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
I can’t believe I only have two days of teaching left, but I’m pleased to say this week has been going really well, and I have some really great kids who are excited to learn!
Club 1: More and more kids keep coming, which is really cool! Attendance is from 6 on the first day to 15 today! However, some of the kids who came as friends haven’t been coming back. There have not been any decisions and most of the lessons I get back tell me that kids have already asked Jesus into their heart. But they are listening well, and I’m praying that they will grow in their faith through club!
Club 2: One girl at this club made a decision for Jesus while doing her lesson! Praise God! The hostess of this club has a 3-year-old who is absolutely adorable and does really well with listening and sitting still. I don’t think there is anything cuter than her being so excited to tell me her memory verse! And if you were wondering, the girl who walked by and came on the first day hasn’t come back. Pray that she would! There are seven kids who regularly come to this club.
God’s fingerprints on my words: There is a boy at this club who came on the second day and today. He doesn’t go to church, but he listens very intently, especially when I’m talking about Jesus. Before all my clubs, I pray for God to speak through me and give me words. Well, today when I was teaching the Noah’s Ark story, I intended to use Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” during the invitation part. As I was going along, I accidentally used it earlier in the story. I kept going, and about the time the rain was starting to cover the highest mountains, this boy had to leave. So he wasn’t there for the invitation part.
As I thought about it afterwards, I realized this boy got to hear that the Bible says you have to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved, even though he left early. And he also said he’d try to do his lesson and bring it back tomorrow, and since he is 7, his lesson outlines the plan for salvation and gives kids a chance to accept Christ. Pray for him! I’m going to ask him tomorrow if he has a Bible and I’ll give him one if he doesn’t. I prayed for God to speak through me, and God knew that boy was going to leave early. God’s fingerprints were all over what I thought was a mistake! Praise the Lord!
Club 3: I think there are 12 kids or so coming to this club, some younger ones, but they do well with listening. At the end of this club, my CD played refused to pray “Do You Believe?” I don’t know if that song has a scratch or something, but it kept cutting out 3 or 4 seconds in. So I lead the kids in a round of “Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday” acapella, which they liked.
The joy of the Lord is my strength! I know I’ve talked a lot about the joy of the Lord spurring me on this summer, and I’m happy to report this week I have been feeling so joyful in doing God’s work! A quote from Amy Carmichael has been my prayer this week:
Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will, O Lord our God.
Pray that us workers would be zealous as we serve the King in these last few days, to give it all up for the sake of children coming to know Him.
Thank you for your prayers!
-Rose
P.S I haven’t heard anything about the DJ Honda after the breakdown coming here on Sunday (See last blog post!), I’m still using the Ryan’s vehicle. Please continue praying that it would be any easy fix so this car can continue to be used to do the Lord’s work!
I was driving down to Estevan yesterday, on Sunday, and I’ll start off by saying that the three-hour road trip was uneventful for the first two hours. I was about 15 or 20 minutes out of Weyburn, it was 7:30 PM, and I was driving along when suddenly the cruise control quit and the radio stopped playing Adventures in Odyessy. The electricals on the car began to go and it was behaving very strangely. I pulled over, texted Vangi to pray, turned the car off… And it didn’t start again. It was dead.
A police officer stopped and asked if he could call a tow truck for me to take me back to Weyburn. I instead decided to call Mr. Durston, figuring he’d know what to do. Mr. Durston called the Ryans, who lived not too far away, and Mr. Ryan came out to rescue me. The car started again with a boost, and I drove it to the Ryan’s farm, left it there and took the Ryan’s vehicle down to Estevan, getting there almost two hours later than planned! It was a bit difficult to find my billets house in the dark, as I couldn’t see any house numbers! I was very glad to get finally get there! I hoped it would be easier to find my way around Estevan in the daytime!
So… pray for my car. It’s one of the 5-Day Clubs vehicles, the DJ Honda. It’s pretty old, and it could be that the alternator went. Pray that it’s a fixable problem and that it would be reliable for me to drive around Estevan and back to Regina on Saturday. Thank you to all who prayed for me when I was stranded beside the road on Sunday, and shoutout to the Ryans for helping me and letting me use their vehicle!
