Grace Sichangwa
Hi! My name is Grace, and this is my 6th summer teaching 5 day clubs. I feel so humbled, and honored to be involved with this ministry again this year. I'm excited to see how God not only transforms the lives of those that I meet, but the work that He will do within myself. Prayer Requests: 1. For my heart - that it would be so focused on Jesus. 2. For discipline - that I would take the time for daily prayer, and devotion. 3. For His voice - that His voice would be clear to me, as I minister.
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! š
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! š )
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! š
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, toĀ 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!
I can barely believe that it is already Week 6. This summer has been hard, and filled with hard work, but God has been good. It has been so encouraging to rest in Him, knowing that He supplies all that is necessary for His work… Today was rather eventful. Here goes… (And yes, I posted 2 blogs tonight in order to make up for my lack of internet last week).
Club 1:Ā I had taught in this neighbourhood earlier this summer, so Gwyneth and I decided to be prepared for repeat kids. We had gone advertising with out hostess the night before, and it seemed fairly promising. The kids came gradually as the club progressed. We initially began with three kids, and thinking I was so clever, I brought the Do What’s Right visual. In the middle of explaining the song, half of the visual comically fell out of the book… To be honest, I wasn’t too sure if it was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the day, haha. The total attendance for this club was 6.
ChangChang Adventure:Ā While we were waiting for the next club, we decided to wait in a parking lot. I tried to park into the tight lot, and I underestimated the amount of room that I need to turn. As a result I technically had my first collision š I scraped the back end of the car š As I have learned from my vehicle issues in the past, I immediately called Mr. D, unsure of what to do. I began to write a handwritten note with my number on it, and I saw the owners of the car come. I spoke to them, and showed them where I had impacted their car. Clearly in this situation God was at work, because after I explained to them, I could not believe their reaction! They looked at it for a bit, said it was okay, and told me to have a good day! Ha! God is awesome, clearly even when I am not. After this, we headed to the next club…
Club 2:Ā Gwyneth had taught a few of the children in this club earlier, and these kids were a blast! They were full of energy, but as a result, time seemed to constantly run out. It was encouraging to hear Gwyneth share about the different things that she had seen God do in the lives of the kids in the past – it is awesome to get to watch what God is doing in these young hearts. Out total attendance is 10.
Club 3:Ā After a real time squeeze in arriving on time, Gwyneth and I ended up making it to this club (Side note: Praise the Lord for Google Maps for Smartphones!)…. and man, I have experienced tough clubs, but this one was tough. The brokenness that I could sense from some of these kids, was crazy. I knew it was going to be a tough club, but it was realized fairly soon. When I mentioned a Bible, and showed it to the kids, most of them had never seen or heard of a Bible before…. This club was tough. It was a real learning curve. But at the end, one of the kids explained, “Club was fun. It was kind of boring at times, but pretty fun.” Ā I’ll take that review, haha! Our total attendance is 7.
Club 4:Ā This club was out in Sherwood Ā Park, in a park near our host’s home. We arrived, and for the longest time, it seemed as though the only people visiting the park were dog walkers. At one point, I noticed a boy playing at the playground, but since I had no invitations, I thought it might be weird to this child if I tried to invite the child (especially since no parent was in sight). With about 20 minutes to go, a boy walks into the park, and asks if we are having a 5 Day Club, and that same boy on the playground… well, apparently they were brothers. It was encouraging to have club with these boys. Our attendance for this club is 2.
Prayer Requests:
– Praise the Lord that my mistake while driving worked out well. However, I could use prayer for concentration and focus while driving – I know I’ve covered at least 6K since training began.
– For the kids in Club 1 & 2 that have attended prior. That they would be continue to learn more about the Father throughout club this week, and that the Holy Spirit would give Gwyneth and I wisdom in how we can facilitate that.
– Club 3; overall we just need wisdom in how to teach, and run this club effectively. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the Spiritual eyes, and ears of these little children. Many of them have never heard about God before.
– I had been suffering from some head pain, and irritation since my accident, haha. Prayer would be appreciated that the Lord would give me protection, and healing.
