No Time For Jet Lag || Careena - June 17

Today was our initiation to Austria and children’s ministry. No time for jet lag. We started our morning in four classrooms at two different schools. These were public schools, so we taught a character lesson about respect and made paper cup sheep to signify how important it is to follow a good leader. This will pave the way for others in the after-school program to come back and say, “Remember how we all need a leader? Let me tell you about the Good Shepherd.”This evening we put on a real kids’ program at our host’s church. We divided into lesson team, game teams, and craft teams. The kids rotated in groups through the different stations that were illustrating how God created the world, we are made in His image, and that He loves His creation. After the program, we ate dinner with the church and had an opportunity to interact with the kids on a personal level. It’s a hilarious challenge to try to make yourself understood by a nine-year-old who can only say “what is your name” and “do you speak Romanian” in English. Every time I asked a question, they just looked at each other and laughed and went to find someone who had added “how old are you” to their vocabulary.It was a little intimidating to hit the ground running, to figure out the curriculum as we went, and to have to adjust a little for each group that came through. It was such a bonding experience for us as a team, and our translators melded with us so seamlessly. I can personally say that I feel like I’ve know these people for years, and I am so excited to spend the next three weeks ministering with them!