Sister Singh

Sister Jean Singh
Georgetown, Guyana
Sister Singh is an incredible seminary teacher from Georgetown, Guyana. We were impressed when we heard she started teaching Seminary in a small storage room of a home with only four students. She started her class at 6:30 am. When we saw her months later the class had grown to 10. She said it was very crowded but a wonderful class with interested students. Then a few months later she reported the class had grown to 14 students. We asked how they managed in the small room. By the end of the school year at our last in-service meeting, she said there were 17 students coming to early morning seminary. We were very surprised because usually the classes dwindle in size over the year. We asked what her secret was. She said she wasn’t sure but there were three things she did consistently. She called the parents every Saturday to thank them for sending their children to seminary; and reminded them about seminary for the next week. She also called the students when they missed class to tell them that she missed them. I know other things are true that she did not mention. She loves her students and they feel it. She has a strong testimony and shares it in word and deed. She prepares meaningful lessons.

At the end of the year I was talking to her on the phone about the three students who are under age for seminary but attended seminary faithfully. Then she shared something with me that I will never forget. In October her branch president had extended the calling to her to be an early morning seminary teacher. She accepted the calling. At the time Sister Singh had a job that was from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm during the week days. Her class would not be out until 7:30 am. She went to her boss to discuss coming in a little late and staying later in the afternoon to make up the difference. She explained to him about her teaching religion to young people. He was very abrupt with her and let her know she would need to choose between her job and her teaching. Period!

Well, she choose seminary. She is a widow and needs to provide for herself (her only child is also deceased). She promised Heavenly Father that she would teach to the end of the school year if He would take care of her. She did not discuss this with anyone, not even her branch president. She told me that I was the first person she told about this. She said that the Lord did bless her through the year. She taught from October to July mostly living on her meager savings. Sometimes her brother sent her money out of the kindness of his heart with no knowledge of her situation. Other blessings came her way that helped get through without a job. What a dedicated, faithful servant of the Lord. She said, “When my problems got heavy I would go to seminary and leave with a song in my heart and the whole day went better”.