So despite all that, my clubs went pretty well today. The first club had 6 kids, all young ones under 7. They were pretty good at listening and seemed to enjoy the club. The hostess said some new ones could come tomorrow, so hopefully this club will grow!
My second club was in Bienfait, a small town just out of Estevan. There were 7 kids, mostly younger ones again. One girl was walking by right before the club started, so she came. Pray that she would come again tomorrow! My CD player died twice during this club, so we sang the end of the song without music! Hopefully it continues to work for the rest of the week. It did work at the next club.
My last club was in the afternoon, and I got a bit turned around trying to find it. I missed the turn at least three times, drove in circles, prayed for guidance, freaked out people by not answering my cell phone, attempted to use the GPS in the Ryan’s vehicle, which was both confusing and helpful, but mostly helpful, because I did find my way there! If I had been in the DJ Honda I wouldn’t have had that GPS, but maybe I wouldn’t have missed the turn! The hostess tried to call me, and I ended up missing 5 calls on my phone because I was frantically trying to find the club and it didn’t register in my mind that the buzzing sound while I was driving was my cell phone ringing! Oops!
I got to the club 25 minutes late, and did a very speedy memory verse time and Little Rascal story, and finished the Bible story only 5 minutes late. There was about 10 kids, I think. Despite being rushed, it went well, and I think I can find it better tomorrow! At least that was only the first (and hopefully last!) time I have gotten lost trying to find a club!
Now that I know where all the clubs are, I think it will be a good week! Pray that the kids hearts would be open to accept the gospel. While I was giving the invitation at the last club, asking if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their hearts, and a kid said, “I don’t want to do that.” Pray they would receive the Word with eagerness!
-Rose
I just finished my week of clubs in Caronport, Briercrest, and Avonlea! Much driving, but it went well!
Club 1, Caronport: 28 kids and a whole lot of mosquitos came to this club! Just kidding, the bugs weren’t too bad. Nearly all the kids went to church and had already made decisions or were too little to be ready for that. Sometimes with so many kids, many of them younger ones (the oldest was 9) they got a bit distracted, but we made it. Thursday was a difficult day with distracted kids, and on Friday I was very tired when I woke up and I was not feeling ready to teach! But I prayed for strength and asked Vangi to pray, and the club went well! Praise God! And there was a 6-year-old girl who goes to my church who made a mailbox decision, which is pretty neat!
Club 2, Briercrest: This club had 13 kids, and thankfully it was in an air-conditioneed church basement. On Thursday after the Bible story I did a different sort of invitation and invited anyone who wanted to ask Jesus into their heart to come talk to me after prayer and one more song. I prayed, and then right before we were about to sing, a little girl (I’ll call her Clara, that’s not her real name) said, “I just heard God talk to me!”
“What did He say?” I asked.
“He told me not to do bad things any more.” Clara said. Such childlike faith in the voice of God! After the song Clara and a few other girls came up to talk to me, and as I went through the wordless book some other kids gathered around and they were all very quiet and attentive. Three girls asked Jesus into their hearts including Clara, and another one told me she had while doing her lessons the night before. Praise God! Only one of these four girls had a Bible, so I gave them Bibles. Clara is five, and she said she couldn’t read yet, but she was so excited to get a Bible. I put a bookmark in the Gospel of John and told her to ask someone to read it to her, and to read the Bible as soon as she knew how. She said she would. Clara was so excited about Jesus, but she is also so young. Pray for her and these other girls, that they would read their Bibles and remember their commitment.
Club 3, Avonlea: Our number of kids at this VBS went down a bit every day for the first four days, which I think was a bit disappointing for the people running it, and how we couldn’t really get them to bring friends, but thankfully for the last day it went up again. There were 21 in total. They were fun to teach and good at listening because there were lots of helpers to keep the kids quiet! On Monday three boys asked Jesus into their hearts! I gave them Bibles. One of these boys had just came on Monday and Tuesday, and then we didn’t see him again His friend said he was at home. He didn’t go to church either. Pray that these boys might get the oppertunity to go to church and read their bibles and learn more.
