Ministering alongside the Meridian Team

Our team from Meridian arrived on Friday and since then we have been BUSY! We spent Saturday morning in Provo doing a VBS on heaven. That afternoon we came back and had a dance camp. It was super cute to see all the girls in tutus. We finished the day up with a movie night at the church. 

Sunday us interns were in charge of children’s church and we shared the story of the birth of Jesus. It has been so awesome to see more and more kids show up every week. After lunch, we celebrated the birthdays of all the orphans with brownies, crowns, balloons, and games. They LOVED it!!! They were hilarious with the balloons!! While the kids were having their party, the mamas were being pampered and loved on. The mamas probably mostly enjoyed just getting a break from taking care of the kids, but they definitely loved picking which color of nail polish they wanted. The ended with me giving the opening devotion. I was so close to just saying I wasn't feeling well and couldn't do it, but I just felt the Spirit tugging at my heart, telling me that I needed to do it and that He would give me the strength. And boy did He! He is SO faithful!!! That has been the most awesome thing this summer! He has been so faithful to give me the words and strength I need in order to share the opening devotion. He has even given me ideas and examples that I never thought about using in the middle of the devotion. 

Monday we headed to Daniel to do the heaven VBS again. It was a nice, bumpy, and dusty ride. When we arrived, I was struck again by just how small and humble their church building there is. I also remembered holding clinic there last year and all the ministry that we accomplished by reaching the people’s physical and spiritual needs. The VBS went really well. The group did some really fun activities with the kids and all of them had a blast. After VBS, we split up into three groups to do hut to huts. We only had time to visit about two houses each, but it was such a blessing to spend time ministering in their homes. We headed back to the Mole just in time to eat lunch and then prepare for the second day of dance camp. At first, it looked like we would have a smaller crowd because it looked like it was going to storm, but soon the clouds moved on and most of the girls came. The girls are having a blast and are really doing super well as they learn the dance. I even got Isebelle to come and dance with us. She was so cute with her little tutu. After dance camp, the ladies all headed over to the cafeteria for women’s Bible study. The ladies all had such a fun time learning about Esther, playing a silly game, and spending time working on making paper beads. It was such a blessing to spend time with them. Also, making paper beads may become my new hobby. Our day ended with a movie night showing Beethoven. The kids LOVED it! It is so fun to hear their laughter. After the movie, us interns and Miss Beth had a lot of fun just hanging out. We even started playing indoor baseball and basketball. My abs were very sore after all of the laughter. I am so blessed everyday by those ladies.

Today was another busy day as we began our morning with a Bible study that was for preteens and teens on guarding their bodies and seeking help when they have been abused. At first, it looked like none of the kids were coming, but soon we had a full house. The group did an awesome job incorporating Scripture, games, songs, and teaching in order to teach the kids the importance of guarding their bodies. After lunch, the team shared their heaven VBS with the kids in the Mole. The kids had such a blast and I pray that they left with new hope of what heaven will be like. After VBS, we took twenty of the orphans to the beach. Even though this can often be a very chaotic time, it is so fun to see all of their smiles. It has also been awesome to see the kids become less afraid of water then they were last year. Without a movie night tonight, we were able to enjoy our evening with some awesome worship and a great devotion. This group has been so awesome and such a blessing to all of us. Their eager and willing attitudes to serve along with their flexibility have made this an awesome week so far. I am excited to see what the last few days with this team will hold.