Our team of a 10 starts each day with a devotion following our breakfast. Today we received an encouraging message from Pastor Bill. He shared that we have come on this trip with much eagerness and excitement but also with some reservation as to whether the gifts and talents we have will measure up to the task. He reminded us that it is our job to be faithful to give what we have, and it is God's job to bless and multiply what we have! He will provide the hungry with what they need to feed their souls!
PASTOR BILL
The work at the site gave us the opportunity to play with and sing to Happy, Maureen, and Princess, the precious girls at the orphanage.
RON AND MAUREEN
PRINCESS, HAPPY AND MAUREEN
A group of us also prepared for the afternoon Bible schools, while others split wood to help keep the girls in the orphanage warm on these cold days. All the while we heard the clink and clank of shovels and pick axes belonging to the workers building the foundation for the new orphan home on the property. They have run into solid rock, and are having to break through in order to pour the footers for the foundation--back-breaking work!
Afternoon Bible school consisted of nearly 100 children ranging from preschool age to fourteen eyes old. Our team acted out some of Jesus' miracles--making the blind see, the lame walk, and raising the dead--and talked about the perfect life that Jesus lived while He was on earth.
Each day we give a pack of biscuits (cookies) and a juice box to each child,
and we play games. We are finding it a challenge to organize the children and teach them to follow the rules to the game, but we're determined that by the end of the week we will help them learn to form a line, get in a circle and wait their turn! Duck, duck, goose was changed to leopard, leopard, lion, but in Swahili of course. A three-legged race was the most fun of all! After running several heats, we finally had a winning pair!
During craft time kids strung beads for necklaces, dabbled in water colors, and made hanging frames that held today's Bible verse, John 3:16. For the older VBS, we have set up "stations" to organize the children into smaller groups with choices for activities.
The older girls experienced a special treat from Wendi and Miriam. It was a spa day under the trees, Tanzanian style! They received a relaxing foot washing, a foot massage with lotion and a toe nail painting--all to let them know just how precious they are!
We were tired and very, very dusty by the end of the day, but with the love and strength of God we were able to send the children home with smiles on their faces and Jesus in their hearts.
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