Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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My apologies for doing my final blog post so late, but I feel like that’s been the story of my blogging throughout most of the summer, haha. I know that in engaging in ministry, I have a purpose in what I am supposed to be doing as I serve. I love so much that while God, “so loved the world”, He also loves me, Grace. There were so many funny, trying, sobering, and encouraging moments that God allowed me to be apart of, that meant so much to me in my own journey, and walk with the Lord. What an awesome God we serve, that He would line up His ministry in that way! But here goes the thank you list…
From the moment that I got to training, I realized that this group of Harvesters was a special – and man, have I been encouraged getting to know you guys, and hearing testimony of your ministry. Thank you, Missionaries, for making training an incredible time! Every single one of you was so encouraging, and it was an honour getting to serve alongside you all this summer! Glory! 🙂
I would also like to thank all of the kids. Thank you to the kids that made me feel like the best story teller ever, to the kids that didn’t seem to care, and everybody in between! Every person that I had the privilege of meeting was amazing. So thank you!
Hostesses…. you were all phenomenal. I had the privilege and honour of rejoicing with, praying with, crying with, and serving with you all. Every single one of you I appreciate so much! My heart is so full after this summer knowing that God has raised up a people that desire to see His kingdom come in the lives of the unsaved. There were moments when I honestly had to ride on the faith of you as the hosts when my own was wavering. Thank you all! Without you, this ministry would not be possible (and, it doesn’t hurt that you did such a swell job! 🙂 )
My CG. I had the awesome privilege of getting to meet you (albeit briefly) before training began. I just wanted to formerly say thank you. My words can barely express my gratitude for your committed to intercede on behalf of myself, and this ministry. I know that I have taken for granted your commitment to pray for me over the years, but I truly am so grateful for you! Thank you so much! 🙂
Mrs. D, I am so grateful for the encouragement that you have been to me over the years. I remember on the night that we received our itineraries, my heart was so filled with fear, and disappointment. As I looked at the club schedule I had been given, it felt like the impossible task that I was being thrown into blind. Thank you for the encouragement words that you shared with me that night, and over these past years!
Mr. D…. haha. Our relationship has very much evolved over the years. I remember my very first summer, I was this shy, PK, who had never engaged in active ministry before, and man have things changed! On a side note, you are the only person I know that doesn’t even try to not laugh at my issues with vehicles, haha. But, in all sincerity, you have been such an encouragement to me over these years, and you have definitely had a greater faith in me than I have had in myself at times. I remember that shortly after I first met you (even though I wasn’t from Bible Quizzing, haha), I felt so welcomed – like the blonde child I am, haha. Thank you for the encouragement you’ve been to me, and also for the faithfulness that you have had to this ministry. I always say that if every single church, and ministry had Mr. D in charge, than our world would be dramatically changed for Jesus. On behalf of this Chang, thank you.
And finally, to the One who deserves all of the praise, to God. I could completely make a blog post by itself about my gratefulness, and gratitude to Him. He was awesome. To be honest, this was the hardest summer that I have ever taught, but I saw more than ever His grace being all the more sufficient in my weaknesses. I know that I got a better perspective and understanding in Paul choosing to boast in His weaknesses – because it is so humbling, and so amazing being able to experience how incredibly mighty He is in those moments. I remember there was one afternoon I was at home, eating lunch in between clubs, and I felt so distraught that all I could do was cry – I felt too inadequate, and insufficient for the task that was at hand that day. But that afternoon, I had the awesome privilege of leading a child to Christ. I am beyond grateful that He is good, when I am not.
I have to thank God for going before this ministry! What a joy it is knowing that the Lord of the Harvest sent me out, and He is the one that will seal, and complete the work in the hearts of these children, through the Holy Spirit. I am not dissatisfied with the fact that I don’t have “bigger” stories to share with you from this summer because the reality is that in everything situation that I may see as small, there was a big God at work, and that is awesome, and worth sharing! I know that I leave this summer so encouraged by the truth that He is going to finish the work that He began!
Lord willing, until next time!
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
Posted By: Nekaelly Sandstra
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I feel like I should have a blog concluding my summer adventures, so here we go 🙂
5-Day Clubs has had an impact on me right from when I was growing up. On August 15, 2006, I accepted Jesus into my heart at a club when I was 7 years old! Then this summer, after praying and seeking for what God wanted me to do with my summer, I ended up being a late applicant into teaching 5-Day Clubs. Going into my first week, I didn’t really know any of the material or how God was going to provide me with the ability to teach so many kids, but week after week I continually saw God’s hand upon everything I did.
