For the Kids
by Avi Ortiz
At the end of the puppet show, we distributed gifts to the kids that consisted of notebooks, pencils, rulers, clothes, shoes and sweets. We also played games with them and asked them to put colors on the printed drawings of Jonah with the whale.
We conducted two sessions of the kid’s program on each day, one in the morning from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and one in the afternoon from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Each session was in a different community and the number of children varied per location.
The first location was at a covered basketball court. There were more than 50 children who actively participated in all of the activities. The second location was under a tree and it was on a rainy afternoon so the children were few. The third location was inside an old hut and the children were excited to hear the story of Jonah. They were able to listen and comprehend the story, and managed to sing with us in praise and worship. They were very involved and eager to join the games. The fourth and last location was inside a dental clinic so we needed to push the furniture around so that all the children could be accommodated. Most of the children were prepared and properly dressed. They were able to remember and sing the songs accurately. They were all well behaved and were good listeners.
Challenges Overcomed
by Ria Dellosa
When the team in charge of the Kids Station had its first meeting, the 10 volunteers and I were starting to get a bit overwhelmed as we learned that we would handle 200 kids. We felt like we were moving in blindly as we had no idea what the place would look like, or how to present the material since we’ve been told that there would be a potential language barrier. Little issues that ate up our time made us lose focus on the main presentation – sharing the good news to the children.
As the day of the mission trip neared, people started stepping up and giving solid ideas that started the ball rolling. Details and little concerns were being slowly ironed out and the props and materials were finally being prepared. We even had family members sponsor us with gift packs, which was something we didn't think of praying for, yet God still placed a desire in their hearts to give. In spite of the attacks of the enemy against some of the volunteers (some experienced it right before our flight to the Philippines), we felt that God's hand was over and above what we were undertaking.
When we reached General Santos, we learned we had to revise the scripts, change our worship song to suit the story, and to practice with very little time left. We had initially thought that there wouldn't be enough gift packs to give to the kids. But God had been faithful to complete the work He has started. The volunteers from VCF-GenSan did an excellent job in re-writing our script to make it more interesting for the children. A volunteer from Singapore who joined the mission trip at the last minute suggested our new worship song along with actions to teach the kids. The contribution of each volunteer caused everything to fall into the right place.
Right after the first day of the mission, our physical bodies were spent. We were tired from the heat and there was no proper place for us to tell our story to the children. We worked with the locations and the spaces that were available in each community – on a stage, under a tree, in the middle of the bushes and grass, in a cramped bamboo hut, and in a small community clinic. We had an average of 50 children to attend to in each community, yet God seemingly extended the space, He gave us the joy of serving, and the grace to give our best in the midst of the difficulties.
The most challenging day was the last. The volunteers were starting to get sick, while the rest felt they could no longer carry on and finish our presentation. On top of these, we learned that the last community had more number of children than those of the previous communities we've been to. This time God used the children to encourage us. They responded well and were even the most energetic batch we've seen. Despite the heavy rain that soon followed the intense heat, and in spite of the water slowly flooding the place, we more than managed, we enjoyed it! We even had extra gifts left to give away. We just kept on giving yet we still had a lot more to give. It was indeed a miracle.
To God be the glory!
" Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father.... comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work....For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 and Philippians 2:13)