So there were eight decisions in total from these clubs! Most weeks I’ve taught there have only been a few or just one mailbox decision, so that really encouraged me to see kids taking this next step of faith. God has given me a burden for these dear, sweet children who are going to have so many tough choices as they grow up in a sinful world. I can only pray that this week of 5-day clubs would start them on a journey of following the Lord through the trials they will face.
Next week (last week!) I am down in Esteven. Pray for safety on the roads, and that the joy of the Lord would be my strength this last week! I discovered on Friday that my own strength is running right out. Pray that I would finish strong!
Rose
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I recieved from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
The week of lots of driving has been going well so far! I apologize for the rhymey title, I couldn’t resist! Here’s the update on individual clubs:
Club 1, Caronport: This club continues to be a lot of fun with kids who I know from church and Awanas! They have been doing well with bringing friends and are up to 22 kids! No decisions yet in this club, but I believe a lot of the kids have made a decision already. They are chatty, but have been doing pretty well with paying attention. Continue to pray that they would be focused through the club. They certainly are not shy with me, these kids!
Club 2, Briercrest: So today when I was telling the story of Noah this girl (The same girl who was really sweet about wanting to pray for Zacchaeus on the first day!) got really sad when I said that everyone who wasn’t on the ark died. Her caring is so sweet! These kids are really good listeners, and though they are the smallest club with 13 kids, they have done more lessons than any other club! I had some kids put up their hands to receive Jesus at the end, but then they didn’t come talk to me. I’ll try to talk to them tomorrow. Pray that they would be responsive!
Club 3, Avonlea: Yesterday at this club three boys accepted Christ! It was so special! And they were three that paid close attention during the stories. I gave them some New Testaments, because they didn’t have bibles. Then today one of the boys came up to me at the very beginning when I was sitting there with the clipboard taking attendance, and before he had even come close he starting saying his memory verse: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!” He was so excited! He is 6, and on his lesson that I got back today for when he had taken the Lord Jesus as his savior he wrote yesterday’s date! It’s so neat that he is taking his new faith seriously and remembering his commitment!
And one of the other boys who accepted Christ came up to me afterward and said he wanted to pray. I asked if he would like to pray, or if I should pray, and he asked if we could pray at the same time. So we did. I think he is trying to figure out how to talk to god. It’s cool be able to give him some guidance. Tomorrow if I get a chance I’ll show him the Lord’s prayer in his new Bible.
So things are going well! I’m praying that God will speak to the hearts of a few more kids to receive Jesus this week. They seem to really be listening carefully to the stories. The driving part is going well, and Adventures in Odyessy helps pass the time between clubs! Thanks for your prayers!
-Rose
I didn’t quite finish write about week 4, but my clubs in Moose Jaw finished up well! Just the one mailbox decision this week, but I was able to get the girl a New Testament and give ones to the other unchurched kids in the club too.
Today and for the rest of the week I am in the towns of Caronport, Briercrest, and Avonlea, a club in those first two, and a VBS at the last one.
Club 1: Since I live in Caronport, I knew a lot of the kids at this club, which was fun! And I got to meet some new ones too. I think there were 15 there today. Most of them are younger, under 10. They did really well in paying attention during the Tony story, but some were not listening well to the Bible story. So pray that their attention would hold up and that I’d have wisdom in shortening the Tony story a bit.
Club 2: This one was in the town of Briercrest. I think there were 10-15 kids. It was held at a church, but the majority of kids did not regularly attend a church, and they didn’t know most of the questions I asked about the Bible stories. Again, most are younger kids except one 12-year-old girl. I think she felt a bit out of place. Pray that she would keep coming! And there was also one girl who showed up at the very end, just in time for the last song, and when I wrote her name down for attendance and asked if she usually went to church, she said no, and that this was her first time in a church! She is planning on coming for the whole club tomorrow. Pray that her heart would be soft towards the gospel!