Although it was a busy and tiring experience, this summer increased my confidence and my faith in God. Both Internationals and teaching clubs had me face many insecurities, including being on stage with hundreds of people watching me speak, sing, or quiz, making phone calls and walking up to people’s houses to advertise, driving by myself, leading difficult kids in clubs, and having a lot of expectation and responsibility on me. However, I faced every one with God being my strength, and I feel like I can take on any of them right now! God blessed me with the opportunity to teach 217 kids this summer and see 18 of those kids accept Jesus into their hearts!! One of those 18 kids was my 6-year old sister, and it is a blessing to see her excitement for God grow. 🙂 Also, hearing that at least 629 kids accepted Christ this summer and that over 14,000 lessons were completed is an incredible blessing and testimony that God reached out to thousands of kids and made a difference in their lives!
I would like to thank Mr. D for all of the time, effort, and money that he puts into this amazing program, and I am very thankful for his guidance and support for all of us. I thank God for you and how you continue to trust in Him to provide the workers and everything else needed to run this organization.
A huge thank you to Kristen for everything she’s done as well!! You have connected with me well as a youth sponsor over this past year and have been there for me. Thank you for continuing to help me over the year, whether I needed a ride, or when I just needed a hug or an encouraging word. You are a great inspiration to me!
Thank you to Andra, Crystal, Danae, and Abby for being my teaching partners in Weeks 1-4, for helping me improve my teaching skills, and for encouraging me when I needed it. You brightened each of my weeks so much, and it was a great blessing to get to know each of you more! 🙂
Thank you also to my CeeGee, Dorothy, for being a great encouragement to me over the summer. I am greatly encouraged by you to stay strong throughout the devil’s attacks, and having someone praying for me every day helped me to keep going no matter what.
Another big thank you goes to all the great club hostesses that I met over the summer. The things that you did to help both me and the kids, from offering delicious food to providing extra prizes for the clubs, goes to God’s glory as you were serving Him wholeheartedly. I enjoyed getting to know all of you! 🙂
A HUGE thank you to my family for letting me do this and for supporting me even when it was tough. Thank you for sending me out on the streets of Regina every week to lead kids to Christ, and for being there for me when it was overwhelming and when you would have wanted me home. I love you guys so much!!
Finally, thank you to everyone who supported me financially, prayed for me, and encouraged me over the summer. I couldn’t have done it as spiritually strong as I did without any of you, and I am very thankful to God to have each and every one of you in my life!!
Above all, thank you to God for the amazing things He has done this summer! Please continue to pray for me in the coming year ahead, as it will definitely be a long year and a big spiritual battle to fight. But no matter what, I know that I can always depend on God to be with me, like He has been for my entire life.
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:11-12
God bless y’all immensely!!
There has been so many times I just wanted to say, oh my Lord can I just not doing this？
And there were so many moments God reminded me: What I felt was just what I felt, He wants to do this. He has something to tell the kids ,so,I do it.
Goal
At the beginning of summer, Tiara and me we took 10 Bibles and 40 gospel of John, and I told her: “we reserved 50 decisions from God this summer. If we can actually get that that would be awesome!”
That became our goal of this summer, and then we went on teaching, we got 9 more than that number.
6th Week
That was a crazy week. We thought, Christian family backyard club and VBS, this week is going to be a relax week to finish with and I had not idea about decisions. But we never thought about we became so tired during our last week, and who could imagine after 7 kids enter God’s family in the week, on the last day there were still 5 decisions waiting for Tiara and me?
There was a little girl asked me many tough questions on Wednesday, doubting her faith, not sensing the presence of Jesus with her. To encourage her, Tiara and me decided to make the first card that is not for a new believer.
Just to show this awesome combination to you.
It looked so different, but the nice thing I know, God can use themboth.
Wishes that came ture
Briefly, last year was a year full of wishes. I wished Cecily could come and teach; I wished I could reach more kids and to teach them God’s Word; I wish I could teach with the same partner for longer.
And this year, wishes, even became some kinds of complains, God listened. And after God made me a wonderful summer, the grace I had never thought about, came to me:
Grace
So the church I was always at when I lived in Saskatoon, Saskatoon Chinese Christian Church, they gave me quite an amount of support on Sunday! Last year they gave me 200 dollar and oh I was thankful, because I could not be able to attend there anymore after I moved to Edmonton, I thought maybe this year support from them is not likely to happen.
