Day 6 - 7/5/16 Night Market Mania
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
These young children at our camp are so precious; its so comforting to know that God has a special plan for each one of them!
Hello again! It's Emily, continuing on with the second day of our VBS. Today we woke up a little earlier than usual, beginning our day at 6:30 with some fresh toast and fruit. At the church, we started the program with outdoor games like relay races and kickball. Even though it was early in the morning, the kids were so excited to play and full of energy. Mrs. Chen proceeded to tell the story of Katherine, a 5 year old girl who saved tens of thousands of African children's lives by selling toys to raise money to purchase mosquito nets. What an inspiring real-life story to remind us that God can do amazing things with His precious young children! We then learned about Jesus feeding the 5000 and watched a short movie to supplement the lesson.
What came after was something none of us expected. Mian Yang lao shi led the children in singing some songs, but it soon turned into an all-out dance marathon. We donned colorful wigs and tutus, singing song after song, learning new dances for each one. After the dance session, not one person in the room was out of breath. What a new and exciting way to worship our Lord! After a delectable lunch of vegetable noodles, we began our English session with helping the children choose English names. Our schedule for the day included Edward leading the colors English lesson, in which the kids learned vocabulary and played review games by taping colored paper around the room, Josh teaching Swim Fishy Swim, where the kids utilized their newly learned color vocabulary, me leading "Who is the King of the Jungle", "Deep Down", and "Jesus Loves Me", Edward teaching the Wordless Book, and Jeremy leading the memory verse John 3:16. The kids are split into five groups: Generosity, Obedience, Honesty, Thanksgiving, and Focus; all groups were so eager to learn and participate in our program. What moved me the most was when they all sang at the top of their voices. That raw, unabashed emotion while singing is just something really special. After the program ended, many children's parents had not come to pick them up yet, so we entertained the children, doing everything from playing UNO, to arm wrestling, to massaging each others' backs!
I spent most of the time with the triplets Annie, Ryan, and Nancy. They had never seen snapchat before, so we played around with the different picture options. All three also were massage experts! Ryan shared that he used to step on his father's back to massage, and that reminded me of when I was young enough to do the same. It's really crazy how fast we all grow up! I was really surprised that these Taiwanese children, at such a young age, already know the values of taking care of their parents and serving others. We formed a seven- person massage train and joyfully massaged each others' backs. Ryan even taught me some massage techniques that he learned from his parents.
We had yet another successful day of VBS. Each day the children sing louder, pay closer attention, and learn more. Its so great to see this improvement in such short time. I pray that God will water the seeds that He has let us plant.
Right after we left the church, 14 of us, including Amber, Evangeline, Albert, Cherry, Peggy, Penny, Demi, and Penny's sister, along with some adults, went to the famous Taiwan Night Market to experience the one-of-a-kind atmosphere. If you imagine Times Square, then multiply the temperature, people, and smells by 10, then you come pretty close to the Night Market. Stalls lined both sides of the streets, selling everything from duck tongues, to milk tea, to name-brand shoes, to crepes. We started the night's meal with a shared sausage hotdog in rice coating and two dong-gua cha's. Our mindset was to buy just one portion of each food that we wanted to try and share it amongst the four of us. That way we could save money and simultaneously try various Taiwanese xiao chi. This system served us well, as we were able to try a multitude of delicious food. The four of us shared a crisp matcha crepe, tender chicken with cheese and spices, refreshing boba milk tea, and bear paw bun chicken sandwich. My favorite combination was the flavor-infused chicken with the cool melon (dong gua) tea. Despite the humidity, these are the joys that make me want to stay in Taiwan forever. As we shuffled through the sea of people, Evangeline and Amber caught sight of a two story arcade center with basketball hoops overlooking the busy streets. All 14 of us clambered up the narrow flight of stairs that led to the hoops. In teams of 3, we began competing against each other. Josh, Jeremy, and Albert worked together, shooting into one hoop, while Cherry, Penny, and Peggy shot at an adjacent hoop. We ended the night by going to a shoe outlet, which sold brand names from Adidas to Reebok to Converse. There must have been over 100 different styles of footwear! By that time we were all wiped out and ready to retire to our beds.
Hwa-Chi picked us up from the Night Market and as we drove home, he pointed out the prominent landmarks, in particular the city center and the Taichung Opera House. The night lights were not of this world. Taichung illuminated at night left me in awe the entire car ride home. Though we've driven back multiple times at night, each trip never ceases to amaze me.
Today was definitely the busiest but most fun. I can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow!
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
These young children at our camp are so precious; its so comforting to know that God has a special plan for each one of them!
Hello again! It's Emily, continuing on with the second day of our VBS. Today we woke up a little earlier than usual, beginning our day at 6:30 with some fresh toast and fruit. At the church, we started the program with outdoor games like relay races and kickball. Even though it was early in the morning, the kids were so excited to play and full of energy. Mrs. Chen proceeded to tell the story of Katherine, a 5 year old girl who saved tens of thousands of African children's lives by selling toys to raise money to purchase mosquito nets. What an inspiring real-life story to remind us that God can do amazing things with His precious young children! We then learned about Jesus feeding the 5000 and watched a short movie to supplement the lesson.
