Time goes quickly and the last day was upon us too soon! We started off with our Bible Story, but today it was going to be a Gospel Presentation. Lots of kids in Russia have seen the Gospel Bead Bracelets as a way of presenting the Gospel, but only a few from the Day Center knew the meaning behind the colored beads on bracelets they would make later in the hour. I’ve done this presentation before know that I have to be simple and quick as there are always distractions. This was no different, but the kids were attentive and listened as I spoke and Pastor Slava translated for me.
As I was explaining all the beads, I was praying that the Lord would give me the right words to say that would be translated in a way they could understand so that they could know Jesus. I also tried to determine if it was right to lead them in a prayer at the end for those that wanted to be saved. Sometimes I don’t as I don’t feel the attention of the group is right or if the hearts don’t seem to be open. However, this time the stage seemed to be set just right and I sensed the kids having an open heart to hear the message. I prayed a simple prayer and then asked if any of them had prayed that prayer for the first time. I was glad to see six hands go up! I felt these were honest confessions and that they had wanted a relationship with Christ! I was so pleased!
After our presentation, the kids made Friendship Bracelets with the color beads as a reminder of the meaning behind the beads. The kids also memorized the verse from John 3:16 and were awarded prizes for memorizing the daily verse. Then we added up the number of stars each kid received during the week and who would win prizes. Winners were selected and presented at the closing.
We were treated to a short show of songs, dance, and a cute skit! Then it was time to award the winners of the week of competition. Five winners were selected and the kids got more that a piece of candy for their accomplishment! Four of the winner received a framed picture and the winner of the memory verse competition won a soccer ball! That soccer ball was very treasured and he had all the SAC Team members sign it as a memory of the event!
After this the kids were presented with t-shirts that I was able to round up. They were leftover from a previous mission trip and there was enough to give to the kids at the Day Center as I had no room in my bags to bring t-shirts like I normally do. In each bag I placed a copy of the ‘Book of John’ in Russian that Pastor Slava had on hand in the storage room. The kids seemed pleased, although it was not as much as what we had given before. But no one complained… even when the t-shirt wasn’t their size. Nadezhda, the Day Center director also presented us with hand-made gifts from the church.
A few days later after we had left, Pastor Slava had stayed in Sosnovo to attend Sunday services. He told me that 4 of those 6 had come to church that morning! They were seeking! The young preacher who had come to Sosnovo to preach was surprised by the number of youth that had come to the service. Pastor Slava told me that he adjusted his message to address these youth that had come! They are now talking about starting a youth ministry at the church!
The long term work of a dedicated Day Center director, noticeable building improvements, the happiness they felt participating in the events of the week caused hearts to change and the fruits of Christian labor to be manifested! “Slava Bogum” (Praise God!)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sosnovo Improvements
In the four years we have been coming to the Day Center, it has always been cold inside. Often the kids and all of us would keep our coats on because the electric heaters could not keep the drafty old building warm enough. It was also very costly to run these electric heaters. Well, that all changed this week!
Recently the city of Sosnovo had been given money from the central government for the region that was used to make improvements to the city infrastructure. This included remodeling several city building, making street improvements, and connecting building to a central heating system operated by the city. In Russia, it’s more normal for public buildings to be connected to hot water pipes that run throuogh radiators in the buildings. This is how they heat most of the buildings. In Sosnovo, the public building had not been connected to the city hot water system and therefore had none of this heat. The week we were doing ministry there, city workers were installing hot water radiators in each of the rooms in the Day Center! Now the kids can truly come to a safe AND warm place and not have to keep their coats on! This will also allow Nadezhda to open up other connecting rooms that has a ping pong table (that SAC purchased a couple of years ago) and she can monitor all rooms with doors open. They couldn’t keep the doors open before as they couldn’t afford to heat those rooms. In addition, this will save the Day Center in electrical costs and reduce some of their expenses in a troubled economy. The new heaters should be turned on this week!
