Free Cookies!

Last night, we spent 3 hours helping to give away free cookies to kids in Valga!

The church got a truck load of gingerbread cookies at a couple weeks ago from Norway.  So we advertised that for three hours on Tuesday night, kids could come get free cookies at the church.  And we gave each kid a LOT of cookies!  Margus used the opportunity to tell the kids and their parents about the Children’s Church we have every Saturday.  We showed pictures and told a little about what we do here.  So we hope they will be back.

Here are some pictures of the happy faces we saw.  It’s fun to make kids smile.

New Pictures

We have some new pictures posted on the Children’s Church flickr site.  Check them out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastekirik

Children’s Church 2011

This past weekend we had our Children’s Church Christmas party.  We had around 100 kids there and about 30 parents.  It was a great time to share with the kids and their parents.  This is a video that we put together to show them.  These are pictures from Children’s Church events over the last year. 

What is Kids Club?

Since before our arrival here to Estonia, Kids Club has been in existence.  We have been blessed to be a part of it.  Every Thursday we meet at 3 o’clock in the church.  Kids Club is similar to Children’s Church, but there are a few differences.  First, we have a smaller group of kids (usually only between 5 and 8 kids).  Second, the emphasis is more on studying the Bible and prayer (whereas in Children’s Church, we teach a lesson but then have several games to play also).  Our goal with Kid’s Club is to go deeper with the kids than we can in the large group setting. 

This fall, we have started to give them a memory verse to learn each week.  If they memorize 20 Bible verses we have promised to buy them their very own Bible.  Many people here do not own their own Bible because they are so rare and expensive.  We have one girl who has already learned nine verses!  If you stop and think about that for just a second…this is a girl whose family doesn’t go to church and has nothing to do with God.  But she is hiding God’s word in her heart each week, and those verses will be there years from now, no matter where she is.  Now that is special!

Please be in prayer for Kid’s Club:
- for us and Kerli as leaders to have good ideas of how to teach
- that more kids will be interested in coming
- that the kids will open up more and more as we pray with them

Below is a video that we put together to advertise Kid’s Club in Children’s Church, to get new kids interested in coming.  Several of the kids that have been coming to Kid’s Club have started helping us with getting things ready for Children’s Church every Saturday.  It is neat to see some of the future leaders of different ministries growing up.

Lots going on

So it’s been a while since we’ve updated everyone on things here in Estonia.  Sorry about that.  We’ve been settling back into a routine with Children’s Church, Kid’s Club, and Youth for the fall.  Here are a few highlights of what has been happening:

The church has gotten several truckloads of humanitarian aid in the past month.  Among other things, we received huge amounts of muffins, salads, cookies, and cereal bars.  And what do you do with several pallets of salads when you don’t have a walk-in freezer?  Well, give it to people!  So, at the beginning of that next week, the church’s second-hand store gave away boxes and boxes of free salads and cookies and muffins to bless the community.  There were a lot of people very excited to get some free food.

The church kept some muffins and cookies to use in the Children’s ministry.  So each Saturday, after Children’s Church, and each Thursday after Kid’s Club, the kids have been getting muffins for themselves and to take home to their families.  They are so excited each week to get them.  It’s been fun to give them and see their smiles.

We’ve also been continuing with youth work.  Game nights have been mostly full, despite a few weeks of low numbers when school first started.  We’ve gotten a chance to meet a lot of new students through opening up our home each Wednesday night. In fact, very few of the same students are coming as did a year ago.  Many have moved to go to school or are too busy during the week with schoolwork.  It’s great to see new faces start to come again.  We hope this will continue to be a bridge for them to come to youth group on Friday nights at the church.  Plus, it’s a lot of fun.

We’ve had a couple fun events recently with the youth.  First, we had a band, called “Superhero,” from the UK here on October 15.  Chris really liked the band’s name.   They did a concert for the youth of Valga.  Unfortunately, it was such short notice that they were coming that we didn’t have a lot of time to spread the word.  But for those who did come, they got a free concert and heard the gospel presented.  Chris invited them to youth nights on Friday.  And despite the small turnout, one girl gave her life to Christ.  So it was all worth it! 

We also went bowling with the youth two weekends ago, at Valga’s bowling ally.  We had so many youth sign up that we had to reserve half of the lanes!  Well, considering there are only 4 lanes in the place, maybe it wasn’t so much.  But we did have 16 people there.  And we had a good time.

So, that’s mostly what’s been going on.  I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but that’s for another post.

Please continue to lift us up in prayer, as well as the church here and the church’s leadership.  Thanks so much!