There was one girl in this club who was really talkative, and when I was telling the Bible story of Zacchaeus and talking at the beginning about the bad stuff he was doing, she said, “I just wanna pray for him right now, that he wouldn’t do those bad things anymore!” And she folded her hands and closed her eyes are prayed silently for a moment. It was kind of adorable! After the club I explained to her that we didn’t need to pray for Zacchaeus because he did meet Jesus and stop doing bad things, and he wasn’t alive anymore. And I told her it was good to pray for people who do bad things. She was so sweet in wanting to pray for others!
Club 3: This club was a VBS in the town of Avonlea. I had never done a VBS before, but it went well!. 19 kids today, and hopefully more will come. They did a good job paying attention, more so during the Tony story than the Bible story. So pray that their attention would hold out and that they would bring friends!
When I got home today I was pretty tired after driving a total of 190 km. Please pray for safety and alertness on the roads. The highways are single lane and narrow, but fortunately there is not much traffic. When I finished the day I did have a headache, so pray that wouldn’t happen tomorrow.
That’s all for now! There are really sweet kids at these clubs who really need to know about God. Pray that they would do their lessons and learn the truths through them, and their hearts would be soft towards the gospel!
-Rose
I can’t believe this week is almost over! It felt so short to do only four days! Here’s a quick update:
Club 1: This club has been good. Only five kids today, up to nine in total, though. The kids are excited to try and earn the hackey sack. The weather forecast says it might rain again tomorrow. Luckily we were inside today, but pray that no kids would be held back from coming due to the bad weather.
Club 2: The faithful three children at this club earned the Meet the King book today by doing all seven lessons! They are excited to bring back the questionnaire for it tomorrow. These kids don’t go to church, but when I looked at the lessons, I noticed that one girl wrote “Today!” for when she had taken the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Praise the Lord! And another girl wrote at 5-Day Clubs. Whether that was this year or the year before when she went to clubs, I don’t know, but that’s still exciting! One of these girls said she didn’t have a Bible, so I’m going to try to get her one. Pray for the other child at this club, who did all the lessons but has not accepted Christ. Pray that God would speak to him through the Meet The King book and on our last day of clubs!
Club 3: At the beginning of this club the kids were having trouble paying attention during the memory verse portion, and we were missing two of the kids who were very attentive before. I was wondering how the stories were going to go if they were restless already! So I raised a quick prayer for them to pay attention, then I had the idea during the stories to ask as many questions as I possibly could. These kids are all younger, and this style of storytelling worked to keep them engaged! They really enjoyed it I think.
God continues to show me the beauty of childlike faith through this club. It rained this afternoon, but it stopped a bit before the club. When I got there one of the hostesses’ kids informed me, “My sister prayed that the rain would stop before five-day club, and it did! God answered!” That was really cool to see. Yesterday when I was teaching this club I was talking about Jesus when a 5-year-old piped up, “I believe in Jesus!” The innocence and sincerity of their faith is really neat to see, and it’s a good lesson for us how we need to receive the kingdom of God like a child.
Tomorrow is the last day! Pray that God would speak through me as I give these kids one more chance to accept Christ.
-Rose
Week 4 has begun and I am back in Moose Jaw! It’s weird and nice to get an extra day off and start on Tuesday! I definitely thought it was Monday more than once today!
Club 1: This club had 3 at the beginning, but then three more came partway through, yay! The kids are optimistic about bringing friends and doing lessons, so that’s great to hear. They weren’t too enthusiastic about singing, but I’m hoping that the level of energy and excitement will go up. Pray that more kids would come and that they would be excited, but still be ale to sit and listen well!
Club 2: Only 3 kids today, although the hostess is expecting a few new ones tomorrow. All three of these kids were unchurched, and didn’t know much about God or the Bible, but they listened very intently and seemed interested. They were also excited to do their lessons, and since we are starting on Tuesday I gave them the first two lessons to do. I think they really need to hear the truths in these lessons. Pray that God would speak to their hearts through the stories and the lessons this week.