Another problem was the huge mud puddle around the entrance to the Day Center. The small area in front has always had poor drainage and when the snow melted or it rained, it would always pool up in front of the Day Center. Pastor Slava said that a couple cubic meters or gravel would be a big help and cost only about 1000 rubles ($30) per meter. Lenoid, the deacon at the church, ordered the gravel and it was dumped just about the time we needed to start the Bible Study… of course! But the kids once they saw the gravel they all jumped in and began to help spreading it. We only had four shovels and a couple of buckets, but somehow everyone got involved and helped. One boy named Igor had a shovel was asked by another boy for his turn to help. Igor said, “Not on your life!” He wanted to keep that shovel and help!
Two other boys in school uniforms (as some public school require) were asked to join in, and they said they had just finished working hard at school on some cleanup. Nevertheless, after putting their backpacks inside, they quickly joined in the spreading of the gravel. Within about 15 minutes all the kids had spread the gravel and there was now a path to walk on without getting your shoes wet!
The kids take great pride in “their” Day Center and were encouraged by the improvements!
Recently the city of Sosnovo had been given money from the central government for the region that was used to make improvements to the city infrastructure. This included remodeling several city building, making street improvements, and connecting building to a central heating system operated by the city. In Russia, it’s more normal for public buildings to be connected to hot water pipes that run throuogh radiators in the buildings. This is how they heat most of the buildings. In Sosnovo, the public building had not been connected to the city hot water system and therefore had none of this heat. The week we were doing ministry there, city workers were installing hot water radiators in each of the rooms in the Day Center! Now the kids can truly come to a safe AND warm place and not have to keep their coats on! This will also allow Nadezhda to open up other connecting rooms that has a ping pong table (that SAC purchased a couple of years ago) and she can monitor all rooms with doors open. They couldn’t keep the doors open before as they couldn’t afford to heat those rooms. In addition, this will save the Day Center in electrical costs and reduce some of their expenses in a troubled economy. The new heaters should be turned on this week!
Another problem was the huge mud puddle around the entrance to the Day Center. The small area in front has always had poor drainage and when the snow melted or it rained, it would always pool up in front of the Day Center. Pastor Slava said that a couple cubic meters or gravel would be a big help and cost only about 1000 rubles ($30) per meter. Lenoid, the deacon at the church, ordered the gravel and it was dumped just about the time we needed to start the Bible Study… of course! But the kids once they saw the gravel they all jumped in and began to help spreading it. We only had four shovels and a couple of buckets, but somehow everyone got involved and helped. One boy named Igor had a shovel was asked by another boy for his turn to help. Igor said, “Not on your life!” He wanted to keep that shovel and help!
Two other boys in school uniforms (as some public school require) were asked to join in, and they said they had just finished working hard at school on some cleanup. Nevertheless, after putting their backpacks inside, they quickly joined in the spreading of the gravel. Within about 15 minutes all the kids had spread the gravel and there was now a path to walk on without getting your shoes wet!
The kids take great pride in “their” Day Center and were encouraged by the improvements!
Sosnovo Games!
I was a little worried about this trip regarding games. Usually on a mission trip I can bring some supplies and things to play with and leave with the Day Center, but on this trip I only had one bag that I could pack and take with me overseas and this would need to hold all the crafts, Bible Study material, and anything else I could fit in. I didn’t have room for a lot of games, so I was concerned things wouldn’t work out… but I was wrong!
There are many games that can be played without supplies! One game we played had all the kids sit at a table in a circle and place their hands on the table. But their hands had to crossover the person next to them. Then they had to slap their hand in order around the circle. Sounds simple enough, but visually the order is confused when you have the hands crossed. I think the kids could have played this game for hours! They loved it and there was no supplies needed.
Then we had them in a room and we had them mill about. We would call out a number (in Russian) and they would have to make a group according to that number. Well, that game got pleasantly violent as kids grappled for one another to create a group. You will see on the pictures the kids in a clump on the floor having the best of time!
