Half of my ministry this week was helping in the school they have connected to the church! However, it did start on Wednesday, so let me fill you in on what happened Monday and Tuesday first!
Monday we helped the teachers put their classrooms back in order and cleaned the church. I returned to my old job of dusting the window sills, something actually so fun, since they accumulate so much dust that wipes off so easily!
We had worship that night, and were blessed by having several people from the community show up! Abby led with a guitar and her voice, and it reminded me so much of Training Camp!
Tuesday we had an activation day, similar to what we’d done in Guatemala, except Aubrey shared the message, and it was on pride. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say it was amazing things that happen when we humble ourselves to be used by God.
Then we were sent out into town to evangelize. I was with Romy, Ashlyn, Lily, and Aubrey (it was a big group), and we went to a local diner to invite the people who worked there to a Bring and Braai (the word they use for BBQ) at the church, next Thursday (you’ll hear more about that in a later blog).
Now, we’ve hit Wednesday, the day when ministry at the school officially began! Assembly started at 8:00, where the students got to witness a skit performed by us (like we do every Sunday before church) and a brief message from Anna. They pledged allegiance to the Christian flag and their country, sang their national anthem, then filed into their classrooms.
We stayed back another hour to have our usual morning worship session, then half of us went to classrooms while the other half of us did ATL.
I was with the half that went to classrooms, so I joined Aubrey and Abi in the intermediate class (grades 6th-8th, I think). This was the largest class, with 11 students, two monitors (the role we’d be helping with), and 1 supervisor (the head of the class).
We quickly learned there was a very specific order to things, but by the end of first break, we were navigating the intricacies of giving kids permission to check their work and then double checking their checked work like pros (that’s pretty much what we do as monitors).
Break went from 10:00-10:30, then school continued until 2:00, with one additional 20 minute break at noon. I was exhausted by the end, but I felt so full from serving! And I felt even more full during worship that night, when Abby shared a message about conviction and what it can look like.
On Thursday, I’d intended to help in the classrooms again, but then I discovered there was worship music to be organized, and I couldn’t say no! Meghan and I spent almost 5 hours organizing the music alphabetically, and while I was quite tired by the end of it, it was incredibly satisfying!
Friday I helped in the same class as before, and enjoyed doing so just as much as before!
One thing I’d like to say about those doing ATL. God has been moving so strongly, giving them a heart that wants to evangelize and a boldness to be unashamed in how they do it! And some incredible things have happened, including being prophesied over by a random man and performing a mini skit for the men working at the gas station!
God is so cool! And that’s what I’d like to end on!
Can’t be 100% certain from the limited description but it sounds like the school may have been using the A.C.E. curriculum. We used that to homeschool our son for high school. The kids are in good hands and will come away with an actual mastery of the subjects involved (le gasp).