The children have been loving and crazy. When I first walk up to a child, they look at me strange (white skin thing), but I give them a huge smile and about 10 seconds later am met with a beautiful, joyous smile! They tend to be a little apprehensive at first, but warm up pretty quick. The joy that I see in their eyes when I give them a hug or rub their face, is a memory I will never forget. My first time interacting with them was on Saturday night as the teens played games for the Youth Rally. We took the younger ones and played "Ship Ahoy". All the sudden I feel someone rubbing my arm. I look down and eight year old boy is rubbing my arm. Still looking at my arm, he says, "It's soft." :) Another child was trying to pinch all my freckles on my arm.
The children are eager to learn in the story time, but tend to bug each other if they can not see the pictures. Another favorite is watching them play at game time. Dodge ball is huge hit, and their faces while playing shine pure happiness. They call me Auntie (which makes me feel like I am back in Hawaii), and when they raise their hand they hold up one finger and make a snapping sound to get my attention.
I am teaching the youngest age group, and we have about 15 two to three year olds in the group of about 80 four, five, and six year olds. Thankfully, no babies today. (The past two days the children will bring babies with them, and which end up in a leader's arms.) The twos and threes make walking in a class line very interesting. My "job" at game time is running after the two/threes making sure they do not get beamed by a ball and chasing them back to their group colors. Today, I was walking around holding a hand of a very solid two year old boy named Gary. As I was busy helping a team play AWANA game, I did not ever realize that he had both hands wrapped around my hand and was holding his feet as I walked around. He was giggling away, but my arm is now sore. Let me just say, he is the love of my life!
Another three year old, that is a Butterfly group favorite is McBride. He has the same look on his face the entire day, a quizzical look. When we move as group to different activity, which ever team member has McBride by them grabs his hand and yells, "I have McBride." He is constantly being found in other groups or wandering away.
Even though it has been crazy with 80 three to six year olds, I have great team, Emily Buker, Caleb, Mr. Shelburne, and Savannah. Today, it was a blessing to have three other helpers one from the Sinclair's church and two other missionary's help us. The children are understanding the wonderful basic of the gospel. If you ask them what is not in heaven, they answer - SIN. When you ask who loves you, they yell God. I pray that these basic principles will take root in their hearts and grow.
A couple of funny memories and quotes:
"Whose baby is this?" constant question our group is asking.
Pastor Quilty trying to ask a about 11 month baby, who he belonged too.
A toddler I was holding last night during youth rally service, wet her pants on my lap, it went in my shoes and then all over the church floor.
"We will slip. and we will slide, but we will reach the other side" Mr. Sinclair quote as he drive us around in the church van on the muddy roads.
Thank you for your prayers!
Falling in love with Cameroon children,
Sarah Beth Peterson
No comments:
Post a Comment