What a great day!

I had a great day today. Well, it's been great so far...

This week we are holding a VBS at the orphanage, now that school is over for most of the kids here. They tend to be our toughest crowd considering how we are not "cool" or "foreign" to them. They see us ALL the time! Also, we are basically doing the camp in their backyard so it is not a new or exciting location...

The theme for our week is "We are Special to God", and each day we are talking about a different aspect of being special. Yesterday we talked about being His special creation, today His special child, tomorrow His special servant, and Thursday His special messenger. I thought this would be a fun theme, and it is, but these kids tend to get bored, distracted, naughty, mean, mischievous, etc, very easily. You can't really blame them, but it's often frustrating! (For example, yesterday I had a kid throw a baseball bat at my face - and successfully hit his target. Ouch!)

This being said, today went GREAT! Our toughest group of teenage boys (including said abuser) listened to the entire story about Moses (without interrupting), created crowns (and wore them), sang along during our opening and closing ceremonies, AND almost all of them memorized our verse for the day. (Of course, we had to bribe them with Twizzlers, but hey - you do what you have to do! If Twizzlers bring these kids closer to Jesus, then SO BE IT!)

I know it may not seem like a lot to get excited about, but I am just SO thankful right now. I am working with some really great people who care about these kids and are willing to endure the heat, the exhaustion, and the physical abuse, to truly love on these kids. The interns (and volunteers) are so creative and dedicated to sharing the gospel that I feel like a proud parent watching them work! (Of course many of them are only a few years younger than me...so it may be more like a proud sister...)

Please continue praying not only for the kids at the orphanage, but also those in the community who come to our VBS each week. We have the wonderful opportunity to share Jesus with SO many kids (and adults, too!!). Please pray for energy and perseverance, that we may continue to love those that attempt to be unlovable. Your prayers are felt. I appreciate them all!