Hey people, just a quick update on how the rest of how Will and I made out on our week in Blaine Lake area.  It’s been a pleasure teaching with Will, being able to build off of one another’s storytelling ideas and just generally encourage one another.

Club 1
We had the same kids consistently throughout the whole week.  A few of them were older and were eager to help with the club, so we allowed them to help with actions and prizes and things, more and more throughout the week. On the second-last day of the club, two of the kids put on nametags and pretended to be Will and me, which we played along with until we needed to teach… and then the last day, nearly everyone was “Will 1, Will 2, Will 3,  Quin 1,” etc.  So despite their attempts to steal our identities (they were later saying that they were going to teach the next club), the club was a lot of fun and I can really see some becoming CYIA workers in the future.

Club 2
This one was a smaller club (we had 8 total kids who came) but I think they really enjoyed the club.  And my prayer is that, as in all clubs, we were able to encourage these kids in their walks with God for those who already knew Him, and plant seeds in those who don’t know Him yet.

Club 3
Club 3 was lots of fun.  All the Mennonite kids tended to show up like a half-hour early to the club, which meant we got to just play and hang out with them!  Of course, this meant we had to find a way to keep them from running around the entire church, and from screaming at the top of their lungs, so we did some impromptu game-organization.  We had promised the kids that if they reached 23 kids we would let them “pie” Will, and if they reached 25, they could pie both of us. They only got to 20, but because they were genuinely inviting friends and we had the pie supplies anyways, Will volunteered to receive a pie from each child present (14 of them) and took them in the face like a true champion. So while this was the rowdiest bunch we taught, they really engaged with the songs and stories and I pray that the messages will stick with them.

Club 4
We never did go back to the reserve, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean there won’t be clubs there again in the future.  I still don’t know what God’s plan in all of this is, but I’m trying to just trust Him with it from here out.

A few things I would appreciate prayer for: I think it’s supposed to be rainy these next few days, so pray that wouldn’t deter kids from coming. Pray for energy for me as I teach my 4 clubs this week, and for wisdom and joy throughout.

OK! That’s another wrap-up post. Thank you for listening and for praying.

-Quin

Hey everyone! Here’s an update on my clubs with Will Persson here in Blaine Lake area have been going!

Club 1
This club has been lots of fun to teach. We have about 11 kids attending, about 4 of whom are older than the 13-years we advertise for the club, but who are helpful to keep the other kids engaged and helping them with the crafts following the teaching portion of the club.

Club 2
The first day of this club was cold and rainy, and no kids came, which I think was pretty disappointing for the hostess. But she contacted a number of families in the area, and today we had 4 kids show up! So that was really encouraging for the hostess as well as Will and I. None of these children came from churched homes, so pray that we will proclaim the gospel clearly and boldly to these kids!

Club 3
Club 3 has been really good too.  We have about 16 kids coming so far, most of whom are from a Mennonite colony. The kids are really engaged and have fun with the songs and stories, so it’s been really fun to teach. Kids can be very high-energy… today some of them showed up with their mouths stained blue from eating candy just  before, so that probably didn’t help a lot either! But it’s been a good club altogether.

Club 4
This club is held in a church in a reserve. Yesterday, we didn’t have any kids coming, so today, we went advertising around the reserve. A few kids were just walking around and started walking with us. For some reason it never crossed our mind to tell these kids to ask their parents for permission to walk around with us; they were just walking around on their own to begin with. Yeah. Bad idea. So when the kids went back to their Mom, she was very upset with us for not talking to her first… which is totally reasonable. So the way things currently stand, it’s not looking like we’ll be able to teach the club in this reserve anymore. We could really use prayer for this club… for wisdom for to know how to interact with the people on this reserve, and prayer for this whole mess in general. My billet shared a verse that has been encouraging in all of this:

Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, for the saving of many lives.”

So yeah, please pray against discouragement and frustration, and pray that God will give us peace knowing that He is in control and has a plan in all of this. Thank you for your prayers!

-Quin