– Overall energy, passion, compassion, and Holy Spirit awareness as we finish off this summer.
Praise be to Him! The One who alone refreshes, and sustains!
I feel like I have not blogged in forever. My apologies, I did not have internet for a week, and to be honest, I think that might have been a good thing. This past week was phenomenal. If I were to be brutally honest, it is not very often that when I reflect on teaching that I can tangibly reflect on the fact that God not only blew away my expectations of ministry, but also of who He is personally. He was so awesome throughout this week.
As most of you probably know, I have this slight propensity to get lost. I had been so proud of myself for my writing out the directions prior to leaving (shout out to Google Maps), and most of the way I did very well. However, there was one point where I had to turn at a Junction, and according to the directions that said Google gave me, I had a couple of turns that I needed to make, but according to Google there was some distance between each turn. In practice, this was not the case… HOWEVER, I did not know this, and so I turned right onto this gravel road – this roadway was treacherous, unstable, and I was getting pretty scared of the roll over possibility, BUT I was sincerely believing that God would bring me to Thorhild on this terrible road. To cut an incredibly long story short (and a couple of phone calls to my billet for directions later), I stopped and parked in Egremont, where my billet had to drive me to the location. It was a moment that truly reminded me of this verse:
“Ā For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)
I’ll try and do a collective summary of how both of my clubs went this week:
Thorhild: I taught this club during the morning of a camp. It was crazy, it was hectic, and it seemed like bandaids were being used like they were going out of style, haha. But it was awesome, because He is awesome.Ā I don’t have the correct number of statistics, but I do know there was a mailbox club decision! š For most of the week, I felt so ineffective in my efforts as a teacher, but I had a great awareness of two things:
1). When the enemy robs me of my joy, I am a less effective servant.
2). As a Summer Missionary, and a believer, there are two different ways that the Ā gospel is preached: through our words, and through our actions.
I was so determined to teach my lessons the way that I had intended for them to be, but God greatly humbled me in my approach to His work.Ā As the week progressed, I realized that these kids (that seemed tough to teach on Monday), are such precious, gems to a good Father. After talking with my host, and billet about this club, I learned that more than half of the children were unchurched. As the week progressed, I felt this urgent burden for the children to know the reality of the gospel. Since during the week, I taught the Extra Story to the whole group, after I finished on Friday, I explained the Good News to them. Later on, I had brought out some chalk, and during the lunch period I spent time with the kids while they drew pictures. Earlier I had drawn a picture of a red heart on the ground. One of the boys began coloring over it with black chalk, and sarcastically I protested his coloring over my picture. This boy preceded to explain how he was completing the picture because my heart is indeed dark with sin. As we joked about the heart (and as I desperately looked for the white chalk), I was so encouraged in hearing these words from these kids because even though church, and the things of God were a new concept to them, they had learnt something about the greatest story every told. š
Boyle:Ā I knew I was in for a good week when on the first day, one of the boys explained to me that he knew how to herd sheep – and that he could herd 100 sheep at a time. I restrained myself from making Biblical jokes, and continued with club, and man were these kids fun! They were all churched, and I know our intention is to reach the unsaved child as well, but I felt so encouraged by the opportunity to encourage, and edify children in House. While I was explaining how Noah was 500 years old at the time that he began building the ark, one of the kids explained, “That’s as old as my grandma!” Haha! Afterwards, it was neat to see the children’s excitement in seeing the facts about the story from the Bible directly. It was refreshing and encouraging. What a fun week with energetic kids! On the Friday, I was heading out from Thorhild to Boyle, and as I was packing up, I locked my keys in the van. And to add to it, the spare keys were in Edmonton… with Gwyneth. Up until this moment, I had not seen this many men entertained by my struggle, haha. Nonetheless, I am very grateful for the country hospitality they showed me, by breaking into my car, and retrieving my keys for me. Finally, I arrived 45 minutes late, and fortunately the host and the kids were extremely gracious to me, and we had club.
This week was exhausting, and draining in every sense, but my soul was so refreshed by Him.
Prayer Requests:
– For Thorhild. Working with the children and families in this area is like a brand new mission field. Pray that the church members, and leadership team would continue His ministry.
