I didn’t want to get up on Saturday morning, let alone go downtown with a bunch of 6-10 graders from our school. Not that I don’t love the kids, I was just exhausted and lazy. I willed myself out of bed, made myself go running for an hour (which is usually enjoyable but was a task this morning), showered, and then went over to Aaron and Katie’s to make sandwiches for the Life Group picnic at Chatujak park. Life group is held after school every Thursday. We lead the kids in games, have a 5-minute devo and give them a snack. Its another way that we can share the gospel with our students in a different way and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it for the past 2 years. This particular Saturday we decided to do an extra event to get the kids out of the school environment and have bonding time with play!
As the kids arrived my attitude began to change. I just love being with them! I joked with Sai and Lukpad about the chapel song in my head, we noticed how many girls were wearing prisoner stripes on their shirts and joked about that, then we all crammed into 2 school vans like sardines and headed downtown!
The day was beautiful! Low humidity, sunshine, a cool breeze, and lots of shade from the trees lining the walking trails and stagnant ponds in the park. There were about 30 kids that showed up and we started by tossing a football which also tossed my shoulder out of joint. Then we tried ultimate Frisbee for a bit before Tee, Champ, Sai, Tiffany and I played draka (a 6in diameter wicker ball used like a hackey sack in our case). It was so much fun! We then had our picnic as Ms. Tiffany talked about the prodigal son, and then we rented bikes for the rest of the time. Tee, Sai, and I were off to the races with the short orange and yellow bikes complete with a hand bell and basket, where we would Fred Flintstone it at times for fun! Mine had no brakes, so often after a burst of amazing speed we’d come to a group of pedestrians or slow bikers and I would scream “NO BRAKES, NO BRAKES!!!!” and try to maneuver around them! It really was a blast!!!
Tee and I laughed about how sore we would be the next day as we helped pack up and head to the buses. Im so thankful that I went! Its amazing what a park, a kite or football, and a little bike riding can do to break down barriers and build friendships. Its amazing how spending some extra time with students can show them how much we care for them and make them willing to listen to us. I must admit that being a role model intimidates me to no end! But unlike Denis Rodman, Im thankful for the role and pray that God will use it for His glory in reaching these kids!!