Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
|
Hey so today was once again an interesting day. Grace and I both woke up late and were pretty frustrated this morning about some things. It was honestly so hard to go and teach a club by myself when I personally did not feel like I could. But God gave me the strength and it turned out to be a good day, even if I had a bad morning.
Club 1: Today I had 7 kids come so that was great and another kid came too. He has a Catholic background and he made comments that made me wonder if he fully understood the Gospel. Also his parents are divorced and I want to make sure I do my absolute best to present the Gospel to these kids. So pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to soften this boy’s heart and he would be receptive. Also there a girl there who is next door neighbors with the hostess. Their kids are close friends, now the hostess’ son was trying to tell me his verse which was Romans 6:23. This girl had missed the verse from yesterday because she wasn’t there. After he had said it she spoke up and said:
“Hey, I know what the gift of God is.”
Myself: “You do? What is it ?”
Girl: “It’s Jesus dying on a cross for the bad things we have done.”
I was so happy to hear that she understood that all on own because her family doesn’t believe in Jesus. So it was super exciting to hear that she got that. Then the hostess’ son was so happy she got that too and asked how she knew this. And it was through her lessons that she had been doing this week. So pray for this girl and her family as the hostess has been evangelizing to this family for awhile. I’m so happy that a seed was planted and I know without a doubt God was continue to make it grow.
Club 2: This club has been interesting as the kids are a bit more difficult to work with. So the little boy who had brain damage came today so that was good to see. Before we even started song time he was reaching for me to lift him up. So I did that and did the actions at the same time which was something new. After that I sat down with him and it seemed like we became pretty good friends. During the storytime of A Little Rascal he sat on my lap and listened really well during the story. After the song it was my turn to tell the Bible story, but this boy refused to go and sit with Shamus. Everyone was encouraging him to go when he yelled out: “But I love you.” I didn’t want to risk the chance of him having a melt down so Shamus told the Bible story instead. But during it he got up and wanted to play with a toy, but one of the volunteers told him it was too distracting and took it from him. He had this black puppy he had played with before, so I grabbed it and gave it to him. Afterwards his older sister told me that’s his calm down puppy. It was clearly God working there because there was no way I could have known about that. It was a draining club, energy wise, but it was a good one and I’m really going to miss these kids. They’re a challenge but tomorrow is still going to be pretty sad. But pray that they will be able to calm down and not be too energetic for tomorrow.
Club 3: Today for this club in the park Shamus and I decided to play a game of grounders to get more kids. As a result almost all of the kids came and played with us. We played for about 30 minutes then we told the kids about the 5-Day Clubs. They came marching in a group when they heard the word ‘prizes’. We had 14 kids come today and that was really awesome to see. The kids listened really well and I got to thoroughly explain the Gospel in the story of Saul to Paul. We gave out Gospel of John’s and lots of packages. I had one girl come up to me and she looked pretty interested in making a decision but didn’t. She took one of the Gospel’s and said that she needed to do more reading this summer, and she would read that book. I was so happy to hear that and 2 girls came to Christ too! Honestly, before Shamus and I got there I was just praying for God to do something incredible with this club and He did today. (:
I’m so excited but tired so pray that we can finish tomorrow off strong.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
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!
Posted By: Rose Williams
|
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
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
|
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: We had the same boy attend today, but unfortunately it is the last day that he was able to come this week. 🙁 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: 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! 🙂 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: 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.
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
|
Alright so today was a good day of teaching and I had lots of fun. The kids were super great and filled with so much energy. But I managed, and it’s crazy to think we are halfway through the week.
Club 1: So this club has been great and today we had 4 kids and one girl was new. The kids still got into stories and songtime. Apparently lots of the kids will be coming back tomorrow so that’s awesome, but I’m really hoping for more neighborhood kids. So pray that the advertising the hostess has done so far will be effective.
Club 2: The VBS today had 6 kids and the boy I had asked for you guys to pray for came today! He was doing much better and even though he seemed to be all over the place, when he sat down he really did focus on what was being said. The kids listened and were engaged so that was awesome to see. During it Shamus made ballon animals and all of the kids got to leave with one. One girl has hers and she was throwing it up in the air. Then she said:
“Hey, it’s a flying dog. Like Rudolph but it’s a dog.”
