She is so gorgeous!!!


Last night I spoke to two different groups of children at Awana's. First I had the kindergarten through 2nd grade. They were followed by 3rd through 5th graders. What an interesting evening!

I remember when I was growing up, watching the Art Linkletter program. It was so funny to see the kinds of things the children would say that would catch him off guard. Last night found be thinking on those old tv shows.

I introduced myself as a missionary who took students to the mission field. I brought with me a bag of "resources." The first one I pulled out was an inflatable beach ball, style globe.

I showed them where we lived, and then took them on a journey to Peru, Morocco and other places.

When the kids came in, they were rowdy, and the staff struggled to calm them down. It was like they were on an IV sugar rush. I thought, "this is gonna be interesting."

I began to talk them through the drama our teams take overseas. As I spoke about each role, I put on pieces of costume for that role. They enjoyed watching me do quick changes, and laughed with glee when I got stuck, or caught with the wrong costume pieces on.

I didn't have a lot of time, so I was moving fast. At one point, I realized I was talking about Jesus and how he got to the cross, simultaneously I was crucifying myself for visual effect. The problem was, I forgot to take off my Satan mask.

I had to stop to explain...to their delight...that I was crucifying the wrong person!

Anyway, their attention was held for the entire period which amazed me. I worked through six different roles, doing my best to portray each, while telling the story the drama portrays. Though the message was the Gospel, I fear it resembled a bad comedy routine.

When I finished explaining/acting out the drama, I moved on to talk about Peru. It's people, children, animals, etc.

"Did you know a Llama tried to eat my hair, once?" one boy randomly offered (He was a redhead with an afro hairstyle).

I told them how children their age were shepherds in other countries and would have responsibility for the livestock. That as 6 to 10 year olds, they would sometimes leave for two to three days at a time to tend the sheep/goats/llamas.

"A Horse sneezed in my hair!" shared another boy.

We talked about how sheep often went the wrong way and had to be corrected. In the States we have fences, but in other countries, it's up to the shepherd to steer them. These children learn to drive the animals with sling shots made from llama wool. They become marksmen at an early age.

"One time, I was in a pasture, and cows chased me!" said a tiny framed little girl.

I told them about how Jesus was our shepherd. That the Bible teaches that we are like sheep and often go astray and how He acts on our behalf to help us through dangerous situations.

"I had a friend who went to Peru. It took her FOREVER to come back!" said a boy in the front row.

It was evident the children understood. Most of their participation was right on. Some of it was straight from their heart and needed a bit of truth applied.

"God and Jesus want to KILL Satan, don't they?" came a response from the back.

After working my way through the Gospel, and showing my "resources," I concluded my time with these precious little ones.

"How can we sign up to go with you?" asked a young girl.

Well, I reminded them, you have to be 13 first, and then you can go to the internet, get an application, fill it out and send it in. How precious these kids were! I feared spending time with them before I came, but thoroughly enjoyed their honesty and the lack of filters used to process life.

"When I told you I was chased by cows, did you know it was the whole herd?" queried my tiny new friend from several moments ago.

We had a great time together. The frazzled teachers seemed to thoroughly relax through the course of our time. It was precious. It was priceless!

dad