Day 7 - 7/6/2016 - Resilience
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Hello everyone! This is Josh. I can't believe we're already halfway through our VBS. I woke up this morning more exhausted than ever, but our amazing breakfast of passion fruit gave me the energy to get up. Emily and I are so grateful that Hwa-Chi and Pauline are giving us so many wonderful opportunities to try all the exotic foods that Taiwan has to offer. Hwa-Chi showed us how to eat the fruit, pouring honey into its shell to sweeten the taste of its sour seeds.
The kids jumped right into game time to start off the day. They played various games that were new to me, like frisbee dodgeball and a flag pulling game, where one kid, wearing a flag, would try to get onto a chair, but three other kids would try to stop him by pulling his flag.
Edward and I needed a breather, due to a combination of the heat and our tiredness. We found Albert giving company to a poor little girl who had a fever. He drew pictures and helped her review the English colors she had learned yesterday. I was surprised at how eager she was to show off her impressive knowledge of colors, as she shouted, "Yellow, Huángsè! Blue, Lán sè!" A few moments later, a small, black puppy hopped into the room, barking joyfully at the top of its lungs. A few people, including the little girl, called out, "Webby!" And Webby was overjoyed, basking in the attention of many friendly hands.
The kids came back in for worship time, led by Evangeline, and they all had a lot of fun with the songs and the motions that went with them. Today's lesson was on obedience, taught by Yechong Laoshi, who started with a game: two teams of two competed against each other with one blindfolded person and one guide on each. The team that first reached the end of a path of obstacles won. The blindfolded person would have to be obedient and trust his teammate in order to avoid the obstacles in his path. Since one of the teams is named "obedience," that group recited their chant in a loud, resounding shout. Yechong Laoshi then played two videos for us to show both the consequences of disobedience through Jonah and the whale, and the blessings of obedience that Noah received upon building his ark.
A dramatic shift took place, as the atmosphere quickly digressed from quiet and orderly to loud and hectic. Mian Yang came back, introducing something completely different from dancing. Pumps and balloons were handed out, and soon chaos ensued. The loud pops of balloons being stretched passed their limits resounded throughout the room. Leaders and kids alike made silly accessories, from hats and belts to swords and bracelets.
Delicious rice, beef, spinach, and eggs were served for lunch today. And each day, we're provided snacks during break time, and so many different tasty foods during lunch. So I think I can speak for everyone at VBS, in saying that we are all so grateful for all the volunteers and helpers that prepare all of our food and clean up after the messes we make, including washing all of our dishes. I don't think they get enough recognition for all their hard work and serving hearts.
We were all very pleasantly surprised after lunch. Evangeline came up to us with gifts and individual letters written for each one of us! She gave me a puzzle, Emily a purse, Edward a key chain, and Jeremy a journal. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture, and we were all so thankful for it. I can definitely speak for the team as a whole, in saying that we are extremely thankful for all the warm welcomes we've received from everyone here in Taiwan and for making us feel at home in such an unfamiliar place.
Our team had some time to rest up before it was our time to lead the VBS. Emily and I napped through the next hour, while Jeremy and Edward prepared for the English lesson and Bible story. All the kids came back from their nap time, ready to learn English numbers. Jeremy did a great job going through various number-related topics: counting from 1 to 10, teaching the tens, hundreds, and thousands, and learning how to say the basic operations in English (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
Everything was organized and everyone seemed to be engaged for the first time during the game. We showed the kids how to play zuma zuma, which they seemed to pick up very quickly after each of their team leaders clarified the rules. This was the first time we decided to split the kids up into their 5 teams, and due to the smaller group size, the kids were able to participate more. We ourselves didn't even realize that we could improve game time. However, this better approach of leading the game seemed to appear as if by chance. But it wasn't chance that made us realize how we could improve. God was really working behind the scenes, making improvements to our curriculum without us even realizing it. When Edward patted me on the back and said that we did a good job, I saw how blessed we were to be able to see all these kids' cheerful faces as a result of something we did. It was such a beautiful sight to see every child engaged and having fun in each group. It just goes to show that God really is in control, and no matter what, even if we don't always see it. He is constantly working through and in us, whether he's giving us the words to speak or ideas to think of, all for his purpose. This hopefully will give our team the reassurance that God is with us in all we do throughout this VBS, and that he's in control of it all.