– For Boyle, that these kids would continue to seek, and hunger in their discoveries of Him.
It actually blows my mind that the first day of Week 4 has concluded! Today we were blessed to have kids come to every single club this week! š This is definitely a privilege that I am grateful for.
CLUB 1:Ā Gwyneth and I had advertised the night before, and to be honest it was one of the weirdest experiences I have ever had in advertising before. We knocked on a few doors, and at one of the houses, it seemed as though they were pretending to not be home (even though the kids saw us… and yelled it out a couple of times). We ended up with two kids during this club. Even though it might have seemed disappointing that the kids who came were related the hostess, it was still fun. And more importantly, time is never wasted when the Word of God is being taught to others. Total attendance is 2.
CLUB 2:Ā Ā This group was so much fun! They were very respectful, fairly quiet, but also engaged in club. After talking with this host on the phone, I was initially nervous at the thought of whether or not there would be kids – and there were! Our total attendance is 5.
CLUB 3: Last year, Gwyneth and I had the pleasure of teaching this club, and we were unsure of whether we would have kids. We arrived, and waited about 20 minutes in the backyard, while our hostess went to find the kids. Remember how I asked for prayer, that God would raise my expectations? Well, two kids ended up coming! … and the first thing they explained to me was that they were not Christians. Even though I recognize that we intend to reach the unsaved child, I became really self-concious about explaining everything properly, and giving the gospel in detail… Well, to cut a long story short, one the kids ended up coming to Christ today! š (We’re going to do follow up with the other child tomorrow as well). I was really encouraged, knowing that he came from a Muslim family, but when I saw him pray to receive Christ, his sincerity was encouraging.
I wish I could say that I was completely encouraged afterwards, but thoughts of doubt, and the lies of the enemy began creeping into my mind – it was overwhelming. But the awesome reality is that God is good, and hopefully He will give us the opportunity to continue to disciple these boys. Our total attendance is 2.
CLUB 4:Ā When I first saw this club in Millet on the itinerary, apparently I had google mapped it wrong – I had the wrong direction, and distance. Might I say it was a far drive, Ā but a drive that was well worth it. And to cut another long story short, surprise I got lost. Apparently we had tried to find an address that did not exist, which ended up leading me on a skinny, gravel road. Ultimately we ended up finding the house, and these kids were so high energy, it really put me on my toes. They are such a great group of girls, and during “Let’s Get Started”, one of the girls did (arguably) the most impressive dance move I have ever seen – she did a cartwheel, leading into the splits! And if that wasn’t awesome enough, she got up immediately and continued the actions. That’s merely a glimpse of the energy that we were keeping up with. Our total attendance is 6.
Prayer/Praise Requests:
– Praise God for the boy who chose to accept Christ today! š Pray that God would continue to plant people in his life that can foster his spiritual growth. Also we could prayer for that neighbourhood – we discovered during advertising that there were quite a few people who were Muslim in the area.
– For driving safety – the commute is extensive, and far this week.
– Energy.
– Love for these kids.
– This might seem silly, but I seem to be a medical basket case as of late. This morning I had a sore pinky toe (yes, pinky toe), the nerves in my head are still off, and my eyes have been overly watery due to allergies (not just my overly emotional disposition).
– Ulimately that His will would be done, and that He would give me the strength and courage to be obedient to His will.
This long weekend, I had the great pleasure of going to a wedding (donāt worry Mr. D, not mine). After all of the busyness that came with that, here is my update from this past Friday.
The first two clubs that we had in the morning (so Graceās first club, and my club one) ended up having no kids to end off the week. But God is good, and gave us time to spend with the kids that did come.
Club Two: Throughout this week, I really struggled at points. āConvenientlyā the weather would get really hot during the hour, and get better later (resulting in kids who struggled to pay attention), and at points if seemed as though some of the kids were very distracted. As Grace was finishing the story of Tony, she explained to the kids that God has given us all talents, and abilities that we can use to glorify Him. At this point, one of the boys (who had seemed pretty distracted) said, āGod gave me the gift of silliness.ā Man, God really convicted me through the simple words of this little boy. For that girl that had something to say about everything, it might just be that God has uniquely wired you to be attentive to details. To the boy who seemed pretty stubborn, maybe God has gifted you to be a world changer ā someone who is willing to go against the grain of ānormalcyā. It was a sobering, simple, yet important reminder that God cares about every one of these kids… And to end off this club, all of the kids had the chance to throw water at us, which was chilly, but so much fun. The final total was 15 kids.
