Wrapping up Christmas

Three kings came to the Kids Klub classes bearing gifts of treat bags, sodas, and brownies.  One of my students thought he was being very funny when he asked them if they could also bring him a "golden BB gun."  Apparently the "gold" part of the wise men's gifts we had just learned about had stuck with him.



We were blessed with a Toys for Tots donation of several new games and toys .  On Tuesday evening, volunteers helped choose and wrap gifts for all of our Kids Klub children.

Frankie spoke to the Teen Night crowd on Friday.  Quite a few had not heard her story yet, and those that had still listened intently.

 

A Blended Bible Story

As a bit of background, some of the recent Bible lessons we have had in Kids Klub have included stories about Gideon, Elijah, and Shadrach, Meschach, & Abednego.  So keep that in mind as you read what I will call a "Blended Bible Story," courtesy of two of my 3rd grade students who randomly shared this story yesterday evening.  It was a little more detailed than this, but this is what I remember:

Boy:  Gideon was the leader, and he and his friends were put into the fire, but they didn't burn up because God was with them.  He sent his angel.

Girl:  Yes, the angel came and hugged them and protected them...well, something like that.

Boy:  Then they threw water all over them, but GOD WAS WITH THEM [he emphasized this point]. 

At least some aspects of all three stories we studied are mixed in somewhere, and the main point seemed to resonate:  GOD WAS WITH THEM!

It's a good thing to remember when life gets mixed up and messed up:  God is with you.

Christmas Play

This week, we took over 20 Kids Klub children to see this Christmas play on two different evenings:



The evening I attended was "eventful" in the sense that our packed van had a flat tire on the freeway, during rush hour.  The kids got a little restless as we waited for our "rescue van," but guess what?  We still made it to the play a little before it began and were able to quickly find an open section of seats.  Bags of snacks and sodas were handed out, and the kids happily devoured those and enjoyed the show. 

Circumstances like these are never much fun (especially if you are the driver!), but I thank God for His protection and being able to pray with the kids while we were sitting by the side of the freeway with traffic zooming past.  I hope they won't soon forget how He was with us and orchestrated the details so that we could still arrive at the play on time!



If you're a follower of this blog, I am going to assume that you have a heart for children, so please pray for the families in Connecticut who lost loved ones in the school shooting today.  It must be tremendously difficult for them to process such news.

Franchesca's Story

Motivational speaker Franchesca Felix spoke to teens at Bible study yesterday evening.  At the beginning of her talk, she said something like this: "I'm gonna be real with you and tell you my true story, and what I ask from you is that you listen and be respectful."

"Frankie" grew up on the West side of the Valley, in a poor family; her family was poor because her parents gambled all their wages away.  When her parents' marriage dissolved, Mom moved to California, leaving Frankie and her five siblings with their abusive dad.  Three of Frankie's cousins, involved in gangs, moved in with the family.  One of the them raped Frankie when she was only 12 years old.  After that horrible experience, she became a "gangster," wearing baggy, boyish clothes, carrying a knife on her at all times, doing drugs, getting into fights.  Soon her world as a teenager became arrests, probation, jail time, group home -- and repeat.  At 14, she nearly committed suicide.  A teacher and his wife took her under their wing, and Frankie was able to graduate from high school with her class.  

Frankie is now a believer and loves to speak to teens at jails, schools, and churches.  One of her slides states, "Keep your coins.  I want CHANGE."  Frankie wants youth to hear her story before they turn to drugs or suicide, before they end up in jail, before they make some of the mistakes she did. 

Our teen group wasn't a you-could-have-heard-a-pin-drop crowd, but it came close.  Why was this?  They could relate to her story.  Arizona has the one of the highest teen suicide rates in the United States, and has consistently been in the top 10 since 1985.  Nationally, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18.  When Frankie spoke about attempted suicide and sexual abuse, the teens could relate because far too many of them have "been there."  When Frankie spoke about an abusive home, the drug dealer next door, and no money for rent, many of them have "been there," too.  When Frankie spoke about a different kind of life, one with purpose and hope, I hope that teens will envision themselves there, too, by God's grace.

2012 Bike Party

For this year's "Bike Party" (what we have dubbed it -- the children just know it as a Christmas party), we were privileged to be able to invite a few extra children than usual.  Hurdle number one was getting our group of 14 children checked in and wrist-banded, and then it was off to loads of party fun after everyone was paired with an adult.

A pile of snow to play in, lots of free food, inflatables, costumed characters, a real Black Hawk helicopter, and petting zoo entertained the kids for over an hour.  Then, each child was given a bicycle after a short program.  Kids also received a new Bible, a frozen turkey, and several bags of food for their families.  Going home, we had one van for people, one for cargo, and a pick-up truck besides! 

  

A proud boy going home with his new bicycle and food for his family!



'Twas the First Teen Night of December

and in the basement of the church, teens were throwing rings,

 spinning themselves dizzy,

 and hearing the Word.

 Oh...and devouring pizza!

Down the road was the "First Friday" art walk, so we were blessed by the smaller sized crowd that came to Teen Night and didn't give in to the pressure to ditch Teen Night and attend First Friday instead!

John 14:6

Children at Kids Klub have been memorizing John 14:6, and yesterday evening, we also did a traffic light craft that went along with the verse. 

A large bag of these was the reward for memorizing the verse:



One of these days I will send the camera around to all the other Kids Klub classrooms so you can have a peek at what is happening all throughout the church. 

As Christmas nears, children are very aware of that fact, and some have been asking if they will be able to go on the special "field trips" we have invited them to in past years.  We will be taking several children to a Christmas event on Saturday and also will invite 24 children to see a Christmas production next week.