we started by showing them the JESUS film after about 2 weeks of getting to know them and playing with them. we had tried to show it earlier, but we had problems with the projector and so we had to put it off. that was just fine with us because we knew God had it planned all along.
the day we showed it went really well! the kids were glued to the screen the entire time, and afterwards a woman from campus crusade talked with them. she explained that Jesus loved each of them and wanted a relationship with them, and all they had to do was invite him into their hearts. after praying with them, she asked them to raise their hand if they had Jesus in their hearts...and almost every single kid raised their hand. it was an amazing moment.
after that the man who runs the center talked to the kids some more and told them that religion was not what mattered (there are kids from all different religious backgrounds), but it was their relationship with God.
we all know that the kids got a lot out of that day, but obviously it couldn't just be left at that. my mom had the idea to act out some Bible stories with them and explain the significance.
we decided to do the story of Jesus calming the sea and then the story of the demon-possessed man and the pigs. i told the first one and tali told the second, with tash translating and the kids acting it all out. it was pretty chaotic, to say the least! we think that went alright but we don't know if they REALLY got a lot out of it because of how crazy and high-energy everyone was that day.
so! we how have a plan for when we go back on thursday, our last day there (sad). my mom will do a recap of what they've learned so far, and then emily and melissa will share their testimonies. after that michelle will walk through the Evangicube with them and go more in depth about Jesus and how to have a relationship with him. we are really excited for that! please pray that the Lord will speak through all of us and that He'd open their little hearts to who He is.
as far as the littlest kids, we told them the story of Noah's ark and had them involved, complete with a procession of animals (played by all of them) into the boat, a knee-slapped rainstorm, and a rainbow craft the next day. they all loved it and we loved seeing their faces light up as my mom told the story and ashane translated.
so that is what has been going on as far as ministry for the past week at mattakkuliya! pictures coming (:
as for here in kandy, my mom did an amazing job putting together a last minute sermon and preaching for the sunday service at the church here. after she was able to pray for people that came up to the front during prayer time. i think a lot of people were touched by what she had to say, and i know God used her in ways she isn't even aware of on that day.
during that same day, michelle and i helped out in sunday school. i taught the kids and the teacher a song ("sing, sing, sing"), and michelle told them the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. it was something we put together in 5 minutes but we enjoyed it and hopefully they did too!
in a few hours we will be heading to an orphanage. that's really all we know. if you are reading this i'd love it if you could pray that God uses each of our unique gifts and talents to show his love to the kids there.
this week we are also attending another cell group meeting (small group) where we will be showing the Damah films. we had a meeting last week where we showed the films to a group of about 5 girls, and they loved it, so this week we'll be showing them to a larger group of youth from the church.
the Damah films are short films made in a film festival. they all have underlying Christian themes, but don't directly talk about God for the most part. the purpose is to show them to non-Christians in a group of a few Christians and have a discussion after each movie about what the themes were, etc. it is a great way to have discussions about faith with believers and non-believers alike, and the movies are all really compelling. you can read more about the Damah films here.
so the purpose of showing them this week is to familiarize the youth of People's church with the films and get them talking about them so that they can have a night where they all invite their non-Christian friends and watch them/talk about them. i think this will be a really powerful event for them and so we are all excited! please pray that the purpose of these films would be achieved, that the discussions would be riveting, and that the youth would be passionate about the topics when they show them to their non-believing friends.
we are all seeing God work in amazing ways here in sri lanka. a lot has been happening and will continue to happen, and we are all so blessed to be here in the middle of it all.
only 6 more days! pray that God would use each one for His glory!
1 comment:
I am so proud of all six of you! Thanks for giving us a glimpse of how the mission part of your trip is going. It sounds like it has been meaningful to the kids you have been working with, as well as, for all of you. Our prayers are with you all for these last six days. Thanks again for such a great update! Sue
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