Last weekend, I joined a group of kids from our Kid's Bible Class as we traveled to a village near Brno (the capital of Moravia) for a Bible Competition. The kids spent the first day getting to know the kids from the other youth groups and practicing with each other the different memory verses and skills they were each individual accountable to learn for the competition.
On the second day, the kids went out into the forest in groups of three to find all the leaders at various stations in the forest, each with a different task for the students to complete. The teams had three hours to find as many leaders as they could and complete the tasks for points. Ultimately, the team with the most points won the competition. My station was one of the furthest away from the starting point; so while all the kids were running through the forest to find the leaders and drilling their Bible memorization and practiced skills, I waited patiently at my station. Upon arriving at my station, I proceeded to look for an escape route in case I happened to meet a wild boar in the forest (common in Czech forests and possibly more dangerous in spring because they are protective of their babies). I was relieved to see a hunter's stand a couple yards away that would be easy to climb to escape the boar who might be also in the forest. Then I realized the hunter's stand wasn't as relieving as it should be because the purpose of a hunter's stand in this area IS to hunt the boars! Needless to say, knowing this kept me alert while in the forest and focused my attention on all the sounds - even in the littlest things, and I became acquainted with the lullaby within the forest. The humming of the bumblebee, the snapping of twigs as the weight of a pinecone finally succeeded in its descend to the ground, a frantic rustling of the grass as a rodent made a quick dash through the forest floor, the sound of water splashing between rocks from a nearby brook, and the muffled rustle of leaves as shadows danced with the sunlight in the breeze. While I am definitely a "people-person," I did enjoy the time in the forest with just me and God, and the forest's lullaby.
Bible Class Group
We took many "detours" while on our trip with the kids from Bible Class - visiting a farm, playgrounds, the ice cream shop, KFC snacks, and the castle in Brno! Even though our students didn't come in first in the competition, I am confident we had the best team-building weekend.
Watch a short video of the Bible Competition!
The past two Mondays have been national Czech holidays; however, I was surprised that about half of my English Class students still wanted to come to class on their free day! We spent the days practicing verbs and playing lots of action games to concentrate on associating the vocabulary with the corresponding actions. Besides teaching my English Class kids, I have also been enjoying teaching Little Linguists - an English class for toddlers/preschoolers (and their moms). Sometimes, I believe that the moms are more excited about the coloring activities and the English songs than the kids! The excitement that these young mothers have about learning is definitely guiding their children, and we are all having a great time together during the lesson.
Club time in Letovice is equally ever-changing and all familiar. Kid's who come for the first time quickly fit into the current mob of children and easily jump into games. Classic games are paired with new activities that keep the kids entertained and curiously asking what we will do next. We have been introducing more outside activities due to the nice weather, as well as focus-centered activities inside like drawing, coloring, bracelet making, and puzzles. The kids have all started talking about summer club activities, and we are kicking off with a soccer tournament next week with the club kids!
Multi-tasking... Didn't even know the youth pastor snapped this picture during club!
This little cutie came running into club with a handful of dandelions she picked for me! While some people may classify these bright, yellow flowers as "weeds," I think a bouquet of them picked with little fingers makes the sweetest gift.
Before this week, our club in Boskovice included billiards pool, two foosball tables, ping-pong, a carrom board, and a card game table. Yet, there was one game table missing that we knew the kids would love playing - air hockey! Because of the excitement around the new game, we have had two air hockey competitions, and there is almost always a crowd surrounding the competitors. Even though I only see the kids at club once a week, I look forward to the time I get to spend with them. I know God is working through the relationships we are building with these students as many of them are coming to youth group every couple of weeks when we meet at the Boskovice club location. This group of kids seem very attentive during the Bible time talks - maybe it is the candy the speakers offer for participation, but I really believe God is moving through the hearts of these teens.
Now that summer weather is rapidly taking over the rainy spring, the city square is filling with customers lined up to grab an ice cream cone - some on their way through and some who have made the ice cream shop their destination. With all the kids I spend time with, I am quickly becoming a frequent, satisfied customer at the ice cream shop!
This Friday, we took the Bible Class on a walk to the forest and playground on the other side of the city. (Of course, we stopped for ice cream on the way!) The journey to the playground was full of laughter as I partnered with the two littlest girls who blew so many dandelion seeds that our hair was sprinkled with white fuzz. While it took us longer than we thought to reach the park, I praised God for the joy of two little girls and nature's confetti.
Once at the forest park, we sent the kids on a scavenger hunt throughout the forest to look for things in nature - a bird's nest, an anthill, a butterfly, and so forth. They enjoyed the challenge and teamed up to look for the different things in the forest. The leaders and I watched from the top of the park hill as the kids weaved around the trees and practically swam through the tall grass. Some chased butterflies and others studied anthills, and I sat enjoying the gift God has given me to be a part of the lives of these kids.
At the Playground in the Forest