Another few days.

Well it is Friday. We have had two days of doing kids ministry. The engage house is in a much wealthier part of Guadalajara than the areas that we have gone to minister to. The areas we have gone to are poorer than anything I myself have ever experienced. The roads a very bad. Mostly rocks and lots of dirt. The kids there are just looking for something to do. We just walked down the streets telling kids "we're going to have a kids program at your park, come on over" and they all did. They came. Our program was pretty minimal. Just what the engage team usually does (they go to this area every thursday). We did some songs to motions. Played simple games like soccer, red light green light. I got to do the Bible Story ( I narrated and had abe and some of the kids act it out) - I had fun with that. I was complimented by several leaders - so thats always nice. I got to do a job that I have never done - dog patrol. There are so many stray dogs. they are pretty tame, however, there was a group from Georgia that wanted to be involved with our thing and they were doing a drama that had some evil people. Well whenever the evil people started their stuff all the dogs started trying to go after them. So I was on the side shooing the dogs away before they could make to the front! So we did our first program. Then went home for lunch. Then we headed to another "park" just on the other side of the the same houses. So we had many of the same kids for our afternoon program (repeat). I did the same story but used the kids more. They remembered it. The we handed out sandwiches and juice.

Today we went to another area. and did a different "kids ministry" program. we invited and again they came. We played soccer for a really long time! I was sweating with the girls (more boys) because we had to play until the boys finished their tournament. I was dying out there (I'd been assigned the girls by the director - church pastors son). It was even worse when I stopped for water - we take a big jug for our team - and they all wanted some. But I wasn't sure about giving them some, because then we'd have to give everyone water and we wouldn't have enough. Finally I broke down - emptied my pepsi bottle (i'd been using abe's water bottle) and gave it to the girls to share - just one pepsi bottle for all of them.

That I think has been one of the hardest things. There is such need around here. Spiritual and physical. clothes, shoes, water, food (I talked to a very skinny 12 year old), entertainment. Everything. How do the missionaries deal with that - not being able to meet all the needs. i suppose scripture tells us "my God shall supply all my need". They just like seeing us. They ask me my name, they come by and just touch my arm and smile. They beam when I'm in the middle of a song routine and I look in the eye and smile.

Tomorrow is youth ministry day - soccer tournaments again. I wonder how the youth will respond. The church has never tried doing a youth event, so its an experiment.