Hey (:
Friday began with the G-SUS Bus. We were there from 8:30 am until 4 pm. It was a very long day, but I got to present which I thoroughly enjoyed. I forgot a few things, but overall it was all right. I loved telling the children parts of my story and telling them that even in hardship God sent Jesus to help us through our problems and, even, to solve them by dying on the cross! I had the older group which the others said was the hardest group. However, I felt that they were wonderful listeners. It was a little strange with everyone's eyes fixed on me (Angela! I missed you a lot in those moments), but it was good still. I got to speak with the RE (religious education) teacher a little bit, and that class is so interesting to me! In those classes they go through a number of different religious affiliations and the concepts, practices, and beliefs behind each. Some affiliations she mentions were Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. I asked the older group about Judaism, but they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. The RE teacher went on to say that the older group had just gone through the teachings of Jesus and had a test on the applications. She said she really enjoyed this activity because it really showed how Jesus' teachings can be applied to certain situations in life. She was even interested in using this program next year to try and help the students really conceptualize it. I asked her about her beliefs and she said the normal answer of "My parents are Christians, but I haven't figured out what I believe."
The pluralism of this society really strikes me sometimes. They see no harm in teaching religion in schools and actually see it as a need because religion is so important to most people. Bobby was telling me that one of the RE teachers said that because "this is a Christian nation" it's important to study Christianity only because of the heritage. It makes me wonder what America will be like when my children start going to school. Will it turn into Europe, or will it continue thinking that any form of religious belief in the school is harmful to students and must be a matter of the "private" sector?
Anyway, it is my prayer right now that the children will see the bus as more than just another class. I'm afraid that they will begin seeing the Bible as a textbook rather than something incredibly important to their lives. It is also my prayer that we will be able to spark their curiosity and have them ask questions and challenge their current way of thinking. So many of the youth here are skeptical and somewhat hostile to the Christian faith. They love to challenge us, but I want them to sit and actually think critically about what the Bible has to offer rather than assume what their hearing from youtube, their teachers, and their families is correct.
Kids' Club happened Friday night after the bus. It was wonderful, and I'm so excited to be part of that group. I love teaching the children about our Lord and Savior, and it's so fun to see how interested they are. It was also so exciting to see that although a lot of things went wrong (we couldn't get the projector to work, the person who was in charge of bible time didn't show up, and the children were having a very hard time listening), God was still in control. As I said the person in charge of the bible story didn't come, so I had to read the story from the Children's Bible. And even though there was no visual aid, the children could still answer all of the questions I asked of them. It was the story of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb on Easter morning.
I would ask that you would pray for a little girl named Molly. She's probably about 8 years old, and she has a very strong and influential personality. And sometimes she can be a bit distracting to those who are trying to listen. Ask that the Lord might move in her heart and that he might capture her imagination. She has a very hard time paying attention, and I want her spunk and her personality to help the others become captivated by the Lord rather than a hindrance to them.
After that was a PCY event on Caerphilly mountain. We played a version of Capture the Flag where not only did you try and capture the other's flag, you got to search for these wooden blocks that were hidden in the brambles and nettles of the mountain side. I was rotten at this game, absolutely rubbish. I got caught and dragged to prison maybe 10 times, I didn't find any blocks, and I couldn't find their flag at all. Granted I was on the wrong side of the mountain looking for their flag but, hey, that's all right. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the kids of PCY a little bit more. I'm hoping that later in the summer I'll be able to invite the girls over for a slumber party, but I'm not sure it's going to work. I hope it will as I really enjoy all of the girls I have been meeting.
We hung out and watched Faulty Towers (hysterical show. y'all need to watch it!) until about 12:30 that night. It was a good time of relaxation. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep during that. Then that was the end of Friday!
Friday began with the G-SUS Bus. We were there from 8:30 am until 4 pm. It was a very long day, but I got to present which I thoroughly enjoyed. I forgot a few things, but overall it was all right. I loved telling the children parts of my story and telling them that even in hardship God sent Jesus to help us through our problems and, even, to solve them by dying on the cross! I had the older group which the others said was the hardest group. However, I felt that they were wonderful listeners. It was a little strange with everyone's eyes fixed on me (Angela! I missed you a lot in those moments), but it was good still. I got to speak with the RE (religious education) teacher a little bit, and that class is so interesting to me! In those classes they go through a number of different religious affiliations and the concepts, practices, and beliefs behind each. Some affiliations she mentions were Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. I asked the older group about Judaism, but they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. The RE teacher went on to say that the older group had just gone through the teachings of Jesus and had a test on the applications. She said she really enjoyed this activity because it really showed how Jesus' teachings can be applied to certain situations in life. She was even interested in using this program next year to try and help the students really conceptualize it. I asked her about her beliefs and she said the normal answer of "My parents are Christians, but I haven't figured out what I believe."
The pluralism of this society really strikes me sometimes. They see no harm in teaching religion in schools and actually see it as a need because religion is so important to most people. Bobby was telling me that one of the RE teachers said that because "this is a Christian nation" it's important to study Christianity only because of the heritage. It makes me wonder what America will be like when my children start going to school. Will it turn into Europe, or will it continue thinking that any form of religious belief in the school is harmful to students and must be a matter of the "private" sector?
Anyway, it is my prayer right now that the children will see the bus as more than just another class. I'm afraid that they will begin seeing the Bible as a textbook rather than something incredibly important to their lives. It is also my prayer that we will be able to spark their curiosity and have them ask questions and challenge their current way of thinking. So many of the youth here are skeptical and somewhat hostile to the Christian faith. They love to challenge us, but I want them to sit and actually think critically about what the Bible has to offer rather than assume what their hearing from youtube, their teachers, and their families is correct.
Kids' Club happened Friday night after the bus. It was wonderful, and I'm so excited to be part of that group. I love teaching the children about our Lord and Savior, and it's so fun to see how interested they are. It was also so exciting to see that although a lot of things went wrong (we couldn't get the projector to work, the person who was in charge of bible time didn't show up, and the children were having a very hard time listening), God was still in control. As I said the person in charge of the bible story didn't come, so I had to read the story from the Children's Bible. And even though there was no visual aid, the children could still answer all of the questions I asked of them. It was the story of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb on Easter morning.
I would ask that you would pray for a little girl named Molly. She's probably about 8 years old, and she has a very strong and influential personality. And sometimes she can be a bit distracting to those who are trying to listen. Ask that the Lord might move in her heart and that he might capture her imagination. She has a very hard time paying attention, and I want her spunk and her personality to help the others become captivated by the Lord rather than a hindrance to them.
After that was a PCY event on Caerphilly mountain. We played a version of Capture the Flag where not only did you try and capture the other's flag, you got to search for these wooden blocks that were hidden in the brambles and nettles of the mountain side. I was rotten at this game, absolutely rubbish. I got caught and dragged to prison maybe 10 times, I didn't find any blocks, and I couldn't find their flag at all. Granted I was on the wrong side of the mountain looking for their flag but, hey, that's all right. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the kids of PCY a little bit more. I'm hoping that later in the summer I'll be able to invite the girls over for a slumber party, but I'm not sure it's going to work. I hope it will as I really enjoy all of the girls I have been meeting.
We hung out and watched Faulty Towers (hysterical show. y'all need to watch it!) until about 12:30 that night. It was a good time of relaxation. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep during that. Then that was the end of Friday!
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