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I can honestly say I have not felt so mentally drained as I have today… I felt like the entire day was a series of gongshows. Just one after the other. I honestly don’t even know how capable I was at teaching the gospel. I pray that by God’s grace the kids were able to learn something because today I felt that I was supremely inadequate. But God is good. All the time. And He can use anyone to reach kids.

ALL 5 of my clubs had kids today! I nearly cancelled one due to no kids the first three days but there was kids at all 5! I was so glad. My first club had 17 kids at it, and one kid really wanted Tony to be a dinosaur. I told him that a dinosaur would not be very good at running a store and he seemed to agree with me. I must admit 3 year old logic is the best kind of logic most days.

My second club finally had kids! One of the girls had been at my first club the day before when we informed her there was actually a club in her own town. So she brought a friend today. But I had a lot of catch up to do in the Tony story.

My third club was great. The three littlest boys always have so much energy.  I also have kids in it that have heard all the stories before and are not wanting to participate in the songs or memory verses. I am not entirely sure why they return if they don’t want to do anything, unless its only to look smart for knowing everything already. I really hope its because they like the stories and that God is working on their hearts. But all their dissension is relayed to the three younger ones, who then also want to rebel. But this has been going on all week so I just have to tell them to not give away the stories and really encourage them to participate. I told them they are not allowed to say “no” to songs or memory verses if they come to club.

Club four was good. There were 5 girls. It was a little chaotic but a lot of fun. They informed me that one of the pages makes it look like Tony is selling decapitated heads along with all his oranges. The heads belong to people who are shopping in Tony’s store, but their body’s are hidden behind a shelf that is tall enough to just show their heads… I can’t disagree that there are just floating heads that kind of look like they are sitting on shelves. Haha but we got through the club alright.

My fifth club had three boys, but what we lacked in numbers we made up for in nonsense and energy. Haha all the boys are the same age and are all related or super close friends. I cannot even put into words how amazingly crazy this club was. I actually really enjoyed just being their friend. They didn’t treat me like a teacher most of the club but they treated me like one of them. Which was a little hard to adjust to while also trying to gain their respect as a teacher. But we survived. Probably just barely. I honestly hope that they can at least learn from the lessons!

I have just loved these kids this week. Although today was riddled with distractions and chaos everyone got out alive and stories were told. I just hope that God was able to use me in a way i can’t see because I do not feel confident in anything I did today.


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Surprisingly unexpected… This is actually the slogan of Moose Jaw.  Now I think it is a little redundant and unnecessary for the slogan of a city, but I think it thoroughly describes my feelings of today.  I was surprised by a multitude of occurrences.  I will admit that not all of the surprises were good surprises, but surprises none the less.

This morning I woke up and lazily checked Facebook as I was trying to adjust to the light of a new day.  First surprise. Not a good surprise.  I am friends with the pastor from Mossbank on Facebook as I have been at that VBS three years already.  He shared a post regarding a lady from that community had passed away this week in an accident.  This is a lady that helped every year at VBS.  I knew this lady.  I was very devastated.  But I am confident she is with the Lord now.

Second surprise, and this one is a good one! I showed up to my club in Rosenhof and was welcomed with a few new faces! Our attendance has 19 names on it!!! Now all of those 19 were not there today. Some due to their parents not wanting them there… So I hope that they will be able to attend again this week at some point!

I went to my club in Waldeck again today with no kids showing up. But I learned that a girl at the Rosenhof club is actually from Waldeck.  Her mum said that she would try and bring her and some more friends tomorrow.  I hope she does or else I fear I will have to cancel this club.

My third club is in Swift Current. And some of my repeaters from last week did not return.  This surprised me.  They have been so eager all week to return everyday again, and then they just didn’t show up.  But the rest of the kids worked on their memory verses with me and were able to get some pass it on cards.  This one little fella was so stoked to have picked the lady bug one.  He showed it off to me, his grandma, his aunt, the other kids.  The joy he had on his face after struggling so hard to memorise his verse was priceless!

