So by now you get the idea that we were very excited about today and it wasn't a disappointment! We were up and ready for action by 6:30am and backstage and in costume by 8:30. The singing and dancing was a blast and our practice paid off. The morning group of kids range in age from 9-11 years old and spoke a little English and really got into our songs. Sharon and Tyler helped them decorate crowns today at crafts, Becca and Jessica put on a little skit to depict David and his writing of Psalm 23, Jinmei and I held an obstacle course race to show that life can get tough, and Brianna helped them make heart shaped jelly sandwiches at crafts. We wore our royal costumes (thanks, Sandy for letting us raid your costume supply) for opening and closing, and it made for quite a show.
The afternoon session was filled with 3-5 year olds. They were so adorable and they just melt your heart. They looked up at us with such admiration while we were in costume. It gave me an idea of what it must feel like to be a princess at DisneyLand. I think there are a few of us that might want to try our hand at that job sometime in the future. I might be past the ability to play Cinderella, but hey-it might be fun to be a wicked queen or even the sweet little old ladies on Mainstreet, USA that greet you. I draw the line at any costume with a big giant furry head. though. OK, back on topic.....
A few quotes heard today.....
During snacks a little boy took his heart-shaped sandwich and covered it with his plate. When asked why he wasn't eating it he replied, "I'm taking it home to my sister, she doesn't know who Jesus is and I want to tell her."
When I was introducing myself to the kids at games the children kept thinking my name was "Sushi". I might just let them call me that, it's so cute when they say it!
As we were wrapping up and saying goodbye to the children 3 of them came up to us with cards. They were hand made invitations and as they nervously handed them over to us they looked at each other and as if it had been rehearsed several times said, "We are pleased to invite you all to our homes for some delicious food and to chat tomorrow night." Once they completed their invitation, they beamed with pride and had smiles from ear to ear when we accepted and said we would be honored. We will be splitting into groups of twos and three tomorrow night and will have the incredible honor of spending and evening with one of the children and their family for dinner. The kids had worked so hard on the handmade invitations too, it was touching!
The evening was filled with a great dinner and walking through the crowded stalls at what is known as the "Ladies Market" in Mon Took. It is an outdoor bizarre with street vendors, souvenir stalls, and more people than I have ever seen in one place in my life. It is exhausting for me because I want to make sure I can see my group at all times. That is very hard to do in this type of environment. But we are back safe and sound now so I can wrap up this post and go to bed and re-energize for another big day tomorrow!
Once final key thought: This morning while I was laying awake in the wee hours of the morning, a few doubt-filled thoughts found their way into my head. "Boy, you had to raise a lot of money to come here. You are only teaching 3 days. Are you sure this is what you are supposed to be doing?" Before I went down the path of that kind of negativity too long, I stopped myself and began to pray. I quickly had the still small voice that told me that is the trick of the evil foe. Doubt. And then I remembered a few points that brought me back to the right way of thinking. God reminded me that yes, we are teaching VBS for 3 days, and that in itself IS important. But it is bigger than even that. From the relationships we form by being here to the layers of the church, school, and parents of the kids-the Holy Spirit will bless the interactions and in fact has called us to be here. So-with the doubt erased and work to be done, we are having a wonderful time watching how things unfold here and how God will use our hands and voices this week.
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