That comment probably made my day. (:
Lots of the kids are unchurched here so just pray that God will continue to soften their hearts. (:
Club 3: This was our club in the park and it was pretty good. I was super tired and was just not ready to teach but I mustered up some energy to advertise to these parents. As I sat down and talked to Shamus I saw a girl with a Frisbee playing by herself. So right away I saw this as an opportunity and asked if I could play with her. We talked about her TobyMac shirt she was wearing when her friend came and joined in. Soon we had a pretty fun game of catch happening. I invited them to come and they came. 4 kids were here today, including the hostess’ 2 kids, but it was good. For this club pray that we can reach more kids, and tomorrow is our last day for this club.
My last prayer is just for energy because this busy itinerary is really tiring. I have to leave the house before 8 and I usually get home and done teaching around 9:00. So pray that won’t be an issue.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Hello Everyone! Well…I think I’ve waited long enough to write a blog. I am teaching two clubs this week. One is at Oungre Park and the other is at Nickel Lake.
My first club this week is out at Oungre Park. This is the second week this summer that we have been able to offer club to the kids in this area. We work around the swimming lesson sessions to be able to reach different kids. We had an awesome response during the first set of lessons. Its been exciting to see God’s hand as we have been able to host clubs at the park for 6 summers and because of the open door many boys and girls have come to know the Lord or have been spurred on in their walk with the Lord. The park is somewhat quiet this week and even the swimming lessons aren’t full so its been more of a challenge to find kids to attend our club. I had 4 kids on Monday then on Tuesday it decided to rain and be extremely windy so my attendance dropped to 1 child. Today it was nice and sunny outside so I was thinking that there would probably be more kids but it was just the one kid again. Please pray that God will supply children to come for the last two days and encourage the boy who has been faithfully attending.
Weyburn seems to be a difficult community to find willing host families but God always provides in His perfect way and this year the regional park was more than willing to let us host not just one club but three, isn’t that amazing. I taught my first week at the park and I had 8 kids at the club. The first day I was in the middle of telling the extra story and it started pouring rain…I thought that I was going to lose all of the kids but they all stayed and we moved the club somewhere else where there was shelter. All of these kids weren’t from around here and were camping at the lake for a few weeks. Three of the kids loved club so much that they said they would go the next week when Janessa was teaching the club. So I prayed that they would go again the next week. Sure enough they did, and Janessa led all three of them to the Lord! God is Good 🙂 This week the first night I wasn’t sure if there would be any kids because there was a tornado warning in our area and it was very windy. It was 6:15 and I was starting to think that it was going to be a no show…then all of a sudden I see four girls running toward me to come to club. At the end of the club that night I had 8 kids in total. On Tuesday it wasn’t very nice weather…it was raining and there was extreme wind so there weren’t any kids that day. Today I went there expecting to have kids because it was sunny outside. But when I drove into the park it was dead so I waited for a few minutes and no one came so I went to the park beside where I was having the club to do advertising but nobody ended up bringing their kids. Tomorrow is the last day for this club. If you could just pray that God will soften the hearts of the parents to let their kids come to club.
Thanks for your prayers,
Lauren
Posted By: Nekaelly Sandstra
|
Cool, I can even blog off my phone! 🙂 So this is how my week has been going so far.
Club #1- I started with two kids- one who is the hostess’ daughter and a boy from the neighborhood, who is coming because his mom wants him to start learning about Jesus and Biblical things. This boy accepted Jesus on the first day- Praise God!! It was very cool on the next day because when I started explaining how Jesus came down and died to save us, he stood up and started cheering, “I believe in Jesus!” and did a little happy dance!! Also, I had four more kids today, so this club is up to 6!
Club #2- For this club and the next, Danae and Abby have joined my clubs because their out-of-town club was cancelled. This one is up to three kids, but it is hard to teach because they don’t pay attention well and, for the most part, don’t listen attentively to the stories. So pray that these kids grow more attentive and interest in the club and aren’t as distracted.