My fourth club is also in Swift Current, and probably had the greatest surprise of all.  I had just started teaching the Noah story when one of the girls asked if we were almost done.  Well I said I had the whole bible story to get through.  She stated, rather insistently, that we had to get to the part where I ask if anyone wants to invite Jesus into their heart.  I told her we could do it then and there.  She was so excited! We prayed together, and then we finished the bible story.

Another great surprise. My last club has had pretty small numbers of about 2 all week.  Well today we had 8 kids! I was so excited.  They were a bit rowdy but we got through it all.  Also all the kids (who were all acting pretty cool in the club) were super stoked to get lessons at the end! I am so encouraged by these kids.

I have greatly enjoyed my time in Swift Current again this year!  I will be sad to say goodbye to all these kids on Friday!


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Well week 2 has commenced! I am pretty excited to see what happens!

My first club began at 9 in Rosenhof, but actually did not begin until about 9:25. Haha but it was worth the wait. There were 11 kids! I was so encouraged. And I taught most of them at that club last year. They are a fun bunch, a good mix of ages and personalities.

Club number two is at a park in Waldeck, and there were no kids. So tomorrow before club I am going to go find some kids, hopefully! At my third club a mum sat in and I was saying how I didn’t have kids in Waldeck. She told me she drove the school bus there, and where I would have better luck advertising.

My third club was in Swift Current. It had six kids. I had taught all of them before at some point. Three of the kids were the hostesses great grand kids and i had taught them the year before, and the other three I had taught last week. So they kept trying to get out of singing or saying the memory verses, but I made them do them anyways. I didn’t want the rebelliousness they were exhibiting to spread to the younger three who didn’t know the songs.

My fourth club had four kids. I have taught three of the four at that club last year. It is actually just really nice being around kids you have already taught and seeing how they have changed in a year.

My fifth club had two kids. It took a bit of encouraging from one of the boys dad, but they both finally consented. It was good. They didn’t want to sing the songs but i went through the verses pretty thoroughly. And then we went through the stories. One of the boys wont be there tomorrow so I am not sure what is in store for that club.

Prayer requests for this week would be for endurance as I am trying to get over some fatigue.  As well as kids for the clubs! I would love to be able to reach as many kids as possible in these communities. I guess guidance in where to advertise would also be appreciated. Advertising is not my favourite thing, mostly because I have a really hard time approaching strangers.


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Well this week has been fantastic! I love Swift Current, and I love seeing kids that I taught last year, as well as meeting new kids! I have been struggling with fatigue that past few months and it has been getting better, but I have still been napping almost daily. I really hope I can survive the 5 club days next week.

Yesterday after teaching Noah all the kids were asking questions about rainbows.  One of the older kids asked how to get to the end of the rainbow and I told him that it was impossible. I said no matter where you are you can see the ends of the rainbow, but because rainbows are perception based you can’t actually walk to the end of the rainbow. Well then he asked what I meant so i delved into the explanation of how the sun shines through water droplets and separates into all the colors based on what degree the sun enters the droplet at. And so wherever you moved the sun would shine into different droplets and the rainbow would move if you moved. Oh those kids were confused, but I loved how knowledge hungry they were! They are so eager to learn anything we teach. It is so encouraging.  Today at the morning club one of the girls that came yesterday wanted to catch up in lessons with her siblings who had came on Tuesday so I gave her the first two lessons. Today after club I handed her the packet of five lessons and she wandered off. But all of the sudden she appeared in front of me again with the biggest smile on her face. I was just about to ask if she needed anything before I left, when she blurted out that she had accepted Jesus into her heart, at home last night doing the lesson.  I gave her a huge smile and a high five. Then I quickly prayed with her. I ran out to my car and grabbed a bible and scribbled a message for her.  She seems so sincere. I am really happy for her.  Her brother came up to me and asked me to help him accept Jesus in his heart. I shook my head at him, and told him that he did it last year. He said, “I know…” and I told him that we only need to do that once. I explained that once you have Jesus in your heart he doesn’t leave. He seemed pretty happy with that explanation.