Club Three: This club was so much fun! Since these kids loved dancing so much, at the end of club we had a dance circle. It was so funny because Grace had decided not to dance in the circle, and when the kids asked her to join we ended up explaining to them that she was Mennonite, and that was why she couldn’t join in. These kids had energy, and it could be distracting at times, but it was so encouraging to see that so many of these kids have hearts that desire to please God. The final total for this club was 7 kids.
As I began my post from earlier today Gwyneth and I did advertising for a couple of clubs today. I know I asked for prayer for expectation, and God exceeded it! As we were advertising this morning, I walked down the street, and saw this little girl, sitting in the window. I ended up talking to her family, and they sincerely seemed interested in attending tomorrow! He is awesome!
I have come to realize that I have been so content with my low expectations of what God will do. Iām not trying to say that itās Godās right to show me revival because I ask, but instead of recognizing His sovereignty in situations that are disappointing, I feel relief because I didnāt have high hopes in the first place. This is horrible! God is good, He is awesome, and Heās been slowly, but surely, destroying this skewed view that I hold of Him. Iām nervous, but excited to see what He will do next.
Prayer Requests:
– That the families we spoke to would attend club tomorrow.
– For travel. Mondayās are my worst because I frequently exercise my Lauren Ryan giftingsā¦ (I get lost).
– For energy.
– And that I would see the people that I work with through His eyes.
Later today I will do a blog post about the end of last week. However, I just wanted to quickly post a prayer request. Gwyneth and I are going advertising for our clubs 1 & 3 today. To be perfectly honest, I’m feeling a little hesitant about whether or not we’ll find kids. BUT God is good, so let me give you the requests here:
1. That God would raise my expectations of His capabilities – it’s the Holy Spirit, not my savvy words that will bring children to these clubs.
2. That God’s voice would be really clear, and that he would point us to the houses, and people that we should give invitations to.
Today was exhausting! And the best part about the start of the day was that I woke up two hours later than I had intended (note the sarcasm). It was really tough because it resulted in the rest of my schedule for the day being out of balance. But God was good, and His ministry was done today, nonetheless.
Club One:Ā We had the same boy attend today, but unfortunately it is the last day that he was able to come this week. š We’re going to see what happens tomorrow, but we’re hoping that some of the children that were advertised to would be able to come. Our total attendance is 1 kid.
Club Two:Ā My goodness, haha. These kids were energized for the entirety of the club. And to add to that, a lot of the kids ended up getting distracted by the ants that were crawling on their blankets. But the awesome thing was that in the midst of it all (including the strangely fluctuating weather), one of the children ended up coming to Christ this afternoon! š Ā At the end of the club, one of the children volunteered to pray, and it was one of the sweetest prayers that I have ever heard! She prayed for everyone, and thanked the Lord for His love for all of us, not matter what we do. This child is indeed one with a heart that desires to please God. Our total attendance is 13 kids.
Club Three:Ā This club is awesome, but also very high energy. During the club the kids got the giggles (which unfortunately I caught as well), but it has been good, considering that it is an evening club. Our total attendance is 7.
Chang Adventure: During Club two, I was sharing the story of Noah. To my surprise, even though these kids were churched, they were very attentive to the story (well, at least it looked that way to me). One of the boys had been struggling to focus during club today, but by the end of the story I was on the last page. And for those of you who do not know, this page depicts Noah and his family making a sacrifice to God, with a rainbow in the background. This same kid who appeared to be partially listening throughout my story, I say:
Me: Noah and his family were so excited when they got off the boat they…
Child: (child squints, and seeing the animal sacrifice he says) Had a barbecue?
This was one of those moments were I was so tempted to laugh. It was very difficult to hold it in.