The kids even learned a song about this idea today. Emily taught them the words and the motions to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," and we also sang "Deep Down," along with "Who is the King of the Jungle."
After Edward taught the lesson of the Good Samaritan and the memory verse, Romans 3:23, we still had about half an hour left, so Edward decided to review the vocab from the previous two days of English lessons. Even though our planned curriculum ended early today, just like it did yesterday and the day before, Edward helped the team adapt to the situation and keep the children engaged for the entire time.
We stayed with the children who were still waiting to be picked up for a little while and then rested for about an hour until dinner time. We ate a homemade meal at church with Hwa-Chi, Pauline, and the Zhen family. There were so many savory, mouth-watering dishes, like pi dan shou rou zhou, cong you bing, garlic bread, tomato and egg soup, pickled vegetables, sichuan-style beef, and beef stew. We were treated to some delicious mango, dragon fruit, and cheesecake to end the meal, which brought this long, tiring day to a close. Though I'm physically and mentally exhausted, I still can't wait to spend the rest of this week with all the kids.
Please keep us in prayer:
Romans 8:28
Hello everyone! This is Josh. I can't believe we're already halfway through our VBS. I woke up this morning more exhausted than ever, but our amazing breakfast of passion fruit gave me the energy to get up. Emily and I are so grateful that Hwa-Chi and Pauline are giving us so many wonderful opportunities to try all the exotic foods that Taiwan has to offer. Hwa-Chi showed us how to eat the fruit, pouring honey into its shell to sweeten the taste of its sour seeds.
The kids jumped right into game time to start off the day. They played various games that were new to me, like frisbee dodgeball and a flag pulling game, where one kid, wearing a flag, would try to get onto a chair, but three other kids would try to stop him by pulling his flag.
Edward and I needed a breather, due to a combination of the heat and our tiredness. We found Albert giving company to a poor little girl who had a fever. He drew pictures and helped her review the English colors she had learned yesterday. I was surprised at how eager she was to show off her impressive knowledge of colors, as she shouted, "Yellow, Huángsè! Blue, Lán sè!" A few moments later, a small, black puppy hopped into the room, barking joyfully at the top of its lungs. A few people, including the little girl, called out, "Webby!" And Webby was overjoyed, basking in the attention of many friendly hands.
The kids came back in for worship time, led by Evangeline, and they all had a lot of fun with the songs and the motions that went with them. Today's lesson was on obedience, taught by Yechong Laoshi, who started with a game: two teams of two competed against each other with one blindfolded person and one guide on each. The team that first reached the end of a path of obstacles won. The blindfolded person would have to be obedient and trust his teammate in order to avoid the obstacles in his path. Since one of the teams is named "obedience," that group recited their chant in a loud, resounding shout. Yechong Laoshi then played two videos for us to show both the consequences of disobedience through Jonah and the whale, and the blessings of obedience that Noah received upon building his ark.
A dramatic shift took place, as the atmosphere quickly digressed from quiet and orderly to loud and hectic. Mian Yang came back, introducing something completely different from dancing. Pumps and balloons were handed out, and soon chaos ensued. The loud pops of balloons being stretched passed their limits resounded throughout the room. Leaders and kids alike made silly accessories, from hats and belts to swords and bracelets.
Delicious rice, beef, spinach, and eggs were served for lunch today. And each day, we're provided snacks during break time, and so many different tasty foods during lunch. So I think I can speak for everyone at VBS, in saying that we are all so grateful for all the volunteers and helpers that prepare all of our food and clean up after the messes we make, including washing all of our dishes. I don't think they get enough recognition for all their hard work and serving hearts.