My afternoon club had a decision yesterday. She was a pretty little gaffer so I was not sure how sincere she was. Today the little one was excited to proclaim that Jesus was in her heart and that Jesus loved her. She is a handful but such a joy. I really hope that she is able to fully understand what she did one day.  Her and her sister do not have the greatest home life and the few weeks they spend with their aunt a year is about all the exposure to the Bible or church that they get. My heart really breaks for them. But I am confident that God is working in their lives.  My afternoon club was a little rowdy this afternoon, but we survived.

I hope everyone has survived week one of teaching and that you aren’t too tired.


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Hello! So yesterday I had said that one of my clubs had been moved to next week. So although next week looks like it is going to be a rather full day, I had the opportunity for a nap today. I am incredibly thankful that i could sleep 2-3 hours today. I woke up with major heartburn and a really bad stomach ache this morning and the nap provided a break from the pain. I was honestly super discouraged about teaching today. I was not in the mood at all. But God has a way of getting us through the tough clubs and changing or mindset. Maybe even helping us do a 180… Today was a tough day. But God is good, All the time!

I arrived at my first club and we had three new kids!!! I am so glad. But during the first song I nearly passed out. My hostess was thankfully outside and told me to take a seat. She ran inside a grabbed me a cold compress and a tall glass of ice water. She also went over the contest while i tried to regain my focus. I am so thankful for her, and am glad that the kids were patient with my ineptitude. I was able to finish the club and a few of the kids seem really into the stories so I hope that God can use me to reach these kids.

I came back to my billets at lunch and then went to sleep. She woke me up in time to have a quick snack and some water before club. I am so thankful to everyone that prayed for me today. I am not feeling 100% better, but I am feeling a lot better.

My second club went from three kids to six kids! I was so glad. A few of the kids were not super interested in anything and that made it hard for the ones who were interested. No one wanted to be the one kid who sang, haha so I was the one Kid, um Adult, that sang by myself. No form of encouragement could get the kids to sing or participate. It was a tough crowd. It was kinda an awkward club. There were kids that wanted to be there and learn but there were others that were not so interested and that made it difficult for the younger ones to be interested. They wanted to participate, but they didn’t want to be the only ones so I was the only one.

I really pray that the kids think over what they heard today and that it resonates with them. I felt so inadequate today.

I really hope that everyone is having a great first week. I love reading everyone’s blogs when I have the time!


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“I’m falling out of style with the current way things are
the things that make conforming hard
I’m falling out of control and you just can’t stop me now
I’ll fight as long as time allows

face down this carpet tastes like coffee grounds ground into my face now
and every angle’s covered with just another band-aid

I’m out here way beyond
a shadow of a doubt
and i know I’m never falling out
of favor with you”

This is how my life has felt lately. “Falling Out” by Relient K just hits home with me some days.  Just one step forward and two steps back. But God is good and this summer is going to be amazing. I am so excited to see what God is going to do through each of the summer missionaries.

Well the summer has begun again, and with it droves of kids (hopefully.)  Today was day one of week one and I am already looking forward to what is going to happen this summer!

I am in Swift Current for the next two weeks teaching a couple clubs I taught last year, which is always nice. I love being able to follow up with the kids and see how they have been over the past year!

I had 2 kids at my first club and they were pretty fun. A little shy but still fun.  I am really looking forward to getting to know them more as the week goes on.  The hostess also says that there is a possibility of more kids, around 6 or so, that could be joining us throughout the week so prayers for more kids in club one would be great!

Club two was last minute (this afternoon) changed to next week at 9am, so I will have a 5 club day next week! Hopefully I have energy. I am excited for next week though!

My third club had 3 kids all of which I have taught before, but at different clubs. I am excited to be with these three! They are very into the stories and ask so many questions! They also all wanted wordless books, so it looks as though i will be having craft night tonight and whipping up a few wordless books. I love how eager the kids are. Its so encouraging going into the first week with such joy and happiness. I hope it carries through the rest of the summer!

 

Prayer requests:

That I would have enough energy.  I have been struggling the past few months with pretty intense fatigue. Sleeping 8 hours a night does not help and its frustrating being tired all the time. So energy would be insanely helpful, especially whilst dealing with children!