Three
large bags of children's shoes were taken as prizes for children arriving early
at meeting. Gospel and Shoes for Kids
Three
large bags of children's shoes were taken as prizes for children arriving early
at meeting.
We had a translator who did her best to help the children understand our messages. She studied carefully to help us.
We were thrilled to have the help of Addy the pastor's wife. She could not speak English but did love children.
In the past we have used cassettes but after all things were loaded and no more could be crammed into the car, we realized the favorite prize was still missing from our supplies. We did have so little room for our own bodies as we pulled out of the driveway in our mission south. Jenny and Kyle had bags on their laps and no place for their feet.
The
children's meetings were another opportunity to feel the rhythm of the Spanish
culture. They were full of enthusiasm. It was during the Guadalupe celebrations
and if there was a procession in the street the attendance was down.
One
little gal came every night with a little boy. She joined in all the songs and
intently listened to each story. All was done for the little boy to enjoy the
songs and stories and pictures.
One little girl came every night. She became more and more interested and kept bringing friends. Near the end of the series Jenny noticed the little girl had stopped wearing her necklaces and earrings. She wanted to dress like Jenny.
They
loved to sing the Scripture songs and to hear the Bible stories. It was fun to
see them coloring their Bible lesson books. Pretty soon they each had new shoes.
It was fun but stressful to get the shoes all to fit. Drawing around their feet
helped but not always did it work. One boy stood outside and did not stay in
meeting. With big sad eyes and a face that looked like he was going to cry he
begged for shoes. We drew around his feet. He was given a pair he liked that
were red and black. It looked to me like they were not quite big enough but they
were the color he wanted. The next night he was bare foot again. He begged for
shoes and had no explanation when asked about the other pair. He was offered
some others but he did not want them.
One
day he asked us to pray for his father who was a drunk. We did pray. Twice his
dad came inside but he could not listen too well for he was drunk. One time the
elders hauled him outside and another time the police came and got him because
the pastor asked them to help us keep peace in meeting. He was hauled outside at
the very moment I was sharing a story about a woman who used a love weapon on
her drunk husband and the end result was his victory over alcohol and his
conversion.
The
sanctuary was very interesting for the children. Jenny helped organize the
children to carry palm branches in a procession for the presentation on the
Feast of Tabernacles.
It seemed wherever Jenny went, she was like a magnet for all the children gathered about her. They knew she loved them.
Lloyd
helped set up equipment and screens as well as managed the sound systems
God promised supernatural assistance. We claimed His promise for us every day through every challenge.