Rules Video

This is the other video that we play every Saturday for the kids at Children’s Church.  These are the rules that we have while the kids are there.  The people that you will see in the video are the people that help week in and week out.

Children’s Church

We had our first Children’s Church two weeks ago.  We have had a pretty large crowd these two weeks, and we have had many new faces.  To start our time together with the kids we have a “Starting Video” that we play every week.  These are pictures or videos of the kids from past events.  It gets their attention to the front of the room and they also get to see themselves in the video.  We have a good time making these fun videos for the kids.  So here is our “Starting Video” for this year.  Hope you enjoy!!

4am

I woke up about 3:30 this morning.  Which isn’t right.  I’m getting over being sick.  I need my rest.  But I couldn’t fall back asleep.  My thoughts kept drifting back to youth tonight.  We were supposed to go to Õru to play disc golf with them.  But the rain kept us in Valga.  We played games in the church and hung out and talked instead.

Their faces kept coming up in my mind.  Some of the girls who refuse to speak English with us.  Which makes our conversations very limited.  But now that we’re speaking some Estonian, we can communicate with them some.  Still, it’s very limited.  Then there’s a girl we haven’t seen in 3 months or more.  She spent the summer in a hospital because of an eating disorder.  And the girl who told me she’s got so many problems, but she just doesn’t care anymore.  Faces.  Names.  So many youth.

So many times, I find myself wanting to tell them, “The answer is Jesus.  You just need Jesus.”  Like I’m back in Sunday school in first grade.  Teacher asks a question.  What’s the answer?  Raise your hand and say “Jesus.”  It’s probably going to be the right answer.  I grew up in that environment.  They didn’t.  And I can understand why they don’t believe that He is the answer.  Growing up in Estonia, you hear that God doesn’t exist.  You hear that the church brainwashes people.  Only weird and weak people go to church.  And sometimes your grandma.  When you have that drilled into your head for 16 years by your friends, family, teachers, leaders…..what are you going to believe?

But the answer is still the same for me as it is for them.  JESUS.  How do we get that across?

Some of them heard about Jesus for the first time a year and a half ago.  So I tell myself to be patient.  That God is working.  And I know He is.  But how much time do we have left with them?  One girl told me tonight her family is going to be moving soon.  To where?  Will there be a church there?  A youth group?  Someone to keep telling her about God’s love and forgiveness? 

And then I beat myself up.  Maybe we’re not doing enough.  Maybe we aren’t explaining it the right way.  If only we were smarter, cooler, better at talking, cared more….something….maybe more of them would know Jesus personally…and understand that HE IS THE ANSWER.

How do you explain that to someone who’s never experienced it?  We can tell them of our experiences with God, we can share stories from the Bible, but when they don’t know Jesus, how do you explain “peace that passes understanding”?  My heart breaks to think that these students are going through a difficult life…alone.  My life is hard at times, but I think not close to what most of these students are going through.  And I can’t imagine my life without God being there beside me.  How much more do they need Him to be beside them right now?

I know God loves these students. So much more that I ever possibly could.  So I put my trust in Him.  We are doing the best we can.  And I pray that God uses it in a mighty way in these student’s lives.  Please PRAY with us for miracles.  For soft hearts.  That God would open their eyes.  That they would see how much He loves them.  That they would accept the undeserving forgiveness that He offers.

And please pray for us.  That we would take every opportunity to show them; to tell them that JESUS IS THE ANSWER.

First Children’s Church

We just posted some pictures of our first Children’s Church of this year, which was this past Saturday.  Check them out on our Children’s Church flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastekirik/

The theme was “New School Uniform,” since the kids just went back to school on September 1st.  They could either come dressed up or choose some outfits from the church to dress up in.  All the leaders dressed up too.  Everyone had a lot of fun.

Kerli talked to the kids about making good choices in their lives. whether it be at school, at home, or here at Children’s Church.  Then, to go along with the school theme, we had “classes” for the kids to go to:  Music (where we did some quick voice exercises and then sang some worship songs), Nature (where Linda taught about God’s creation), Gym (some fun, stupid exercises led by Enno), Chemistry (Martin and Chris did a few cool experiments, one of which included a Coke and Mentos – outside), and Lunch (cookies and juice).

It’s great to get back into the routine of Children’s Church every week.  Some of the kids have grown up so much over the summer…it’s hard to believe it’s only been 3 months since we’ve seen them!

Please pray for us as we continue to help Kerli as she plans and puts together programs for each week.  It’s a challenge and a blessing at the same time.

Flickr

One more way for us (well, mostly Laura) to share photos…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wyleytoo/