I also said if this club got to ten kids, they could soak me with the hose. Then they asked if they could throw water balloons at me, and I said they could if they brought the water balloons. The two girls looked at each other and said at the same time, “Dollar Store!” All three kids were scheming about what friends they could bring and planning to wear swimsuits on Friday. I think I’m going to get soaked!
Club 3: I wasn’t so sure how big this club would be, but it ended up being the biggest of the three and having 10 kids! These children are young, the oldest ones are only 8 or 9, but they did a pretty good job of sitting still and being attentive. It was getting dark and stormy looking, so halfway through A Little Rascal we moved indoors. Two minutes later it started to rain! Despite the brief intermission to change club locations, the rest of the club went well and I think they really liked the Bible stories and will have fun learning the lessons. Once again I gave out two lessons because we are starting late. Continue to pray that these younger children would be attentive and good listeners.
So praise the Lord that there were kids at all my clubs, with the potential of bringing more and also that kids are excited to do their lessons. You don’t see that at every club. I think these clubs are going to be so good that I am almost wishing that I did have all five days to teach them! Pray that God would bring other kids who need to hear the gospel, that kids would pay attention and listen well, and most of all that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts! And pray that any stormy weather would not get in the way of children hearing the gospel message.
As I continue to teach, God has really been giving me joy in this work. I know it must come from Him, because I wasn’t always feeling it at the beginning of the summer! It has been such a blessing to have the joy of the Lord as my strength! I think God is showing me a little bit how much He cares about kids and what it means to be an adult and yet have childlike faith. One question I always ask when I teach the Zaccheus story is, “How did Jesus know Zaccheus’ name?” Churched or unchurched kids, the answer is always the same: “Because He’s Jesus! He knows everything!” Some of these kids I don’t think have heard much about God before, yet they always have heard the name of Jesus and understand the concept of an all-powerful God who knows everyone’s name.
These kids are so precious at this age, with such innocent beliefs and hearts so open to accept the message. God has given me a burden to pray that they would stay close to their Heavenly Father as they grow older and face so many worldly temptations. I ask that everyone who is praying for 5-Day Clubs would storm the gates of heaven not only for us, the workers, but for these dear children, that they would come to know Christ and then stand firm in their belief as trials and temptations will surely come.
-Rose
So I got back to Caronport safely after my trip to Warman for the week. Driving there and back was the longest distance I have ever driven by myself, and it went well, although I did get rather bored. But I made it!
Week 3 of clubs has been a good week that had both blessings and challenges.
Club 1: This club got up to 13 kids, and I had said if they got to 15 they could pie me, but I let them do it anyways… And it was fun! Then, surprisingly, one of the kids wanted to be pied as well! So there was lots of whipped cream and messy faces on Friday. I had a lot of fun teaching this club, and as I mentioned earlier, one girl made a decision for Christ! Pray for her, as she doesn’t go to church.
Club 2: I only ended up getting to do this club three times, as there were no kids on Monday and Thursday. The kids that came the other days were unchurched, and though they sometimes struggled with not paying attention, I hope some seeds were planted. On Friday, something cool happened, though. There were only two kids (the two who were good at paying attention!) and during the Saul story the girl asked if it was a true story. I told her yes, and then afterward I showed her where it is in the Bible. Both the kids were interested and asked if there were more stories about Paul/Saul and if Noah’s ark was in the Bible, and a few other questions. It was really great to see that they did absorb the teaching, and the club was held at their grandma’s house, so I know that if they have questions they can talk to her.
Club 3: On Thursday this club was canceled because on another event at the church, which lead to a pretty rushed episode of A Little Rascal in order to finish it, but I don’t think the kids noticed! When sorting through lessons, I noticed there were 5 mailbox decisions! There were 3 in club decisions on the first day, and at every club hands went up to receive Jesus, but I was only able to pray with three of them because it took a long time to hand out prizes with some many kids. Since all the kids were churched, I am confident that they with continue to grow and learn more. Praise the Lord that they took that step of further commitment to God!