And there we go, I stared at the check and I thought, Oh my Lord Jesus ,is this for real? This number does not make any sense to me.
And that is for me, even if today I went on University website and surprisingly found out the tuition raised about 1600 bucks this year, no worrying, I know my Lord prepare everything I need for me.
Encouragement of the year
There has been times that I knew that was the moment my strength was fully cut off so I had to cry in my heart, oh Lord help me now! And even I am leaving this summer and going back to university, I know I can still live in God’s court as long as I rely on Him. That is something I clearly discovered this year, and I know this is going to be super precious for me.
A thankful heart
Things had been so awesome, so wonderful, so perfect, so I know those were all our Lord’s work. On my way, there are prayers I know that from my grandma Vangi, grandpa Lewis& grandma Mary, all those prayers actually not just supporting me during summer, even throughout the year, I know their prayers made a difference! And even the prayers from the people I do not know they are praying, I know I need all those prayers and I am so thankful that God has given me people that are praying for me.
Thank you my Lord Jesus, thank you, my prayer warriors!
Wishes of this year
Wishes are secrets, lol!
Next year I will come back, and the moment the wishes become facts is the time for me to share it to all of you!
I am looking forward to it…
I am looking forward to our future, for Jesus is waiting for us there…
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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This summer was amazing and I am absolutely thankful for all the amazing people I met. Out of all my years of teaching this one was probably the hardest just because I had more clubs than usual. Also throughout I just felt really inadequate for the summer that was ahead of me. But everyday it caused me to rely more and more on God and His strength.
For my last blog I want to share one last story that happened at my second club last week. So there was a unchurched girl there who I has taught for a day during week 5 with Shamus. She had been listening so well and has shown interest during the invitation. So on the Friday during snack time I pulled her aside and tried talking to her because she had raised her hand again. When I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her heart she said no. I won’t lie, I was pretty sad about that because she seemed to be understanding more that week. But I found out that she actually lost her Bible so Grace and I gave her a new one. There were also 2 sisters that heard me offering Bibles and explained that they only have a picture Bible at home. I was more than happy to share God’s Word with these kids and give them ones for themselves.
Even though we had a lot of unchurched kids at this club, none of them made decisions that week. But this club just reminded me of the fact that I’m not the one changing these kids hearts. It’s entirely the work of the Holy Spirit. I’m just called to present the Good News like Philp did for the Ethiopian official. It’s up to that person to respond to it, and if they choose not to that doesn’t mean that I was ineffective. You never know how God might use last week later in these kids lives. I just need to be faithful in what God has called me to and leave the results up to Him.
I am absolutely thrilled about how this summer went and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. God taught me so many things and I am so blessed to be able to have had such an amazing summer. I want to say thank you to Vangi because every single year you work so hard and diligently praying for us and the work that you do is amazing. Thank you for the support and encouragement that you give. I also want to thank my CG for praying for me every single day. There were times that I honestly felt incapable but knowing that I had not only God but also other people supporting me was such a great encouragement. Words could never describe how much I appreciate the amazing gift of prayer that you given to me for so many summers. And big thanks to everyone else who prayed for me this summer.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Felicia Oostra
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Well, the summer is coming to a close. The past weeks have been memorable, full of adventures, new experiences, and the blessing of fellow believers. It’s amazing to see how God has used clubs to grow me as a person. In forcing me into new situations, new places, and new relationships, he has, I hope, hewn in me a deeper connection with himself.
One thing I learned this summer is that reaching boys and girls for Jesus is God’s work, not mine. Yes, I get the privilege of seeing kids grow in their faith and feeling the joy that using God’s gifts brings to me, but the great commission of our Lord does not rest solely on my shoulders. I am just an instrument. There were many, many days when I didn’t feel like getting up and teaching. There were plenty of moments of weakness and anxiety, but God was completely and utterly faithful.
Another thing God taught me was the power of his word. In Isaiah 55, God says, “…it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God not only has a plan for his Word as it goes out, but his plan ALWAYS succeeds. As me and many other workers took his Word out this summer, God did what he wanted to do. Because God did what he wanted, I KNOW that there were many people influenced because of it.
As I look ahead now, watching the fall season draw near, I’m excited for new things in store. I will have new experiences and meet many new people, but I hope that as I go forward, I wouldn’t lose the missional heart. I hope that God would still give me a burden for the lost and make me a witness to others. God hasn’t stopped working just because the summer is over – by no means – so I don’t get an excuse to either. Difficult though it may be, we are called to be witnesses, every day of our lives, everywhere we go, in every way we can. Please pray that we as a church can keep that mindset.
