Day 3 of Children's Activity
A group of children came early at 8:45 am, twenty minutes before the program started. To keep them occupied, we sat on the floor to play a rhythm game where we clapped to a particular cadence and whoever was out of the tempo would be out of the circle. The boys group also did the same thing to form their own rhythm tunes to which we in the girls group mimicked. The teaching team of the boys also were learning the names of their participants. The other two members of the teaching team were setting up the equipment needed for the program. Before we knew it, it was time to start.
Today, we continued to use the song video to review and teach new songs per recommendation of Tim. Seventy-two children came today. M*shi and I quickly cut more figures for today's craft while the Bible storytelling was going on spilling into the start of the memory verse craft. My group of children doubled from eight to sixteen with a lot of pre-kindergarten age kids.From two group of girls, one more group was added. The same thing occurred for the boys group -from two became three. It would be hard for everyone to participate. Thinking on my feet, I divided the group with one teen participant in charge of each subdivision to make sure that their group members participate while finishing up cutting the additional figures for the second craft of the day. When I came back to my group, the very young children were left to themselves. I scooped them together to make their own figures to be added to the design of the entire group.
Making the memory verse craft since yesterday had been a very focused and animated time for the participants. With additional participants, there was more attention to details for the teaching team. Various requests for coloring supplies kept me busy for the entire time. At our team evaluation time, we thought of assigning a teen participant to be the supply monitor for the group who would dispense and collect the supplies. No one was supposed to hug the crayons or pens when not using them. And starting tomorrow, I would be in charge of the very young children during craft and game time.
After snack break, the second craft activity started. All of the participants really liked this one because they were pleasantly surprised that the various pieces they were coloring turned out to be a crown with the bee figure in front of the headband with the inscription "God Made You for a Reason" on the inside flap. This craft excited them a lot; there was a lot of buzz in the room. Each one was very proud of his/her work when donned over their heads. The girls in my group were like in a fashion show, parading their crowns, showing them off to me. What a joyous time of picture taking afterwards! The A*ess staff were also included in the fun!!
This craft activity was such a sight to behold! Mind you, if you could picture this in your mind that in the midst of making the craft, the power switched off!!! As a result, the ceiling fans stopped working until the end of the program. We felt the heat and humidity rise. The craft pieces did not seem to fit together. They look like separate parts that are not appealing – white circles that need black circles in the middle , two oval shaped figures, one big circles with a another strange looking shape inside it, a long flap of white paper. What are these? In addition, the entire room was darkened with only the open door bringing the bit of light into the room. Yet, the participants were not flustered at all! They continued on with coloring their figures. Actually, there was much beehive of activity in the room while beads of sweat were starting to gather in their foreheads and some with trickles coming down their cheeks. For me, the insect repellent lotion I applied in my face melded with the sweat that's coming down of my eyes that stung me. I had to dart out of my group to wipe my face because I could not see anymore what I was doing at the same time receiving a barrage of requests for crayons and other supplies. At the end, each participant was rewarded with a beautiful paper crown with the message: You are made for a Reason. The crown is only made of paper yet, it meant a lot for the participant to know that they are not just ordinary people, they have a purpose!
With the beehive of activity today, I learned that thoughtful flexibility is the BIG word when interacting with various age groups in a cross-cultural setting. You just don't know what circumstances you'll encounter so roll with the punches. You need to perk up your eyes and ears and most importantly, your heart, to be able to respond according to Dad's perspective. For us who came to mingle and coexist with the locals for a very short period of time, we need to respond as guests to their culture. Our stance is to take the position of a learner to see where we fit in the scheme of things. We are co-workers with sensing people who adjust their expectations according to their feel of the situation and the way the other person communicates. The non-verbal cues matter a lot. We enter into a rich experience of expanding our repertoire of communication cues in addition to our own.
I admire the young people we mingle with. There is such resilience in the midst of much inconvenience. They continue doing what needed to be done
Pr*se
--for having a beehive of activity today that delighted the children.
--for an additional participant who joined us today
--for a lot of camaraderie among the teaching team that enabled us to respond appropriately in changing situations
Pr*
--for lifting up each child for tomorrow. We are expecting 100 children at the close of the program.
-- that the teaching team will leave behind encouraged participants from what they've learned from the program – that our Dad loves them.
--for Tim's travel mercies tomorrow to the other team's location
--for continued lifting of each of the two groups; heat and humidity and close quarters can mean more pressure and difficulty.
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