We were all very pleasantly surprised after lunch. Evangeline came up to us with gifts and individual letters written for each one of us! She gave me a puzzle, Emily a purse, Edward a key chain, and Jeremy a journal. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture, and we were all so thankful for it. I can definitely speak for the team as a whole, in saying that we are extremely thankful for all the warm welcomes we've received from everyone here in Taiwan and for making us feel at home in such an unfamiliar place.
 |
| The puzzle |
Our team had some time to rest up before it was our time to lead the VBS. Emily and I napped through the next hour, while Jeremy and Edward prepared for the English lesson and Bible story. All the kids came back from their nap time, ready to learn English numbers. Jeremy did a great job going through various number-related topics: counting from 1 to 10, teaching the tens, hundreds, and thousands, and learning how to say the basic operations in English (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
Everything was organized and everyone seemed to be engaged for the first time during the game. We showed the kids how to play zuma zuma, which they seemed to pick up very quickly after each of their team leaders clarified the rules. This was the first time we decided to split the kids up into their 5 teams, and due to the smaller group size, the kids were able to participate more. We ourselves didn't even realize that we could improve game time. However, this better approach of leading the game seemed to appear as if by chance. But it wasn't chance that made us realize how we could improve. God was really working behind the scenes, making improvements to our curriculum without us even realizing it. When Edward patted me on the back and said that we did a good job, I saw how blessed we were to be able to see all these kids' cheerful faces as a result of something we did. It was such a beautiful sight to see every child engaged and having fun in each group. It just goes to show that God really is in control, and no matter what, even if we don't always see it. He is constantly working through and in us, whether he's giving us the words to speak or ideas to think of, all for his purpose. This hopefully will give our team the reassurance that God is with us in all we do throughout this VBS, and that he's in control of it all.
 |
| The kids during game time |
The kids even learned a song about this idea today. Emily taught them the words and the motions to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," and we also sang "Deep Down," along with "Who is the King of the Jungle."
After Edward taught the lesson of the Good Samaritan and the memory verse, Romans 3:23, we still had about half an hour left, so Edward decided to review the vocab from the previous two days of English lessons. Even though our planned curriculum ended early today, just like it did yesterday and the day before, Edward helped the team adapt to the situation and keep the children engaged for the entire time.
We stayed with the children who were still waiting to be picked up for a little while and then rested for about an hour until dinner time. We ate a homemade meal at church with Hwa-Chi, Pauline, and the Zhen family. There were so many savory, mouth-watering dishes, like pi dan shou rou zhou, cong you bing, garlic bread, tomato and egg soup, pickled vegetables, sichuan-style beef, and beef stew. We were treated to some delicious mango, dragon fruit, and cheesecake to end the meal, which brought this long, tiring day to a close. Though I'm physically and mentally exhausted, I still can't wait to spend the rest of this week with all the kids.
Please keep us in prayer:
- Pray for us to focus on serving God
- Pray for the children to receive God's word and understand his message despite language barriers
- Pray for us to have energy to finish strong for the rest of this week
- Thanks to our kind hosts, Hwa-Chi, Pauline, and the Zhen family, for being so loving to us
- Thanks for all the food we've been provided with and for those who have prepared it for us
- Thanks to everyone for being so friendly and welcoming to our team
Zuma game! Way to go with the numbers!!! "Simon says" went with the obedience. You guys are really good. Thanks Josh for another eventful sharing. Praise the Lord for another day of His work. We will continue to pray for your strength physically and spiritually and the hearts of the children and their parents. May Holy spirit fill the camp site and moving on each camper and everyone who serve Him there. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
ReplyDeleteJosh, good recap. go team! May our Lord give your strength and wisdom. so enjoyed to read your writings every day. take care, rest. He is good!
ReplyDeleteJosh, thanks for the daily update!
ReplyDeleteThanks to God for His provisions, for the host families, for the VBS leaders/campers, and for the opportunity to work with Taiwanese youths! The title for today's blog, "Resilience", is a good fit for you all. We pray to God that He supports you and protects you through all hurdles, and that Holy Spirit works in the campers' hearts. In Jesus Christ name, amen!
Thank you Josh for sharing with us after a long and exhausting day. We pray to the Lord to remember the love and hard work you give to the children. May our Lord re-energize you everyday and protect all of you from the incoming incremental weather.
ReplyDelete