Whale of a Story

Teaching here in Mutum at "Children's Church" on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights was a joy.

Using a translator, I told them the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, Jonah, Joseph, Esther, and of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo ("Rack, Shach, and Benny"). My goal was to be creative in the story telling so they could see them come to life. Some stories worked better than others for this particular method of storytelling.

The kids really enjoyed acting out two of the stories, the Battle of Jericho and "Rack, Shach, and Benny." The Battle of Jericho involved quite a bit of on the spot planning. We used the chairs they were sitting in to build the wall, paper rolled up to look like horns, and a bottle of soda as the Ark of the Covenant. When they were told to shout, as Joshua told the people, they were so loud that they successfully interrupted the prayer going on upstairs in the adult meeting. A little unconventional maybe, but they remember how the battle was fought and that God won it through the obedience of his people. The acting out of the fiery furnace went a little more smoothly as I needed no props and no yelling. The kids really took their parts seriously. I only wish we had gotten it on video. When I told the story of Jonah, I drew the different elements of the story on the board after a craft idea fell through. The kids still loved the story. We asked what they learned from the story, and one child answered, "When God tells you to do something, you better do it, or a whale might swallow you!"

The children absolutely loved the stories that they learned. I look back at all those nights and am so greatful that God brought me here. He directed my path straight to the hearts of these little kids. At times I felt like maybe I was missing out on what was going on upstairs. But looking back, I would not trade the time with the children for a hundred adult meetings.