All in all I am exhausted, frustrated, and rather fatigued. But for some strange reason, I can stand confidently, and filled with joy because He is good. He is the one doing His ministry, and I’m beyond blessed to have the opportunity to be a vessel.
Prayer Requests:
– This might sound a little silly, but I know that God cares about all things. Both of my phones stopped working, and I used them as morning alarm clocks. I could use prayer that I could find a good solution for waking up in the morning.
– Praise! God kept the weather at bay, even to the point that the rain began to pour right after I said amen, not during the club!
– Health. Not only my headaches, but also making sure that I’m staying hydrated.
– My attitude. That I would authentically love the people that I continue to meet this summer, but also I feel like I’ve been extremely overly sensitive lately, which has wreaked havoc with my emotional stability.
– That God would…. I don’t really know, haha. I guess do what He does best in all situations.
– Road Safety – the kilometers that I am currently doing are intense at the moment.
My blog today is going to be an oddly short, and straight to the point post for me. Here goes…
Club One:Ā This morning we also had the same child. We also found out from our hostess that Wednesday will probably be his last day coming as well, but we will see what happens.
Club Two:Ā This club was high energy. The kids really got into the singing, and verses, but unfortunately they were pretty quick to express which aspects of club were not their favorite as well. We had a few new children join today as well. The total attendance for this club is 12.
Club Three:Ā It was pretty high energy. They had been excited yesterday, but today they took it up a notch. Even though this club is in the evening, I was still fairly enthused to be there. The total attendance is 7.
Prayer Requests:
– I have been struggling with headaches throughout today, particularly where the nerves in my head were already pretty sensitive.
– Driving. I’ve been fortunate that throughout all of this freeway driving I have been safe, but there also have been a few close calls.
– For Grace’s first club, she has not had any children yet. Her, and the hostess have done more advertising, and think that a few families seemed hopeful.
– That I would be diligent in faithfullly giving truth today, in spite of my emotions.
– For wisdom in how to go about follow up.
Well, shall I say this morning began with an exciting start. As I was driving with Gwyneth to pick up Grace Konrad, I kid you not, a Golden Retriever starting sprinting across the street ā right in front of me. As I was thinking of the potentially horrifying consequences of hitting this poor creature, a variety of thoughts flashed before my mind:
1) Since when do city dogs run across intersections like this?
2) Would Mr. D actually believe me if I told him that I hit a dog?
3) Is there a car I would be able to drive if Fido connects with my bumper?
4) If I hit this dog, will the young children on the side of the road be traumatized for life?
5) Is it unethical for a vegetarian to injure a dog on the way to club?
And so on, and so on. But even in this, albeit strange, situation God proved Himself good, and kept us safe on the rest of the roadways today. Speaking of these roadways, I had to drive to 5 clubs, and I was 0.5 for 5 in not getting lost (I say half because for the first club, I was not able to immediately find a parking spot). It was rough ā and I had been so proud of myself because the night before I had written out all of the directions. But alack and alas, these attempts proved themselves futile.
Club One: Grace and I had gone advertising with this hostesses on the weekend. I was so excited that there was one child who came! Itās really exciting to know that not only is there more opportunity for the kids to come throughout the week, but God is sovereign nonetheless!
Club Two: To cut an incredibly long story short, I am convinced that I have been blessed with the same gifting as Lauren Ryanā¦ Yes I was lost, very lost. I drove down the wrong street…. multiple times, and as a result we ended up a half hour late. (Whoops!) But God is good, club was so much fun, and we ended up having 9 kids total in attendance.
Club Three: When Grace and I arrived at the house, there was only one child. After some time of waiting for others, we decided to begin, and more kids continued to come. During the hour of the club, a child was biking by us constantly, and this particular child seemed pretty interested in what was going on. This club was so fun, and all of the children seemed pretty excited to return again tomorrow. The total attendance is 7 kids.
