Olivia Mile
My name is Olivia Mile. I'm from Regina, SK. I'll be 18 in August, and I just finished grade 12. I plan on attending Nipawin Bible College in the fall. This is my 4th summer teaching 5-Day Clubs and I'm very excited for this summer of ministry. Some prayer requests I have for the summer are: 1. Safety on the roads as I drive this summer, and that God would keep my car in good working condition and there would be no issues with any of that 2. That God would make me effective in ministry this summer and that he would speak through me as I teach and that he would receive all the glory 3. That the children in the clubs I teach every week this summer would have soft hearts to hear the gospel and respond
Hey everyone! This week was long and rough but it was worth it.
My first club yesterday had 14 kids, bringing our registered total to 15. This hostess lives on a farm and every day the kids got the chance to ride horses and play with kittens and it was just super fun. Today we only had 6, but since we had enough for the football we did a draw and the little girl who won was super excited.
At my second club yesterday we had almost all the 7 kids come back, even though they had to postpone a birthday party to be there, and we had 5 new kids today (which I wasn’t expecting at all, so that was awesome!) bringing us to 12 total. We drew for the hackey sack and they thought that was awesome.
My third club had one little girl yesterday, and at first today we had the same two from Wednesday come back. But it was really funny because there was a little boy across the park, in a tree. He was calling to the girls, asking them who they were, and they replied “It’s us, your neighbours, you know, the ones who live next door?” Then he asked “Who’s that tall girl?”
And then the following dialogue ensued (remember, we’re yelling, across a park, to some kid in a tree) :
I said, “My name’s Olivia.”
“Olivia who?”
“Olivia Mile. Would you like to join us?”
“Why don’t I know you? And I can’t, because I’m playing mantracker, and I don’t want to get killed.”
“Uhh, you don’t know me because I’m from Regina, not Tisdale.”
“Oh. How old are you?”
“Just about 18. Are you sure you don’t want to come? It’s lots of fun!”
“Oh. Well, I’m 10. What are you doing?”
“We’re having a bible club, with stories and songs and prizes.”
“Can I just have the prizes and then go home?”
“Umm, I think it would be better if you came to the club to get the prizes”
“Oh. Well I’ll be right there.”
This 10 year old boy then proceeded to get down from the tree and run over to us just as we were starting the first song. He stood there and watched us quizzically while we sang and then listened intently while I explained the contest. When I got to the part about bringing friends, he said, “What? I want buttons! Can I go get some friends?”
I told him he could, so he ran off and after we had reviewed our memory verses he came running back with three other 10-11 year old boys. At first they all were looking around suspiciously because they didn’t want to “get killed” in their mantracker game, but they all sat and listened, spellbound, while I told the story of Tony and they loved the song, and they all were enraptured by the bible story also.
I was so surprised at their participation because at first glance they definitely did not seem like the type of kids to enjoy the club. But they loved it and they all thought the prizes were totally awesome. One boy especially seemed to really listen to the bible story and I think even though he didn’t accept Christ, he definitely understood what I was saying and I’m going to be praying for him. They all asked if there was more to the club, and I was sad to tell them it was our last day. I did tell them that there would be another club next summer and they should come to it. They all seemed pretty disappointed that they had missed it all week, but now I’m already praying that this club can get rebooked next year and these boys will get advertised to.
My last club didn’t have any kids again yesterday or today, so it was really too bad. But at least the four came on Monday and even if they weren’t super interested, I know they heard, and they have the lessons and bookmarks so I know that God can use even that to reach them.
This has been a pretty crazy week, but it was good. I’m so excited to get home tomorrow to see my family and then set off again on Monday for another week. But we’ve made it halfway, so that’s really exciting.
I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to you all for praying for me. This week started out hard but by the end it was super fun, and 5 kids accepted Christ. So, thank you so much. See you again next week!
Hey everyone!! This has been a bit of a tough week for me. Sorry for not blogging, I don’t have wifi at my billet’s and often I don’t have enough time at lunch to write a whole post. So here’s for the last three days…I’ll write a bit about today another time.
My clubs on Monday seemed to go all wrong in one way or another with being late and not having a CD player for half of them and kids who just weren’t interested.
