out an hour a week to talk with a woman who wanted to work on her English skills! (I mean, I was loving my new job as a stay-at-home mom, but after a good six months of helping my children do all of their school work from home, I was at a point where I was hungry for more adult conversation.) And what an amazing series of conversations I’ve had since then. My conversation partner and I were first connected by Dan Winter through email, and our first meetings were held over Zoom. Some of those early virtual meetings involved tech glitches that made communication challenging, but we powered through. We connected quickly on the topic of motherhood, and in those first few weeks, our conversations ranged from favorite foods to strategies for getting a toddler to take a nap–and from vacation destinations in Michigan to the COVID situation in Colombia. We even tackled a few more difficult topics, like homeownership and food pantries, and gun ownership in the United States. After we were both vaccinated and feeling safer, we met in person, and our conversations flourished. Our time together went from a process of getting acquainted to a process of nurturing a friendship. We went for lots of long walks to places like the horticulture gardens at MSU, Nancy Moore Park in Okemos, and the River Trail in Lansing–and our families even met up for a play date one day at Lake Lansing Park. Some of our outings just involved running errands to places like the Capital Area District Library, Dunkin’ Donuts, and the McDonald’s drive-thru. But our most exciting gatherings were probably the ones where we attended a series of dance classes together at Kick it Out! dance studio in East Lansing–which was something new and fun for both of us! I have to say that in the midst of the pandemic, when the grayness of late winter made the days feel long, Betsy Seeley’s phone call and invitation to me was a ray of sunshine. The friendship that I’ve developed with my conversation partner has added a warmth and depth and richness and joy to my life that I never would have expected. My hope is that our conversations–our friendship–will extend well into the future, even if we have to deal with a few more technology glitches on Zoom when she returns to her home country this winter.
My conversation partner and I have both acknowledged that meeting each other through Friendship House has been the work of God, and we have both experienced what the Bible says in John chapter 13, verses 34-35. Jesus says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” Or, as Dan Winter so often paraphrases: “They will know we are Christians by our love.” Would you pray with me? God, We give thanks for the English conversation partner program at Friendship House and for all of the people who make it possible. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this program and for the blessings of friendship that have come as a result of it. We thank you for sending Jesus as an example of how to love one another, and we ask that you help us grow in our willingness to show that love to others. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
About the author:
Jen Garmon taught high school English for 13 years, and she holds a Master’s degree in English Language and Literature from Central Michigan University. She and her husband have two children, and in addition to volunteering as a Grammar and Writing teacher with Friendship House, she also volunteers at her children’s elementary school library.