PK Service 2014

Christmas is such wonderful time of year. Homes are decorated, special treats are being made, and in spite of the craziness of extra activities, most people are in pretty good moods!

This week I had the JOY of taking my little pre-kinders to serve at the nursing home. Students at our school go twice a year in Pre-kinder, kinder and first grade, so I have the wonderful privilege of introducing my students to this ministry.

This year my students blew me away with their loving hearts! Usually the first experience is a little overwhelming and most of my students are timid around the "grandparents". This year, however, my little angels loved the grandparents with all their hearts!

For example, one student took seriously the task of finding a grandparent to color with. The person she chose was clearly in the depths of dementia and was singing to herself most of the time. In fact a nurse gave her a lollipop to keep her quiet and not to scare the kids. My little student didnt mind at all! She walked right up to her, gave her a hug and got to work coloring a special picture for her.

Part of our time together is singing some songs. We are learning "Do you hear what I hear" for the Christmas program, so I decided to have my students sing it for the grandparents. While they were singing, one of the grandmas got up and started to dance with one of my little students. I was watching carefully to make sure not to scare my students, but the little boy she grabbed joined in. I could tell he was uncomfortable, but was willing to dance with the lady. She made her way down the line and ended up dancing with four of my students before the nurse re-directed her. I was to blessed to see my students show God's love in an uncomfortable situation and I am sure it made that lady's day a little bit brighter!

Towards the end of our time, we pass out fruit salad that the students cut themselves. The teachers dish up the cups and children deliver. My little servants were so careful to make sure every grandparent got a snack and even brought seconds for those who wanted more. I was almost in tears seeing their loving smiles, grateful hearts and responsible attitudes to love and care for the grandparents.

Before we left, another grandmother grabbed me to dance and we formed a bridge for the students to dance under and around us. We left big smiles of the faces of the grandparents and my students got to see what a joy it can be to serve others. I cannot wait for our second trip this spring to bring more joy and love to the wonderful grandparents!

Greeting all the grandparents when we arrive

Singing for the Grandparents some Christmas carols

Coloring special Christmas pictures for the grandparents to hang in their rooms

Serving fruit salad to the grandparents

Service trip 2013

One of the joys of a theme of service is not just using our words, but leading our students in action. As a pre-kinder class we visit a nursing home 2 times a year to share a time of singing, coloring and sharing a snack.

I was so excited to see my students embrace this time whole-heartedly. One student’s mother told me she woke up at 4am so excited to visit the grandparents. Another student who has difficulty focusing worked hard to color a picture for his “abuelito”. Plus all the students spent 45 minutes cutting fruit for fruit salad without being crazy or wanting to stop. Their prayers for the grandparents (in English!) were genuine and sweet- asking God to care for them and for them to show God’s love! What a blessing to share this special day with my students.

Cutting fruit for the fruit salad (they all wore masks to catch the sneezes)

Greeting the ‘grandparents’

Singing songs to the ‘grandparents’

Coloring pictures with the grandparents

Serving others

“Training for life” is ECA’s motto and infiltrates every aspect of our teaching, discipling, and mentoring. One big focus at the school is service and training our students to serve others as well. Every class from Pre-Kinder to 12th grade is given a local ministry to partner with and serve several times a year.

Nursing home

For Pre-kinder, kinder and first grade, they are partnered with a nursing home. Once a month one of the classes goes to the nursing home and visits the residents.

In early November my pre-kinder students went and visited the 110 residents at a nursing home. During this special time they sang songs in English and Spanish, joined the elderly for the exercises and colored a picture with them. They also brought with them a variety of fruits and parent volunteers were able to

For many of my students this was a scary event. They were frightened of the wheel chairs and didn’t understand what many of the adults were saying. That being said they persevered and were very brave (the word of the week). They hugged and shook hands with the residents, sat next to them and shared their crayons, and smiled while they sang. I was so proud of my kiddos and their maturity to love others.

Two students in particular really stood out in how they overcame their fear and shared God’s love.

One boy is usually very active and has a hard time sitting still or sharing. He sat next to a lady and for 25 minutes shared his crayons and did not try to leave. I was overjoyed by his patience and giving spirit. At the end of the time he went out of his way to say goodbye to many of the residents that the other students had overlooked. He was sharing God’s love in the best way he knew how.

Another child exclaimed as he walked in “I’m scared”. With only a little prompting, however, he went to several of the residents and shook their hands. He smiled at them and said kind words. I was so proud!

Over all our 2 hours at the nursing home were delightful. The children were cute and the elderly really seemed to enjoy the visit. I look forward to our second visit later this year.

 

The Jungle

Twelfth grade partners with a very dynamic ministry in one of the roughest parts of Bogota. YWAM runs a youth center for children two Saturdays a month called ‘The Jungle’. In the location there are a variety of toys, games, and even a rock wall. This has been created as a safe place to local children to escape from the stress of normal life and hear about Jesus.

On Halloween they host a very special Halloween party. For Colombians, Halloween is the darkest night of the year. It is the highest night of kidnappings, attacks, and even murder. For many Colombians they stay safe at home and don’t venture out.

God’s servants at the Jungle see this night as an opportunity to provide a light in the darkness. They opened their doors around 6pm and over 150 children entered, as well as some parents. Churches around the city send a troupe of volunteers to play with the kids, supervise activities and provide the needed security.

This year ECA was asked to join the efforts and about 10 staff (including myself) and 6 seniors headed in for an intense night of service.

For the first hour and a half there was free play- or mayhem- where the volunteers spread out and focused on the kiddos. After that there was a time of worship and dancing. IT WAS CRAZY. Kids were running all over, dancing, singing, and having a lot of fun. After the worship was a gospel message- telling kids that the only way to heaven is through Jesus. A few local churches had sent teams to lead worship and present the message.

I was so blessed to be a part of the craziness. So many workers from all over the city gathered and worked together to create a loving, safe, and caring environment. By the time the door closed at 9:30 all 65 of the volunteers were dirty, exhausted, and confident that God had planted many seeds that night.

I look forward to visiting the jungle again and loving on the kids that call it home. What an amazing place to serve, worship and love.