But at my one club on Monday three kids put up their hand to accept Christ, and two of them actually did. They were sisters and they go to church sometimes, so this definitely wasn’t the first time they heard about Jesus. I’m not sure how serious they were because after I talked to them I asked, “So, do you wanna pray to accept Jesus?” and they both just kind of shrugged and said, very noncommittally, “Sure.” so they weren’t super enthusiastic, but God knows their hearts.
Tuesday was also a rough day. My morning clubs both had kids, but my two afternoon clubs are at parks without hostesses, so because it was raining really hard, we had to cancel both clubs.
Yesterday was better than Tuesday. My first club had 4 new kids (as of today we have 15 registered) and I met some kids who I’ll likely be teaching again in two weeks when I teach in Melfort. My second club was fantastic. The four kids from Mon/Tues brought 3 friends and all three of them accepted Christ! The one little girl especially seemed really excited. I was able to give them all bibles and I was so excited because they’re all siblings. My third club had the two little girls who accepted Jesus on Monday come back. They were very excited to be back and give me their lessons. My last club yesterday didn’t have any kids. After all the rain on Tuesday I’m not sure if they know whether or not there will be club anymore, and the kids that did come on Monday pretty much hated the fact that their moms made them come, they wouldn’t participate and they didn’t want prizes. So I wasn’t totally surprised but it was disappointing. I’ll probably advertise a bit today before the club to see if I can get anyone else to come.
This week has been a bit rough so far, but even though it’s not the easiest, 5 kids have decided to follow Jesus so far. So that makes all the struggle worth it. More than worth it.
Please pray for those 5, that they would have opportunity for growth and they would grow deeper with God.
Thanks so much everyone!
Hello everyone!
I honestly cannot believe week 2 is over. It went by so fast, and I had an amazing time. It was one of my favourite weeks teaching I’ve ever had, in all 4 summers, and I couldn’t have asked for better billets and clubs.
The entire week was God proving his faithfulness to me, especially on Sunday when I was stressed about not having billets lined up and teaching alone and driving for six hours (the list could go on. I was really stressed on Sunday)…yet every single time, God showed me that he was looking out for me. I made it safely, and my billets were amazing, and my clubs were fantastic. All week I was thanking God for his provision. I had no reason to be worried, because he was looking out for me.
So, a quick overview of Friday. My first club went really well. One of the little girls from Monday came back and two of the kids had finished their “Meet the King” questionnaires already! They were so enthusiastic. When I left they all ran over and gave me a huge group hug and told me to come back next year. And just now, as I was sorting through my lessons I realized that the boy who raised his hand accepted Christ later that day with his mom and marked it on his lesson. Praise God!!
On Friday my VBS had 7 new kids! Our registered total was 27 and they were all excited about earning the frisbee. The second hour of the VBS we had at my billets house in the pool, so we all had a lot of fun. I had quite a few kids that were really excited about doing their lessons and saying verses, and leaving was so hard. I had to go right after the club ended at 3:00, to pick up Anja and Sarah from Good Spirit. So I left right after the club and got to the camp around 6:30, and then made it back to Regina by 10:00.
So all in all, I had an amazing week and God taught me so much in just 5 days. Thanks so much for praying for me, and a huge thank you to Jesus for all the work he did in my life and in the lives of the kids this week.
“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name” Psalm 18:49
Thankfully, no! It’s not over already. I still have one more day here in Kinistino and Birch Hills. I’m so sad that I have to leave later today. The kids have been so fun and the clubs have been fantastic.
Yesterday my clubs were once again really fun. The kids all listened pretty well in both clubs, and I’m really having a good time getting to know the kids, especially in my VBS, since I have an extra hour with them each day.
One specific prayer request for this last day would be that God would soften the kids’ hearts to the gospel, and that he would speak through me and give me the words to say for the stories and especially the invitation. Thank you!
This week has been going so well, I almost can’t believe it.
