Valiente English Class "On the Street"

I had an unique experience at a recent Valiente English class.  Five young men who were "hanging out" in front of the church building were not attending English class.  Approaching them with an invitation them to attend one of classes, but realizing I only had a few Spanish question phrases and a less than comprehensive vocabulary under my belt, I quickly knew I would be faced with difficulty in communicating and a lot of "attitude." I wasn't quite sure what to do.

English class "on the street"

The idea quickly came to me that I should take their picture using my I Pad.  This little technique breaks down barriers, at least, it seems to work every time with younger kids.  So, why not here? Dominicans love to have their pictures taken.  I made instant friends!  I took a few pictures of the group and immediately they were smiling and laughing with me.  After five minutes I was asking them if they knew any English and then without them realizing it, I began teaching them English on the spot.  We started with vocabulary words about baseball and the clothing that they were wearing.
Then, simple greeting phrases etc. and along the way, the importance of learning English as a second language.  The classroom had moved to the street!  While I was talking to the group, I realized that they had gathered around me and they were learning English whether they knew it or not...and having fun.   This was a small, tender mercy building a friendly relationship when it could have easily resulted in a strained or negative situation.  A blessing!  Not sure where the future will go with these young men, but for now, we connected and I know that they will have a positive impression of the Church and our Saturday English class.  Randy