1:00 in the morning, Liza turns the light on in our room and informs us that our flight has been cancelled. I got up an made sure everyone else knew they could sleep in. We had packed all of our stuff for the flight, but it seems like we are staying another day.
As the morning came, the
winds and rain were very bad. Many of
the team members talked about lying in bed praying for the kids as the rain
likely means that many homes will be flooded, and the wind is strong enough to
destroy their frail homes. Eventually we
got up and had breakfast and after devotions discussed the plan for the
day. We had not plan, but it was about
to happen.
The plan – do VBS type
activities for the kids in the neighborhood.
We would do games, bible story, crafts, songs, etc., the whole shooting
match. We would also go through our craft stuff and prepare for the crafts in
Samar (assuming we are going to make it) So, that is what we did.
After going over the crafts
and showing everyone what the idea was, we did the prep work for the
crafts. We also decided to do “wordless
book” bracelets for the kids here today, so we prepared that stuff as well.
Eventually it was time to
begin the events. We brought the kids
into the center and played a few games with them. We taught them some new games
and played some of the other games we had already played. They are a very smart bunch, and they pick up
on the games quickly. Then we sat them
down and sang some songs. Ana helped us
by leading a few songs we knew they were familiar with, and then we sang songs
that we had taught them since we arrived.
Then we shared the story of the Good Samaritan with the team acting out
the story as we went. They enjoyed the
lively performance.
We then moved to the other
side of the gym for crafts. We taught
them the “wordless book” song and told them about the purpose of the colors of
the bracelet they would be making. Then
we helped them make their bracelets.
Since this was the end of
the formal plan, we then began to improvise.
I had taken a bunch of pictures with the camera that God gave me from
Berean Bible, so I put them on the projector that God gave me from Easton
Baptist, and the kids watched themselves in larger than life imaging on the
wall. Other team members played with
kids, sat and talked with kids, and basically just loved on them in a variety
of ways. Just when we were getting ready
to let the kids go, Thet (the pastor’s wife) brought them all together and
shared with them the message that we shared, told them why we are here, and
reminded them that Jesus loves them.
The kids moved outside as
the older church kids arrived. Some of
us played basketball with them while the others played with the younger kids
outside. After a few games of
basketball, we pulled together for a bible study. Thet looked at me and asked that I speak with
the kids on prayer – because the speaker who was supposed to be here wasn’t
here. Interestingly enough, we talked
about prayer in Philippians this morning, so I was already thinking about
prayer. We talked about prayer in the
Bible and landed in Colossians 1 – where Paul prays and shows us how to
pray. After the discussion, we broke
into groups and prayed together – it was wonderful to see the kids sharing
requests and praises and praying together.
The rest of the day was
interacting with the kids and the adults in the area. I have heard stories from team members about
kids and parents asking why we are here, opportunities to share the gospel, and
just basic questions about AMG and the church.
My wife had a long conversation with a couple of ladies about AMG around
the world and in the Philippines. It was a great outreach opportunity.
We are without power and
have found out that we will not be leaving for Samar until Saturday, so we will
watch what God will do with us and through us in the next few days.
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