Most of us still haven't gotten used to the time difference here yet, and once it hits about 7:45 PM, we are ready to be in bed. It has helped us in the morning get up earlier since we think it is later. Today was our first day of ministry in Nehemias. It is a small church is a remote village about 30 minutes away from the city. There was trash everywhere, dogs and chickens roaming around. We got there this morning and had about 41 kids in our first session. We structured the VBS around what we did for our church back in Wallace. We had an opening ceremony where we sang a few songs in Spanish, we had puppets sing with them, which they though was super cool! We learned our Bible point for the day which was La Palabra de Dios es la verdad....AMEN! (God's word is true...LET'S GO!) Then we split up into 3 groups, bible story, games, and crafts. Each of the kids got to go to each station and participate in the activities. After that, we came together, sang a few more songs, and then they got to eat lunch that was served by the church. The kids were supposed to go off to school, but one of their teachers passed away, so their school was canceled. We had a lot of the same children show back up for the afternoon session, and even though they were doing the same things, they absolutely loved it!
While we were waiting for the afternoon group to come, we have about 2 hours for lunch. We sat around and ate, and then had over an hour left. Jim had the idea that we grab the pastor of the church and take a walk down the dirt roads of the village talking with him about what he does, and praying for the people who lived there (Prayer walk). So the pastor said he would go with us and soon we were off and walking. He starts leading us up into a ladies house and says that he wants us to go and pray for her. We walk up to where the house is, and I see that all it is is a tin roof over a concrete slab. They cook their food outside on a fire, there is no plumbing (we had to use an outhouse while we were at VBS), there is no lights and electricity. We were told that up to 3 families can live together in these houses. There were chickens running around, dogs looking for things to eat, their dirt "yards" were swept very clean. When the pastor came up to the house, he told the mother what we were doing and said that we wanted to pray for her. He asked her some things that she needed prayer for and told us that her kids attended the church, but she did not. She asked for us to pray for her to find work, to help support her family, and a few other things. We all gathered around her, laid hands on her and prayed for her that she would find a job and start going to church. The picture today is our group spending time with this lady and her family. We were told that all these people who live in the village don't have husbands, they have gone off and left them, they can't really work, so they have no way to support their family. The only support they have is this church who donates food to the ones who need it the most. Without this church in this village, they would not be able to survive. We were able to go and meet a few other families and pray for them as well before we had to return back to the church and get ready for the afternoon session. We really hadn't planned on doing that type of ministry, but all of us got a lot out of it, and we touched a lot of people as well.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. We have gotten a lot of comments on Facebook and we really appreciate that! Tonight we opened up cards that our children's department did during Sunday school, and let me tell you, it brought huge smiles to our faces. I would like to know who my bff is since they didn't sign their name to my card, so if you are out there, please let me know!!! Pray that we get rest, it is very tiring out there in the sun for 6 hours a day on our feet the whole time, being pumped up acting crazy and having fun with these kids. Pray that we have more kids come tomorrow. We hope that they will bring their friends and siblings, and whoever else they can think of to VBS tomorrow. Also pray that it doesn't rain. All of VBS is essentially outside. The church has a small wooden stage with a tin roof over it, but that is about it. There is no way we can do everything inside that small space. If it rains, we aren't quite sure what we will do, but know that God will take care of it if it does happen. Pray that we remain healthy, and rested, and open to all that God is doing in and through us here this week! Thanks for journeying with us and thank you for praying!
Lauren
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