Pray also for the people who heard the message this summer. Pray that fruit would come, and God would continue to reach people and call believers into his harvest.
Thanks for all your prayers! Have a great year.
It’s nearly impossible to believe that 6 short weeks ago, I was preparing to embark on a summer of many adventures, and yet here we are, looking back on the memories of the adventures. It’s over for another year.
Before I can officially stop blogging for the summer, there are a few people who need to be thanked.
First off, my Heavenly Father: Thank you so very much for this incredible opportunity to serve you once again. Thank you for the children in my clubs that you revealed yourself to these past weeks and for each child I had the privilege of meeting, whether your child or not.
My fantastic family: Thank you for supporting me in this adventure yet again. Thanks for being here for me on the weekends when I got to come home. Thanks for praying for me and texting me and worrying about me and loving me. You all are actually the best.
My CG, Elfrieda: Thank you once again for committing to praying for me every day. This is the third summer out of my four that I’ve had you as a CG and every year it means even more to me. I pray God blesses you so richly because of your faithful prayers for me and other CYIA this summer.
My billets this summer: Thank you for welcoming me into your home, and making me birthday cakes, and taking me horseback riding, and on other adventures, and making me feel so at home when I was missing my family and my home here in Regina. I feel like I’ve gained 5 different families over the past 6 weeks and all over the province. I hope you all don’t mind if I come visit sometimes.
Mr. D, Kristen, Tyler, and so many more who have given so much to this ministry: Thank you for sharing your vision with us and allowing me to have a part in this ministry too. It’s an amazing blessing.
There are so many other people I’m missing…but basically I want to say thank you so much to each and every one of you who prayed for me, or supported me, or hosted a club, or billeted someone, or anything. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Here’s some fun numbers from my summer if you like that sort of thing:
- 5,766 kilometers driven
- 236 children taught
- 19 children accepted Christ
And I guess, with that, I’m signing off for another year. This was my fourth summer and I’m already looking forward to next year. Yesterday Kendra totaled up how many weeks she’s taught overall so I thought I would too. 22 weeks of teaching kids about Jesus. I am so blessed to have gotten to do this. Lord willing, I’ll see you next summer!
Posted By: Rose Williams
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Week 6 is completed! I can hardly believe it. I made it back safely from Estevan, driving from Weyburn to Regina in the car that broke down on the way there. A new battery was put in at Weyburn, so it made it to Regina with no problems. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me during the drive!
Here’s how my clubs finished:
Club 1: This club went from 6 kids to a total of 17! I found it really neat that they kept bringing friends. Not too many of the friends stayed for more than a day, but they heard the gospel message. Nearly all the children were 6 or 7 years old, but they were great listeners and really engaged in the club. Two girls made decisions for Jesus while doing their lessons! One was the hostess’ granddaughter, and the hostess told me she asked her granddaughter is she had asked Jesus in her heart, and she said she had the day before! So I’m pretty sure that counts as a mailbox decision!
I said this club could pie me if they got 20 kids, but they were so close so I let them do it. The kid who was doing it kind of threw the pie and it missed… Oops. Then another kid tried and he got more whipped cream in my hair than on my face!
Club 2: This club was in Bienfait. Unfortunately, neither of the kids I was hoping would come back did… The unchurched boy and the girl from down the street. I may never know what seeds have been planted, I can only pray that God will water them! The other kids in this club were really fun to teach. One girl made a mailbox decision for Jesus! I also let this club pie me. The kid did not miss and whipped cream was all over my face! The hostess had a barbecue after which was fun.
Club 3: The total kids at this club came to 15. It didn’t grow that much, but they brought a few friends on Thursday. One girl who came on Thursday did her lesson and memorized John 1:12 for the Friday club! I was impressed because not many kids try to tackle that verse. Another highlight was a four-year-old girl reciting all of Ephesians 2:8 and 9, even though she only had to memorize part of verse 8! I gave her two pass-it-on cards for that!
There were no decisions in this club, but I am confident seeds were planted and despite being late on the first day, this club was really fun to teach.
This whole summer I have felt as though God’s hand has been upon me in many ways. I wasn’t at training because of quizzing internationals, and then when I got back I had four days with a partner to learn everything, and then it was on my own for the next five weeks. I was more than a little bit nervous! But God has been with me every step of the way, during travels and teaching.
