Tough Decision
28/05/23 12:11
I told the leader who takes us to the rural school that we can no longer help. Until Faby's health returns to 100% is just too difficult to travel one hour to the school, give the class, and return along the cobblestone road. Not a decision I enjoy, but family is priority over ministry. We did give the class on Saturday, since it's nearby, but even then, Faby stayed in the car resting. Her recovery is going to take a while. We continue to pray and rest in the Lord.
BTW, the balloon is an illustration of the Parable of the Yeast. I used vinegar and baking soda. But the idea is that God works in our lives. We can't see him, but we can see the changes.
(Video: remembering good times.)
Theological Challenge
18/05/23 22:56
Today I met my new students: eleven in all. The director gave us one hour to work with them. We began by listing the Ten Commandments, and then decorated our title piece for the hanging craft. My challenge is to reflect with them on the meaning of each Commandment. Most of my time I spent learning their names: Dorian, Angelo, Zaira, Dana, Lucia, Naomi, Camila, Leyla, Mateo, Jairo, and Luis.
I have meditated on the Ten Commandments, and through the influence of Jesus' interpretation of the Law in Matthew 5, plus John Murray's book "Principles of Conduct," have come up with "The Ten Commandments Applied." This is the positive side of the Commandments, eight of which are stated negatively. So the goal is to see the reverse side where one has to actively pursue an objective rather than avoid committing an error. Of course you can also sum up the first four Commandments in "Love God with all your heart," and the following six Commandments in "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Rural Ministry Again
11/05/23 16:42
So here are the kids that the church group plans to work with. The drive took about an hour from our home. Almost like our trips from Riobamba to the communities. This place is called "Santo Domingo" and is in the mountains east of us. Not as high up as in Chimborazo, but still in a very rural area. Our visit was brief, my objective was just to see the children, the classrooms, and the school setup. Pretty nice actually. The plan is to visit once a week for an hour class on morals. We'll see. Not only are we getting to know the children, but also the church folks we will work with.
The importance of kids.
07/05/23 15:16
We attended the same church as last Sunday, where we plan to work with kids in a rural community. But they also have a bible class for children during the service. So today we went with the purpose of seeing their children's program. In one room, around one table, sat 9 kids, from ages five to thirteen. I figured they had three age groups: five to seven, eight to eleven, and twelve to thirteen. The leader shared the story of Moises and then had the kids draw what they learned. i got involved in some paper folding to make their drawing more interesting. Plus Faby and I led a song at the end. Afterwards we talked with the director of the children's program. Each week a different teacher leads the class. Why? 1) Lack of volunteers to teach; 2) "You need to attend the service to be spiritually fed." The first comment explains why they don't divide the children into age groups. The last comment saddens me to think that Christians only feed themselves in church. What a need for personal devotions and bible study! Well, for now, my solution is to help all I can with the children's program. We'll see how it goes. They did put us in the list of available teachers.
The Challenge
06/05/23 15:10
So you prepare for the bible class for kids 8 to 12 years old. The kids arrive. Six of them. But… four of them are less than six years old! So… while I'm playing the guitar and Faby is leading the songs, I'm thinking, "What am I going to do with these four youngsters?" OK, kids love to draw and color. So we'll start with that, and while they're busy, I'll try to teach the lesson on the Parable of the Mustard Seed to the two older kids. Now, Anibal our host, is with us, plus Jorge, who lives with us and comes with his son. i find that I'm not teaching the lesson just to the two older kids, but also to the two adults who are right with us. I think Anibal is the one I'm really teaching. The kids enjoy the songs, games, and crafts. One sows, another reaps. This is definitely sowing.