Today I was a little more tired, and I didn’t get a chance to review my stories for today, but it was fine. Once I’ve taught a story once, I’m pretty much good to go. Anyway, at my first club, I had 6 kids come back. Two of them are going to their grandparents now so they won’t be back, but I’m hoping that there might be some new ones tomorrow. One little boy raised his hand, and I was kinda surprised because he comes from a Christian home and his grandma is the hostess. So I talked to him after the club and he said he’s never accepted Christ but he prays with his mom every day. I asked if he wanted to accept Christ but he said he was too shy and wanted to do it tonight, with his mom. I told him to tell me if he does. He said he has a bible too, so that’s good. I kinda giggled because this boy is sort of the opposite of shy, but if he wants to do it with his mom, I think that’s great.
At the VBS, there was 4 more new kids! Our registered total is 18, and we’re so close to the frisbee. All the kids are really excited. I really hope that the two more will come tomorrow or Friday because they just desperately want that frisbee. A lot of the kids are unchurched so pray that they would hear the message and respond. Pray that nothing would hold them back. They also really love the Rascal story, so I’m trying to weave the gospel as much as I can into it, since they really listen to that one. They listen to the bible story too, but the Rascal story is really what gets them. So I’ve been doing my best to add the gospel into every part of it that I can. It’s kinda hard at some points but tomorrow when Tony accepts Christ I think that will be a good conversation-starter with some of these kids. They’re getting pretty frustrated with the cliffhangers, but pretty much all of them keep coming back, and bringing lots friends.
Thanks again, everyone!
Hey everyone! I hope your second week is going as well as mine. I’m having so much fun out here in Kinistino/Birch Hills.
My first club in Birch Hills had 7 kids. Two of the little girls who came yesterday will be back tomorrow, and the other should be around again on Friday. They all listened quietly and were disappointed when I left off Tony in a cliffhanger. Every single one of them brought back their lessons and said a memory verse, and a couple of them asked for all 7 lessons today so they could try to finish them by tomorrow so they could finish the questionnaire in the “Meet the King” book before Friday.
The VBS at Kinistino Community Church doubled in size today! We went from 7 to 14 (one little girl brought 4 friends!), so now all the kids are super excited about trying to get the football or even the frisbee. They’re all trying to invite friends and do their lessons and memorize verses. Apparently I’m good at today’s Little Rascal cliffhanger because all the boys groaned and everyone at both clubs were mad at me. In my first club the little boy pouted on the lawn and said, “I don’t wanna sing songs, I don’t wanna hear a bible story. I wanna hear about Tony!!”
It’s great because all the kids are so into it, and I forgot how much I like teaching alone. I’m really enjoying getting to know my billets and the kids at my clubs.
Please pray for more kids at the first club, since some told me they won’t be able to come back tomorrow and all their friends seem to be busy or out of town this week, and they’re really disappointed about that.
Thanks everyone, and especially my CG Elfrieda! I appreciate your prayers so much!
Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days. Yesterday I drove Sarah and Anja from Regina up to Good Spirit Bible Camp, and then continued on to Kinistino, where I’m billeted. So I had 6 hours of driving yesterday, which is the longest I’ve ever driven. I love driving, so it was lots of fun, especially for the first 3 hours when I had Sarah and Anja with me. Once I dropped them off, I was a little stressed about finding the right highways, being able to find a Co-op when I needed to fill up, and getting to my billets on time, but it all worked out fine.
One really cool story was when I was driving alone. I drove through Wadena but decided not to fill up at the gas station there because I still had just over a 1/4 tank, but then as I drove through the next few towns, all I saw was cardlocks, and I like to fill up when my tank is at about 1/4, just to be on the safe side. So as my gas needle dropped closer to the 1/4 mark, I was a bit worried, since I still had two hours of driving, I know I could have made it without filling up, but I tend to be a bit paranoid because I REALLY do not want to run out of gas. Like, I really don’t want to run out of gas. But just as the needle reached 1/4, I saw a Co-op gas station right off the highway. I don’t know, I could call it a coincidence. But I think that was God showing me that I can trust him to take care of me all the time, even in little things like filling up my car.
My clubs today were really fun. My first one is in a town called Birch Hills, about 20 minutes from my billets. This morning we had 10 kids. They were excited to hear that they already had enough points for a hackey sack, and there are some little boys who really want that frisbee.
