Wednesday 1 October | Trust the One Who Knows the Way!
I have been really encouraged from the time spent in Leonora, the kids have all been really receptive and I’ve noticed growth in multiple kids throughout the week already. It’s been really awesome to see the red group in particular be open to deep conversations and sharing their stories during the Bible talk rotation. The community within the group is really great and those with differences put them aside during the session.
In Wednesday’s talk we were discussing suffering, and it was great to see the kids responding to the questions we were asking, and they seemed to be genuinely engaged. It’s also been great to see the younger ones opening up and listening to us more. I enjoyed getting to talk to Lailah throughout the week and seeing her light up during the singing and dancing. It was great to see her listening to all the talks and her engagement and excitement during the program.
Another thing I am grateful for is the opportunity we’ve had to grow as a team and the times we’ve been able to talk together and strengthen each other. I think we have all grown from our experiences in Leonora and I hope and pray that the kids do too.
By Naomi G
Leonora has challenged me in the best ways possible, although there have been many negatives such as younger children who are difficult to keep engaged, expanding God’s kingdom is worth every sacrifice and difficulty faced. The Kindy group is adorable to say the last and leading them has been such an amazing experience.
The kids of Leonora face many trials in their home lives, but they leave this all behind to come to the bush mission program. As a group leader it has truly been a blessing to put smiles upon the kids’ faces even if it is just for the hours, they are with us. I have learnt through spending time with the Kindy – Year 2 group that you should never underestimate the intellectual ability of kids.
Emma shared her testimony while making flying parrot launchers. Although, the seed of faith has been planted, there is no cultivating due to the lack of access to resources such as a Bible. It has been a blessing to share the gospel with underprivileged children, who many only have input from others in their faith once a year during our bush mission. This is a bittersweet thought but through God’s power, families have slowly been converted. The work we put in is worth seeing the seeds of faith being planted through the program that has been running for 34 years and holds a legacy in the town of Leonora.
A significant story that also changed my perspective on the program was the story of one of the girls. She is a gorgeous girl who is part of the Year 3-5 group and faces trials and decisions that impact her daily life. She has the die-hard habit of resolving her anger through self-harm. This can be in the form of biting herself and/or punching herself. This is the only way she has ever managed her anger and I encouraged her to think of different alternatives to resolving her anger. This took many tries before she grasped the idea of a different solution. This was a hard conversation as I had never thought about a Year 3 child struggling with self-harm. We eventually reached the solution instead of biting herself. This at first was an unusual conversation that never crossed my mind but it could have been a conversation that changed her life for the better.
It is bittersweet knowing that we only have a week with the kids to share and spread the gospel when moments like this happen, but we can only hope through our faith that they are saved by our Almighty God.
By Mia van der Merwe – K-2 Age Group Leader
