Never a Dull Moment

Since we got back from the EFRAJON, it seems as though time has been flying by in Huacshapata.  Our first Saturday back with the youth group we had about 8-10 teens which is a good number after the series of weeks that we were unable to meet.  The second week we had 16 and were very encouraged that things continue to pick up quickly, not having to rebuild after a time away.  The work we do in Huacshapata often feels very different from that in Hunter where the church is not yet established and people seem to find it difficult to attend activities in buildings that are not their own home.  That being said, we had the opportunity to lead Vacation Bible School last week in Huacshapata and it was a blast.  We had 45 kids in total - 20 in Wendy's class and 25 in mine.  What an adventure. 

My kids ranged from 8-15 and I only had a helper the first day.  My spanish makes it difficult at times for kids to pay attention, but overall it went really well.  We danced the "taza" every morning, had a puppet show, reviewed the lesson from the day before, sang a song that fit with the lesson and then split up in our respective classes.  Wendy and her helper Yovana had all the little ones and my rambunctious group would run to the other church building to try and get a good seat. From the beginning of each class they were a high-energy, high-spirited group that both warmed my heart and drove me crazy!


The overall theme was about constructing our lives (we didn't use all the Bob the Builder propaganda because most of them don't have TVs and don't know who he is).  The Bible lessons were about Noah (obedience), the tower of Babel (humility), Nehemiah reconstructing the wall around Jerusalem (Trust), Christ's lesson about building our house on the rock instead of sand (making good decisions), and King David charging Solomon and the kingdom with building the temple (choosing Christ).  One, it's amazing that I can teach about all of this in another language.  That was impossible for me two years ago.  Secondly, I've spent very little time working with children in this capacity before this experience...and I survived the week.  And, it's because I prayed before and throughout for God's wisdom and strength to be a blessing to those kids. 

After the lesson each day they made crafts and then we closed with a snack time.  At the end of the week we had a closing ceremony with 3 choreographies, we danced the "taza" and gave out certificates to all the kids, and diplomas to first and second place students for model behavior and attendance.    The most surprising thing for me is that during the ceremony Wendy asked all the kids if they could remember a Bible verse from the week to win a prize.  Without hesitation, Dante, one of my most disruptive 10 year old boys, was the first to raise his hand and recite the verse from the second day including the reference.  My jaw dropped.  I was grateful to God for each moment of chaos throughout the week in that moment - so worth it.  I'm glad it's over, but am blessed to have had this experience.