So that was the clubs in Warman and Saskatoon! Pray for the kids that made decisions this week, and for those unchurched who got to hear the gospel.
Next week I am back in Moose Jaw! Keep praying for energy for me in teaching, safe driving, and that’s God’s Spirit would be working through me and in these kid’s hearts.
-Rose
It’s hard to believe I only have two more days in Warman, and then week three is over! Things have been going pretty well.
Club 1: I asked for prayer that the kids would be more excited about club, and the last two days they have been! They really have been enjoying the Little Rascal stories, although the youngest club member (a girl of 5) said that she liked the stories, and when I asked which one was her favourite, she told me the Bible stories were! I like hearing that.
This club has got up to 10 kids, so yay! I told them if they got to 15 they could pie me, but I may change it to if they get a certain amount of lessons done. They have been a fun club and they deserve to pie me.
Oh, and yesterday there was a decision at this club! This girl didn’t go to church but she said last year at 5-day clubs they gave her a Bible, so that is good. Pray that this girl would stay strong in her faith.
Club 2: After having no kids the first day, there were five the second day! Praise the Lord! The club went pretty well. But yesterday there were only three, and it didn’t go so well because two boys were kind of misbehaving and wandering around during the stories and goofing off. I may need to be a bit more stern with kids like that, especially since they are older and should know better. Pray that God would give me wisdom in this matter.
And pray that there would be at least a few kids today. Some who were there yesterday said they couldn’t come today. Pray that the kids would be engaged and listen well. Also, pray that they would want to do their lessons. I haven’t gotten any lessons back yet, and these kids are all unchurched, and they probably need to hear the truths in these lessons.
Club 3: This club continues to be fun with lots of African kids though I still struggle to keep track of them all and give them the right lessons! With such a big crowd, it is a little bit hard to keep them all quiet and listening, but there are definitely some kids who really want to hear the stories, so that is encouraging.
Since Monday, I’ve had a few more kids put up their hands to receive Jesus, but on Tuesday handing out lessons took so much time that I didn’t get to talk with them. Yesterday (Wednesday) a few more kids put up their hands, and in the flurry of getting them lessons and prizes the kids didn’t come talk to me after.
However, I did notice on one lesson I got back that a boy had written for when he had taken the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, he wrote “Now.” (I don’t know if this was a kid who put up his hand, I haven’t been able to remember names very well!) So whether or not I am able to pray with these kids, God is still working in their hearts. They are basically all kids who go to that church, so I am confident that they understand what they are doing if they make a mailbox decision.
Sometimes I struggle to know if when I lead kids to Christ is I am doing it the “right” way. But God keeps reminding me that He knows their hearts, and that childlike faith is precious to Him.
For this club, continue to pray that administration details would go smoothly and that the kids would be attentive.
Summary of it all: At that last club, God used a little girl remind me why I am doing this. I was explaining that they should bring friends so that they could get a pin, and a girl piped up, “You should bring friends so they can learn about God!”
As I thought about it after, I realized that I’m teaching clubs is so kids can learn about God. It’s not always easy, and some days are fun and some days I’m just praying that God will keep me going. This may be stating the obvious, but I’m doing it so kids can learn about God. Whether or not they make a commitment, whether or not they are sincere in their commitment, God knows. I’ve got five hours in a week to teach these kids the most important things they will ever learn, the things that can completely change their life. That’s something to take seriously. It’s not about me, or whether I’m leading them to Christ the “right” way, it’s about God working in their hearts. A verse I keep thinking of is Zachariah 4:6- “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” God’s Spirit working in these kids lives is what is going to bring them to know Him.
So pray that these last two clubs would go well, that God would bring kids, that kids would be attentive, and most of all that God’s Spirit would be working through me and in the hearts of the children.
-Rose
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