One of my favorites is a game I call “Head Plant” although that’s not the real name… its just the name I gave it! The kids are in two groups of five or more. We would call out, “5 hands, 4 feet, and 2 heads” and the kids in each group would have to configure themselves so that their group had only 5 hands, 4 feet, and 2 heads touching the floor. It’s a crazy game and again no supplies were needed!
Lastly, Tina and the translators worked on a game for several days that we would do on Thursday. We had two teams and each team would roll a dice to see what number they would get. The kids in each group would run to find a paper pinned on the wall that matched that number. We placed 50 of these numbered games around the outside of the building in various order. On each numbered paper was an activity that the team needed to complete before they could go on to the next numbered game. Each of the 50 games were things like, “count backwards from 50 (in Russian of course), wrap a group member in toilet paper head to toe, or take a bite from an apple hanging from the basketball hoop.
Again, this took little supplies and required only a big imagination! A BIG thanks to Tina who led the games and created a lot of fun for all of us!
There are many games that can be played without supplies! One game we played had all the kids sit at a table in a circle and place their hands on the table. But their hands had to crossover the person next to them. Then they had to slap their hand in order around the circle. Sounds simple enough, but visually the order is confused when you have the hands crossed. I think the kids could have played this game for hours! They loved it and there was no supplies needed.
Then we had them in a room and we had them mill about. We would call out a number (in Russian) and they would have to make a group according to that number. Well, that game got pleasantly violent as kids grappled for one another to create a group. You will see on the pictures the kids in a clump on the floor having the best of time!
One of my favorites is a game I call “Head Plant” although that’s not the real name… its just the name I gave it! The kids are in two groups of five or more. We would call out, “5 hands, 4 feet, and 2 heads” and the kids in each group would have to configure themselves so that their group had only 5 hands, 4 feet, and 2 heads touching the floor. It’s a crazy game and again no supplies were needed!
Lastly, Tina and the translators worked on a game for several days that we would do on Thursday. We had two teams and each team would roll a dice to see what number they would get. The kids in each group would run to find a paper pinned on the wall that matched that number. We placed 50 of these numbered games around the outside of the building in various order. On each numbered paper was an activity that the team needed to complete before they could go on to the next numbered game. Each of the 50 games were things like, “count backwards from 50 (in Russian of course), wrap a group member in toilet paper head to toe, or take a bite from an apple hanging from the basketball hoop.
Again, this took little supplies and required only a big imagination! A BIG thanks to Tina who led the games and created a lot of fun for all of us!
Sosnovo Memory Verse
At the beginning of the week, we told the kids that they would have an opportunity to memorize the Bible verse that we would be discussing that day to be eligible for a prize. Surprisingly, most ALL the kids joined in this competition. All of them had a great memory and they all would do this each day with eagerness! Of course, the treasure box full of candy like M&M’s, Twix, and other Russian candy that was available was certainly an enticement for all ages.
After the Bible Lesson, the kids would see the Memory Verse that Nadezhda would put on a poster so they could memorize. Pastor Slava and Sergey would manage this and get the kids to say and memorize the verse. The first day was easy… they only had to memorize Monday’s verse, but on Tuesday they had to memorize both Monday and Tuesday’s verse! It seems I had t make a couple of trips to the store to buy more candy!
At the end of the week, we had a competition for those that memorized all five verses and would be the first to recite them. We also had prizes for those who helped the most, showed the best servant attitude, and several other prizes. I was pleasantly surprised that the kids would participate in this so well and show so much enthusiasm!
After the Bible Lesson, the kids would see the Memory Verse that Nadezhda would put on a poster so they could memorize. Pastor Slava and Sergey would manage this and get the kids to say and memorize the verse. The first day was easy… they only had to memorize Monday’s verse, but on Tuesday they had to memorize both Monday and Tuesday’s verse! It seems I had t make a couple of trips to the store to buy more candy!
At the end of the week, we had a competition for those that memorized all five verses and would be the first to recite them. We also had prizes for those who helped the most, showed the best servant attitude, and several other prizes. I was pleasantly surprised that the kids would participate in this so well and show so much enthusiasm!
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