Chang Adventure (it would be ChangChang but Gwyneth is not with me this week): At the end of Club two, I was about to pray to conclude the club, when suddenly half of the children insisted on praying to conclude as well. I thought it was amazing that these young children had such a desire to pray that they continued to insist. After I finished my concluding prayer, I opened up the floor for prayer, and one at a time these children prayed. The first kid begins, and prays, āGod thank you so much for the cowā, and she continues to thank God for various wildlife. At one point a kid beside her say, āAnd donāt forget the animal crackersā, and she continued to thank God for these things. As the children went on, might I just say I have never heard so many prayers of thanksgiving for various condiments, and snack foods (āGod, thank you for ketchup!ā). At a point, one of the children who had explained how she hurt her hand, also prayed that God would heal her āouchiesā. Wow! I definitely got a glimpse of what childlike faith can look like, because what the kids were praying may have seemed funny, or āsmallā, but it was so honest, and authentic before a perfect, loving God. Sometimes, you just gotta thank God for ketchup and horses! I love it! No matter how small our requests might seem, we can freely take them before Him in prayer, just as these small children did.
Prayer Requests:
1). Safety on the roads
2). Health. I have recently had a painful bump on my head that showed up recently, as a result of āthe accidentā
3). That Godās will would be done in these clubs ā whether it be more kids, more follow up, or more advertising. That I would minister with an awareness of the fact that it is Godās ministry that I doing, not the other way around.
I wish I could end this post by saying something meaningful, or poignant but the reality is that last week was the hardest week that I have experienced in all of my years of teaching (for a variety of reasons). Beginning this Monday, I had no clue what to anticipate, but no matter how difficult or hard living the Christian life may seem, it does not nullify the truth that He is good, and He is a sustainer. Whether it is through a mountaintop experience or the steady climb uphill, He constantly proves Himself to be the Lord of the journey. And for that, my few sentences are but pitiful attempts to convey my eternal gratitude.
My apologies for not having blogged this week… One of these weeks, I will end up blogging daily – I know it.
Club 1: At this club, we have had one child in attendance, and it has been so much fun! It’s been a real blessing getting to engage in community with a child who has already made a decision to follow Christ. I must also add that this particular hostess has really reminded me this week of the importance of our ministry mandate as Christians, not just during the five days we have club. I have been very encouraged getting to pray with her not only for our club, but that God would continue to work across our city.
Club 2: This VBS has been quite the mixed bag, to say the least. The kids are great, but they have so much energy that it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with them. However, something really awesome happened today that really reminded me of what childlike faith can look like. We have child in this club, that happens to be the only unchurched. The neat thing with this child is that even though initially she did not seem to show interest in the teaching portion, she really opened up, and began engaging in VBS when she began engaging in community with her peers. However today, there happened to be rain and thunder, which resulted in many distracted children. At one point this child sat in front of a window watching the downpour. At the end of Gwyneth’s story (before she was going to pray), this child announced, “I don’t like the thunder, I want it to go far away from me.” Gwyneth tried to begin her prayer, but this little girl cut her off, and said one of the most simple, but real prayers that I had ever heard before. She prayed something to along the lines of, “Please God, take the thunder away from me. Thank you.” A few minutes later, as we were eating snack, I looked out the window, and realized that there was sunshine, and the rain had stopped entirely. It was such a pleasure to explain to this child afterwards that God had indeed heard, and answered her prayer – the grin on her face, oh man, that was joy right there. Our total attendance is six.
Club 3:Ā We had 5 kids attend today, but this group was pretty hyper. As Gwyneth was telling the story of Tony, one of the children insisted on mentioning this dream they had about Mr. Root, and everybody ended up laughing, and losing focus. I ended up having to teach one of the quickest Bible Stories in my teaching career. Our total attendance for this club was 7.
Prayer Requests:
1. For my stitch – I have to get it removed this weekend, and it would be nice for that process to run smoothly.
2. Driving on the roads – as I looked at my speedometer earlier this week, I have realized that I have driven at least 3,000 since training week, and if I’m being honest, I’m not the most stellar driver.
3. Overall sickness – I feel like a medical basket case.
4. That I would daily make time for personal prayer, and devotions.
5. For wisdom in how to follow up with the children that expressed an interest in knowing more about the gospel.
6. Energy to keep up with the kids!
Ā Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
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