I have felt more than a few times as though an angel’s hand has been on my car. This summer I’ve done far more driving alone than ever before. Psalm 16:1 has been my prayer: “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” When I was driving to Estevan (before the car broke down) on the single lane highway, I noticed none too soon that a truck had crossed the center line and was in my lane, heading straight toward me. I slowed down and started moving to the side, and the truck swerved back into its lane just a second before we passed each other. If I was any closer to the truck when he started to wander to my side of the road, it could have easily been a head-on collision, but God kept me safe! Then when my car broke down I was very close to the Ryans, who recused me, lent me a vehicle for teaching in Estevan. I was nervous to drive it because it was a big SUV and very new and shiny, and I was terrified something might happen to it! But I returned it without a scratch, and Mr. Ryan put a new battery in the CEF car so I could make it safely back to Regina last night!
I may never know the seeds that have been planted in these kid’s hearts, but I thank the Lord for the chance He has given me to teach these dear children. As I taught them, I’ve realized now that God wants these kids to know Him, and He’s using me to do that! They may make decisions, they may not, I may never see them again on this earth. But God knows their hearts and that is far more important than the numbers.
Thank you to everyone who has read these blog posts and been praying! I urge you, pray for the children that have heard the Word this summer. Pray that it would take root in their hearts and lead them on a life of following Christ the King. To Him be the glory!
-Rose
Posted By: Nekaelly Sandstra
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Wow. The end of all 6 weeks is already here! I didn’t think they would go by this quickly!! I had a good, but long and tough week, and here’s an over-review of how it went.
Club #1- This club reached 10 kids, but 5 of them were 1-year-olds who never really listened. The other 5 were 3-year-old girls and my 10-year-old sister whom I brought on Friday. On the first day, it was just the hostess’ children and I, and the girl was shy and didn’t really want to listen at all. At first, she kept trying to run away during the songs and verses, but then she came and paid great attention during the stories! Apparently she talked a lot about me and the clubs after I left every day! The second, third, and fourth days were harder because more kids came, which meant their focus was more on, “Let’s go play!” instead of listening to me. But on Thursday, their listening improved as they listened to the verses and the stories. I also did a lesson with the two 3-year-old girls that were there, and they did really well and were a lot more interested! Friday was the day when the club did a 180 and turned around. The moms took all the 1-year-olds outside to play, and I had two 3-year-old girls inside. Instead of the usual one song, one verse, and half story I usually get through with their attention on me, we did 4 songs (2 of which we did twice!), the Tony story, 2 Bible stories (Philip and Saul), the Wordless Book, and a lesson!!! Of course, I simplified details for their understanding, but they paid attention the entire time, learned a lot, and had a lot of fun!! I’m glad that God allowed me to plant seeds in each of their hearts over the week, and that after persevering they are starting to germinate! 🙂
Club #2- This club reached 8 kids, and it was quite fun to teach with ages varying from 3-10. All of them were churched, and at first I was worried because they seemed a bit unexcited and quiet at the first club. But as the week went on, their smiles grew bigger as I told the stories and sang the songs! Thursday was particularly neat because I stayed an extra half hour to help the kids memorize their verses. Three of them finished all of their verses that day! I really enjoyed teaching this club, and I hope their passion for God continues to grow.
I had a few hour break in between clubs, and three of the days I spent reading my new Bible and highlighting verses. The first time I went to a park that I thought was beautiful (off Regina Avenue and Montague Street), and read through most of 1 Corinthians. However, I made the mistake of bringing a Sprite with me (funny/embarrassing story here), and when I took a sip, two wasps went straight into my mouth!!! I quickly spit them out and stomped them before they could get away, but I could feel that one of them had partially stung the top of my mouth. It wasn’t a full sting, but there was a little pain where the wasp tried to sting me…not sure exactly how that happened. But it didn’t seem to swell up, and ice cream cooled the pain. It seems to be fine now, as if nothing happened. I feel that if it had been recorded though, it would have been one funny video! 😛 That’s why the second time I stayed inside DQ instead and read all of 2 Corinthians. The third time I read Galatians and part of Ephesians while helping my sisters memorize verses. It meant a lot to me just to find some quiet, alone time to spend in God’s Word and encourage me to keep going through the long week.
