God is great!
First off, I want to say that my team leaders, Victor and Eunice, are totally amazing. They are certainly a God-send and their expertise in what they do has helped the team feel equipped for the challenges and obstacles ahead. our team is totally drawing closer together each day and gaining new ground for God's kingdom!
Yesterday, we gathered for Teach training in the morning and had breakfast (yogurt cups and honey sticks, a little cups of juice) in Eunice's room. Then we all had devotions and prayed together before truly diving into the material of the day. After a couple hours we went to Subway (I know!!! Shocking that we got american fare! :-D ), and there I devoured 1.5 foot-long subs... I was slightly hungry - thinking is alot of work! Then we went back to the room for some additional training and they said that there was a test we needed to take...
1. this made me a little nervous. I forgot to study at lunch (remember the amount I ate? thats 18 inches of sandwich..)
2. I had no idea what the nature of the test was. It might be fill-in-the-bubbles. It might be multiple choice. It could be oral or freestyle or in Malaysian for all I knew.
It wasn't! They picked about 6 people to stand up in the middle of the room (I was one of them), and they had us close our eyes while they put little notes in our hands. I didn't realize why I was not given a note at first, then they said, "ok, this is an example of a group and Lewis is going to teach the lesson." :-D Cool!!!
So, we all sat down and got comfy, and someone mentioned I needed an assistant. (I got one, thank the Lord!) then they gave the word, "Go!!!" Things got intense fast. The kids started making noises, picking their noses, hitting each other, slapping each other, crying, turning around, moving, scratching, complaining... all at one time! I separated the most rowdy two first while the most needy ones went on a walk with my assistant (bathroom break i think), and I had the most active guy (we're talking a 6'2" kid who can't sit still) come and get in my lap and help hold my book for me. Then I pulled out a comb and asked "HEY!!! What do you use a comb for?!? Do you use it to brush your teeth?? Would you use it to eat with??" then, once I had the children's attention, I quickly tied this into the lesson about God's design for us and how the comb reflects how each person is made for a specific purpose designed by God. Fortunately, the test only lasted about 10-15 minutes, and I passed with flying colors according to the positive and encouraging feedback I received!
Last night's CI was pretty good also! We had 4 children, Rinnah, Yasha, Stephanie, and Samuelle. They were great :-) The funny thing was, instead of being the little dynamite sticks of energy I had trained for, they were the world's quietest and shy children... So that was tough! But tonight we got three more kids who were more outgoing and they changed the entire dynamic of the group and it went much better! :-) All in all, both nights went terrific!
Last night our story was about Abraham and Isaac and about how Abraham had to sacrifice Isaac on an alter, but God provided a ram instead, when He saw that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his ONLY and precious son for God. I played the part of Abraham and the kids really seemed to love the play! We had a great time and I ended up picking Jeremy up (Isaac in the story) and carrying him over my shoulder like a rag doll. good times!
Tonight we did eggs and dropped them onto the floor from a ladder, and then dropped one in a parachute to demostrate how authority only works when we are underneath of its protective canopy. It will not work to wrap ourselves inside of it, lay on top of it, land on it, go around it, but only when we are completely underneath our authority can God bless us and give us the things He has in store for us. Victor did an awesome job of telling that story and the kids received it very well!
The second story tonight was about the ten plagues in Egypt and the team did a wonderful job of telling the story! The markers drawn onto Connor's face were AWESOME and he looked super freaky :-D :-D WOO HOO team!!!! great job!
Last night we were served dinner before the CI, and there was rice, strips of chicken, nuts, a bit of fried egg, and little dried out fish that looked like someone's guppy. A great meal, and tonight's was wonderful also although it was different! We also enjoyed an Indian lunch today at a local restaurant, which was totally unique and delicious! :-)
Please keep praying that our CI's go well, and that we keep our energy up!!!
also, two of the girls on my team are sick - one with a virus, the other with a sore throat/cold. Please pray they are restored to full health asap!
We go to see an orphanage in the morning - I'll let you know how it goes :-)
Love you all!
Glad to serve,
Lewis
