So….hi again!  I have blogged every day this week so far, which is strange because I usually don’t have much to say.  But I felt that I should share about what happened today.

I was a lot more tired today because I got up at 6:30 (that’s very early for me!) so I could help my dad clean up his jobsite before the homeowners could move in.  So I was quite tired when I got to my first club, which was challenging because they were overly energetic and off-the-wall during the entire club.  However, two of the girls gave me a tissue paper lantern and a card that said “You’re the best” and “You have a good heart.”  So that was an encouragement to me, but I was very tired afterwards!!

McDonalds has been my place for cool drinks because they’re cheap in the summer, so for the second day in a row I went through drive thru to get a $1 large pop.  It was the same lady who I talked to yesterday, and she gave me a big smile and said, “How are the kids’ clubs going?”  I was able to explain a bit more about them to her! 🙂

My second club went pretty well, but I ended up cramming in the Bible story in 8 minutes.  These kids paid more attention than the first club, but they loved to talk so much that I would sadly have to stop their conversation to continue with the story.  That happened every three minutes or so!  At times, it is quite tricky to balance teaching with listening!!

By this time, I was feeling very discouraged from how the first two clubs went, and was praying to God that the third one would go better.  Well, God answered prayer again!!  There were 9 kids total- one who was new.  He was biking nearby and decided to join us for the club.  They listened very well and were attentive for the most part, which was hard because we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes!!  But afterwards, three kids accepted Jesus!!!  One was the new boy who had come, and two were a boy and a girl who have come all week so far.  They were all older kids and pretty much understood what they were doing.  I had a chance to pray individually with each of them and explain what their decision meant, and I could barely keep myself from exploding with joy in front of everyone!!!  It is both exciting and sobering to think that their lives are now saved eternally and that they are safe on “the ark” of God.  How many more lives can we save from the wide road and help do a 180 to the narrow road?

Today encouraged me to never give up: no matter how tired you are, no matter how much the kids drain your energy, and no matter what lack of progress it seems like you had.  God is the one who grows the seeds, so long as we continue to water them and pull the weeds away.

“Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9

God bless y’all immensely!  If you have the energy and the time, I hope you enjoy some of the meteor shower tonight!  I mean, even Tony read about them 😉

Nekaelly Sandstra