Club #3- This is a VBS at the Filipino church, and we are up to 37 kids!!! I enjoy teaching this group and interacting with them by helping with crafts and just talking with them. Even today a group of girls ran up and asked if I would sit with them, and it is very neat to hear the stories and experiences that they share. Our friend Jayden is also helping us at this club, and it’s so great to have many hands serving the kids here!
Some prayer requests:
-That more kids will be open to coming to clubs, especially the first two
-That God would settle the kids down in Club #2 and that they would focus more
-That I would be more confident and empowered with God’s strength as I teach, as I am very tired lately
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself (Jesus) may be in them.” -John 17:25-26
God bless y’all!
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
|
Hey guys, so this week we did a switch up and the ChangChang’s were broken up for this week. So now I’m teaching with the ever awesome Shamus Westra. It’s always great getting to work with different teachers and it’s been a real privilege working with him. Anyways on with the clubs:
Club 1: So this one is a club I am teaching by myself and I felt kind of awkward when I came there the first day. I was super early because Grace had to drop me off in the north end then headed to Grace Konard’s club in the south end. As I strolled up with my suitcase I rung the doorbell and a little boy I had taught last year answered the door. Then his mom came and I realized I had taught a different club that they went to, and this boy had accepted Christ. It was so awesome that I actually knew them somewhat so right away I felt more at rest. Then a bunch of kids came piling in the backyard at club time, and most of them I had taught last year at this different club. The moms were really close and decided to move to their house in a different neighborhood to see if they could get more kids to come. It was awesome to see two parents so concerned about working together to get the Gospel spread. (: The ages for this club is 3-7 so it’s a really young crowd but they have such great attention spands. At the beginning of club there was a little girl and she started crying before I even started. But by the end of club she was singing along to the songs and excited like everyone else. I honestly love teaching this club and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow. Shamus came at the end of club and we played soccer with some of the boys. For this club we haven’t really had any kids in the neighborhood, other than 2 kids out of the 10. So pray for more since there are lots and lots of kids in that area.
Club 2: So with this VBS we have a 11 kids come today and that was pretty cool. There is a grandma and she brought 6 kids with her yesterday. She has a 5 year old son she adopted and she told us that he has brain damage because of his parents doing drugs when he was younger. His right side is completely damaged and the front of his left is too. He didn’t come to VBS because he had a melt down today at home and apparently had to wear a helmet so he wouldn’t hurt his head when he hit it on things. Please pray for this boy and this lady taking care of him. So we taught the club, and yesterday they were distracted during our part of teaching. But today they did really good and were engaged especially in the stories. Many of the kids are unchurched here so pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to soften their hearts. (: At a point while Shamus was teaching he asked what the name of the boy from A Little Rascal was. This boy put up his hand and said: “His name was Tony…Tony Stark!” I tried to keep from laughing, as he thought that we were learning about Ironman. I’ve enjoyed this crowd and getting to know them.
Club 3: This club is in the park in the evening. Now park clubs have always been harder for me because of my experience a couple of years ago. I taught in a park by myself, and there was a lady there who wasn’t happy my hostess and I was there. But we headed out and I just had to face my fears of teaching in the park. So we ended having 4 kids, including this hostess’ 2 kids, and it truly was a preschool club. We didn’t have batteries for the CD player either so whenever the kids seemed really energetic, they would chase Shamus around. It was a great way to lose energy. Now there was a 4 year old girl there and just felt like there was something there. So I felt like I should pray for her as the club went by. After I had taught the Biblre story I asked if anyone wanted to accepted Jesus and she put up her hand. I went through the Wordless Book with her, but her parents wanted to go. The thing was that it was actually okay just because she made comments during club that showed she didn’t fully get it. Like that she was a angel and stuff so this seemed entirely new to her. I felt like it was better for me just to explain the Book to her rather than try and add an extra number on the stat sheet. I was glad to know that a seed was just planted, so just pray this girl will continue to understand.
This morning I read a passage in Psalm 127:1 which says “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” I can’t start trying to build my ministry in the way I want it built. It won’t produce the fruit it would with God. Rather I have to let God do it instead and this club just reminded me of that importance. (:
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
|
My blog today is going to be an oddly short, and straight to the point post for me. Here goes…
Club One: 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: 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: 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.
Posted By: Quin Sawatsky
|
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
|
