By Rachael Burnett: This will be a short post today so that I can get to bed a little earlier than last night. Thank you all for praying for us and for the thoughtful comments many of you have left on the posts. We have enjoyed reading those aloud at our morning devotions and have been so encouraged by them.
We had a great time with the kids at the drop-in center this morning even though there were a few “hiccups.” Below is a brief summary:
Ben did an amazing job finishing his lesson on character traits using the “LEADERSHIP” acrostic and explaining how Christ is the ultimate leader. These traits are ones we can all benefit from developing more in our lives.
- Loyalty
- Effort
- Attitude
- Discipline
- Education
- Responsibility
- Selflessness
- Honor
- Integrity
- Personal Bravery
We were blessed to see two boys who had gotten into a scuffle earlier come before the group and sincerely apologize and hug. Taye, an Onesimus staff member/translator, led the boys in this confession, forgiveness, and restoration, and it was such a wonderful reminder of how we, especially as believers, need to confess, repent, and show grace to one another.
It rained a good bit today, so we had to revamp our recreation game plan slightly… instead of “Dance Freeze” (couldn’t have music because we didn’t want to risk the speaker getting ruined), we played “Nega Says” and “Duck, Duck, Goose!” The kids still had lots of fun—it’s awesome how they can find joy and contentment even in the simplest activities.
Liz has been helping the kids learn “The Lord’s Prayer” in English. She reported during debrief what a joy it was that many of the kids were eagerly volunteering to recite what they knew. We are praying that these sacred words will be cemented in their hearts and that they’ll remember to call on the Lord daily.
After lunch, we visited one of the half-way homes again and really enjoyed just spending some quality time with the kids. We talked, painted fingernails, braided hair, sang songs, danced, took lots of pictures and videos, and listened to Howard enthusiastically share the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. It is incredible to see how the Lord is working in these kids hearts and lives.
We had tons of fun cheering for the Onesimus team in their futból (i.e. soccer) match this afternoon (even in the rain!). They won and advance to the final championship game—a first ever accomplishment for our team! It was neat to see SO many people from the community come out to watch youth soccer—not something you see frequently in the States. The boys were ecstatic about the win, and we can’t wait to watch the championship match on Saturday morning! Also, we have to give kudos to Kelly McGoo for his vision and hard work to develop the soccer program here. The Lord is blessing this ministry greatly.
Tomorrow is our last day before we leave to see many of the kids, so please pray that we will make the most of every moment! We’ll be having an end-of-the-week celebration tomorrow afternoon at the Frey’s where we’ll get to do lots of fun activities with the kids. We’re looking forward to updating you tomorrow night!
Thank you for your continued prayers—more Jesus, less us.