What came after was something none of us expected. Mian Yang lao shi led the children in singing some songs, but it soon turned into an all-out dance marathon. We donned colorful wigs and tutus, singing song after song, learning new dances for each one. After the dance session, not one person in the room was out of breath. What a new and exciting way to worship our Lord! After a delectable lunch of vegetable noodles, we began our English session with helping the children choose English names. Our schedule for the day included Edward leading the colors English lesson, in which the kids learned vocabulary and played review games by taping colored paper around the room, Josh teaching Swim Fishy Swim, where the kids utilized their newly learned color vocabulary, me leading "Who is the King of the Jungle", "Deep Down", and "Jesus Loves Me", Edward teaching the Wordless Book, and Jeremy leading the memory verse John 3:16. The kids are split into five groups: Generosity, Obedience, Honesty, Thanksgiving, and Focus; all groups were so eager to learn and participate in our program. What moved me the most was when they all sang at the top of their voices. That raw, unabashed emotion while singing is just something really special. After the program ended, many children's parents had not come to pick them up yet, so we entertained the children, doing everything from playing UNO, to arm wrestling, to massaging each others' backs!
I spent most of the time with the triplets Annie, Ryan, and Nancy. They had never seen snapchat before, so we played around with the different picture options. All three also were massage experts! Ryan shared that he used to step on his father's back to massage, and that reminded me of when I was young enough to do the same. It's really crazy how fast we all grow up! I was really surprised that these Taiwanese children, at such a young age, already know the values of taking care of their parents and serving others. We formed a seven- person massage train and joyfully massaged each others' backs. Ryan even taught me some massage techniques that he learned from his parents.
We had yet another successful day of VBS. Each day the children sing louder, pay closer attention, and learn more. Its so great to see this improvement in such short time. I pray that God will water the seeds that He has let us plant.
Right after we left the church, 14 of us, including Amber, Evangeline, Albert, Cherry, Peggy, Penny, Demi, and Penny's sister, along with some adults, went to the famous Taiwan Night Market to experience the one-of-a-kind atmosphere. If you imagine Times Square, then multiply the temperature, people, and smells by 10, then you come pretty close to the Night Market. Stalls lined both sides of the streets, selling everything from duck tongues, to milk tea, to name-brand shoes, to crepes. We started the night's meal with a shared sausage hotdog in rice coating and two dong-gua cha's. Our mindset was to buy just one portion of each food that we wanted to try and share it amongst the four of us. That way we could save money and simultaneously try various Taiwanese xiao chi. This system served us well, as we were able to try a multitude of delicious food. The four of us shared a crisp matcha crepe, tender chicken with cheese and spices, refreshing boba milk tea, and bear paw bun chicken sandwich. My favorite combination was the flavor-infused chicken with the cool melon (dong gua) tea. Despite the humidity, these are the joys that make me want to stay in Taiwan forever. As we shuffled through the sea of people, Evangeline and Amber caught sight of a two story arcade center with basketball hoops overlooking the busy streets. All 14 of us clambered up the narrow flight of stairs that led to the hoops. In teams of 3, we began competing against each other. Josh, Jeremy, and Albert worked together, shooting into one hoop, while Cherry, Penny, and Peggy shot at an adjacent hoop. We ended the night by going to a shoe outlet, which sold brand names from Adidas to Reebok to Converse. There must have been over 100 different styles of footwear! By that time we were all wiped out and ready to retire to our beds.
Hwa-Chi picked us up from the Night Market and as we drove home, he pointed out the prominent landmarks, in particular the city center and the Taichung Opera House. The night lights were not of this world. Taichung illuminated at night left me in awe the entire car ride home. Though we've driven back multiple times at night, each trip never ceases to amaze me.
Today was definitely the busiest but most fun. I can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow!
Prayer Requests
- Focused minds and hearts on God
- Grateful for each of our children, small group leaders, and hosts
- Many are not in Christian households, pray that they are a light to their families
- Accepting hearts and willingness to learn
Thanks Emily. Wow!!! Night market!!! Cool! Seeing you all with pretty skirt, that is even more exciting. Praise the Lord for all you have done for those children for our Lord! We will keep the campers and all helpers in prayers. May Gospel going back to their parents through those campers. Pray that children share their excitement and good news to their parents when they return home everyday, so the parents can know God and the kids can continue attending church after. Pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy and fun day! So many happy faces; so much delicious food that I never even heard of :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad that God uses you and your talents to bring blessings to the kids! Way to go every one!
What a busy and fun day! So many happy faces; so much delicious food that I never even heard of :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad that God uses you and your talents to bring blessings to the kids! Way to go every one!
Thanks Emily for the daily update!
ReplyDeleteNow reading this blog everyday is a must-do item for me. I am waiting for the update starting from 9 AM everyday. Thank God for the abundant provisions, for the generosity of the church families, and especially for the enjoyment the campers are having! With God, everything is possible!
During our daily prayer meeting at home, all parents and Dr./Mrs. Song share what everyone sees from the blog. Each and every one of us enjoys what you experience in Taiwan.
May the holy spirit be with you every moment and may God use you in the mission!
Thank you for sharing Emily！What a fun and productive day! Praise the Lord to have such a wonderful team and 40 receiving hearts! God is doing the magical work through you. God also rewards you with the warmest hosts, new experiences，delicious food! We love to see your pictures in wigs and tutus. How lovely to the playful side of you all!
ReplyDelete