Like most weeks, we again had soccer day with club! It was a nice, normal soccer day with a handful of club kids and friends. Czech kids start school next week, so I think a traditional soccer day was just what they needed in their last full week of summer.
Soccer with the Guys
Matching Friends
We then took a field trip on Thursday with the club kids to the place where we have Vikings Camp. It was a warm day, so the youth pastor had the idea to play water games at the pool, and we ended up developing a new favorite water game! We brought along the Bumper Balls and put one in the water with us also. The new game was created almost on accident when one of the leaders spontaneously tossed the soccer ball into the Bumper Ball. The game then developed to having someone spinning inside the Bumper Ball in the water while everyone else tries to toss the soccer ball into the Bumper Ball! It was really lots of fun, and I know everyone is looking forward to playing this game again.
Field Trip!
Our New Water Game
When we got back from the club field trip, many of the kids hoped back on their bikes to head home. A couple of the boys who came with us used to live down the road from me when I stayed with a host family. They were about halfway down the street on their way home when I think they realized that I now live in another part of the city and wouldn't be biking home with them. From down the street, I heard these two boys start calling my name as they biked back up to our club location to give me high-fives and say goodbye before heading on their way again! I realize that these relationships that I get to build with all the kids are so important as I get to be a light of God's love in their lives.
Club Group
The official opening of our new club location is next Wednesday already! We spent Wednesday and Friday of this week at the new location doing lots of cleaning and preparing so that the space can be ready for when we open. Besides the cleaning, I also took on the role of DJ and hook my iPod up to the stereo, but I think we have listened to some of the songs about a dozen times already... the other leaders have started whistling along to some of the songs as they now know the tunes so well. I actually don't mind all the cleaning and preparing because I know that God gave us this space to reach more kids, and I am excited for all He will do through the lives of the kids we get to work with in the future.
Trying Out the New Pool Table
Cleaning
I always look forward to Friday because it means I get to spend time with many friends at Youth Group. This past Friday, we also took a field trip to the place where we have Vikings Camp to camp out as a youth group. We went for a night hike in the forest, slept under the stars, visited a look-out tower in the area, and spent more time at the pool!
The View from the Look-Out Tower
During Vikings Camp, we played a game in the pool where the leaders threw coins into the pool and we had to find them in the water to get points for our teams. The whole time at camp when we played this game, I couldn't find a single coin. Then, when we were at the pool just for fun, I randomly found one of the coins still at the bottom of the pool a month later! So naturally, I yelled in excitement to the other three members of my team who were with us and then brought the coin to my team leader. He still told me "good job" and then added, "next time at Vikings Camp, you will do better, and you will bring lots of coins to me for team points." To which I responded, "What if next year I am not on your team?" "That's okay, bring them to me anyway!"
Youth Group
This past Wednesday was a "milestone moment" as I realized I have never been in Czech past August 24th. I have now been in Czech later in the year than ever before! It is exciting to think of all that I get to do over the next year here and the ways I will be able to help the youth club. Even in the summers, I felt confined - that I knew my time with the kids would eventually have to come to an end, so it is a wonderful feeling knowing that I live here now and get to spend the rest of the year getting to know the students and sharing God's love with them throughout our times together.