Club #3- This club reached 14 kids, and I got to bring my 6-year-old sister all week to this one! 11 of these kids were unchurched, and 6 of the unchurched kids lived in a foster home across the street. Some of them have been coming to 5-Day Clubs for years, while it was some others’ first time. The first club was tricky because the kids who have been to clubs before were saying things like, “I don’t like this song,” and “The Tony story is lame.” This made the other kids feel as if the club wasn’t great either, and I prayed that they would all come back. They all did come back, except for one girl who always has to leave before the club starts, and they became a lot more excited about the club and did lots of verses and lessons!! On Thursday, I also had two kids accept Jesus- a young boy and a young girl!! On Friday, I was able to give those two and the foster kids Gospel of Johns, because none of them had Bibles. Please pray for all of these kids, that they will continue to be encouraged by the hostess’ family who invites them to VBS and other activities, and that they will continue to grow spiritually and learn more about God. This morning, I also was able to help my 6-year-old sister accept Jesus into her heart!! It meant a lot to me to do that with her 🙂
This week was tough because I was out all day every day, and there’s a lot going on at home and personally. But God helped me finish my clubs strong, and I am excited to see everyone tonight at Welcome Home! Let’s all pray that the rain and wind lets up more so that I have an easier drive into the city this afternoon.
Two passages that stood out from my Bible reading this week were 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. The first one reminded me to give everything to God’s glory because I cannot be doing all of this for my own glory, and the second one was a great encouragement to persevere through the week. I won’t type them out, because that would take a while, but I encourage you to look those up and see what God wants to show you through that.
God bless y’all as we reflect on what He has done this summer!
Posted By: Sonnie Fellwock
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Good morning Internet! It’s currently 1:33am and I cannot sleep so I thought I would post one last blog in conclusion of this amazing summer!
If God has taught me anything, it’s appreciate the small moments. Those little pockets of happiness that make you smile, or wish you could stay there forever. I have had many of those this summer. Even multiple pocket moments per day, and as much as I’d love to sit there in that one moment forever, I know another one is just around the corner!
My Meyronne club today was great! Now all the kidlets are young gaffers under the age of eight… So as you can probably imagine sitting still is not quite a mastered skill yet. But we worked with it and got through the club! The kids were so good with their verses! They were able to practice with parents, with grandma, and with me throughout each day! I was so proud of them!
My Woodrow club was quite enlightening this week. Having older boys who don’t want to sing songs poses a slight problem when time needs filling. Thankfully they are chatty and have lots of interesting stories to share! Today I learned all about how many different sounds turkeys make! Those guys certainly brightened my day with their wit and good attitudes! I believe we learned a lot from each other! As they schooled me on farm knowledge I was able to share insight into the Bible!
The La Fleche club was rather small today compared to its normal crowd. But what we lacked in numbers we made up for in curiosity! Haha it amazed me all the questions I was asked this week. The kids were just fountains of queries and it was adorable!
I am so thankful for everyone that I met this summer and relationships I was able to develop further from past years. Today I was sitting with one of the kids after club and he was enthused to show me his rock collection. He chatted about it for a few minutes before and his face lit up when we arrived at it! He explained where he found all the rocks, and why some were the shapes they were. He pointed out the his most favourite rocks and explained why they were the best! It was truly fantastic the amount of happiness he was sharing with me. And to make it even better he gave me one of his beloved rocks! I couldn’t believe that he would part with something that was obviously so dear to him! I wish I was able to treat the Gospel the way this boy treated his rocks. With the same amount of enthusiasm and joy, with the willingness to share. What a lesson to learn from a five year old! He doesn’t even know that he taught me such a valuable lesson today! This job is quite a blessing! It’s teaches me new lessons each year I return.
To the people who read my blog (my parents, and my wonderful CeeGee) and maybe the odd random person who stumbles across this page… I thank you for taking the time to read my stories and I hope that you were able to come on some adventures with me, or learn some lessons as I did!
God is truly an amazing being! There is so much to learn from Him and I am thankful for the lessons and opportunities I was given this summer.
This likely won’t be my last blog post but I just wanted to write a quick update about how my clubs went tonight…
Lebret had one new little boy, so the total registered was 15. The kids had a lot of fun and especially enjoyed the Little Rascal story. The host family kept the hackey sack and they were all super excited about it.
Balcarres had 21 kids today, but the total registered was 23. Much bigger than last year so that was awesome. I’m already hoping I get to go back and teach there again next year. We did a draw for the frisbee/baseball and the little girl picked the baseball, much to the delight of her 11 year old cousin who desperately wanted that baseball for himself, haha. I handed out every single last one of my Meet the King books and had exactly enough, and lots of kids said verses to me tonight too. Also, our prayers for a less-restless-night were answered. They sat and listened well and focused really well almost the entire time, so thank you for that.
Tomorrow when I have more time I have a long list of thank-you’s to go through, so stay tuned 🙂 thanks everyone!
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