The second one is a VBS at my billets church. It’s great because it’s literally two blocks from my billets house. There was 7 kids today, and probably more tomorrow. The kids were so cute and it was a lot of fun. When I told them the name of the man in the bible story (Zacchaeus, if you didn’t get that from the title), they all burst into song, loudly proclaiming, “ZACCHAEUS WAS A WEE LITTLE MAN….”
I really can’t wait for tomorrow. The clubs are great, and the kids are listening well and enthusiastic. I was a little worried about being out here alone, but my billets are great and their kids are awesome. I’m so thankful for how God has already shown his provision for me this week.
Prayer requests would be for strength this week as I’m alone, and for safe travels between Birch Hills and Kinistino. Thanks so much, everyone!
Well, I guess that’s it for this week. Sarah and I had so much fun together and with our three clubs.
Our first club was definitely my favourite. The kids were so into it, and even the hostess’s in-laws who were visiting decided to stay a little longer so they could hear the end of A Little Rascal.
Quite a few of the new kids from yesterday came back today for our second club. We did a draw for the hackey sack and the kids were really excited. They also were asking really good questions during the memory verse and bible story. It was great to see them so engaged.
Our last club was pretty much the same as all week. The two boys came, and we decided to skip the songs/contest and just go over the verses and stories. They enjoyed that so much more, and I even talked to the 15 year old boy about teaching a little bit. So who knows, maybe there’ll be another teacher next year!! 😛
Next week I’m dropping Sarah and Anja off at Good Spirit Bible Camp, and then making my way up to Kinistino/Birch Hills. I would appreciate prayers for safe travels as that totals to just over 5 hours of driving on Sunday afternoon.
Thanks again to everyone who prayed for us this week!
Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for praying!
Our first club had 1 new little boy who showed up this morning. He was pretty shy so it was hard to tell if he was really enjoying himself, but he listened well and saw that the other kids were participating with enthusiasm. I’m praying that he’ll come back tomorrow and open up a bit more. He doesn’t come from a Christian home, so pray that our message will take root in his heart.
Our second club had 4 new kids. Four!! That brought our total to 10 registered, and some of them seemed pretty excited about the hackey sack. We told them that if they could get to 15, they could soak us (I’m not all about the pies, but I can easily do cold water). Some of them also seemed pretty excited by that idea so hopefully there’ll be some more kids showing up tomorrow too.
The third club had the same two host boys as always. We were about to start today when the older one said, “Maybe, we could do just the stories?” Sarah and I laughed and said “You sure you don’t want to sing Do You Believe?” And they both said “No!” I had just been about to suggest we cut out some of the songs, so we decided to skip everything except the memory verses and the stories. So our club was short, but I don’t blame the boys for not wanting to sing some of those songs. They were asking questions about Tony and when he lived though, so I think they really do enjoy the stories.
Please continue to pray for more children, especially at the last club, and thanks again to whoever prayed for more kids today! God definitely answered our prayers with our 5 new kids today.
It seems kind of unnecessary for me to blog today, because pretty much nothing changed from yesterday. We had the same 9 kids (across all three clubs) as yesterday, they did some lessons, memorized some verses, said they might invite some friends, and then we had to leave.
The first club is great, the kids love it, they participate and are always excited when we arrive in the morning. They’re always disappointed when they don’t have any of their swimming lessons friends showing up, and always say they’ll invite more. We can praise God for these kids’ enthusiasm, and pray that some of the friends they invited will show up tomorrow.
Our second two clubs didn’t go as well today. The kids still listened but it’s hard to get a read on how much they actually enjoyed themselves. They keep coming back, but you can pray that they’ll engage in the club and really have a good time.
We’re going advertising again tonight, to try to get some new kids to show up. Please pray that that will be fruitful and we would be able to reach some new kids tomorrow.
Also, a lot of kids have said that they “were going to come”, but haven’t shown up. Please pray that tomorrow, those kids/parents would remember and that they would actually come.
One funny thing is that at our second club, we were just about to finish off with a song, when all of a sudden, a German Shepherd showed up on the gazebo, and walked around while we taught the actions. He was really friendly, it was just kind of random. And then he left right as we started the CD player. Then at our third club, the same thing happened with a cat! So maybe you could pray that God would help keep those distractions to a minimum!
Thanks everyone!
Olivia
|
