MOTHER OF THREE: Backyard Bible Club 2011

There's a lot of talk about being missional these days, but what does that really mean? Unfortunately, many people equate being missional with having to go off to another place somewhere and they miss the opportunities right around them. Or they think being missional means you have to give up everything you have rather than the willingness to use what you have for God's glory and purposes.

I've seen amazing missionary work right in my own home and neighborhood this week. Thanks to the support of our church family, we had Backyard Bible Clubs in our home Monday thru Wednesday morning. We live in a neighborhood full of families with lots of kids and the opportunities for ministry are limitless. Some of our Youth girls came and helped us by leading the Bible lessons, doing the crafts and games and helping serve the kids lunch each day. I can not tell you how proud I am of those girls. There are lots of things they could have done with three mornings of Summer vacation, but they chose to serve these kids for the Glory of God. And they did an amazing job. It was a beautiful thing to see them work together so well!

Here's a re-cap of each day:

DAY ONE: JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

"I am the good shepherd The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11

We didn't have as many kids come as we were hoping for, but in the end the number isn't of main importance. We ended up over the course of the three days connecting with eight children from the neighborhood reaching five different families. They weren't here on Monday at the 9 am start time, so we went and rounded them up. I'm proud of my little man (Bentley is in the blue muscle shirt on the front row). He got on his bike and started knocking on his friend's doors!

The group got warmed up with a few games and then had music time. JennaBeth had one of her little friends join her in a class and Darci and Christina were their teachers.

Morgan, JennaBeth, Darci, Christina

These girls did a phenomenal job teaching these two little ones! I am so proud of their faithfulness this week to be so intentional about teaching a 3 year old and a 2 year old important truths about Jesus. They did the cutest little craft with them on Monday...

DAY TWO: JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.'" John 6:35a

The kids really enjoyed the music. Mike lead them with the guitar and even let them use some instruments. They really liked that...

Bentley told us that one of the little boys told him, "Man I just can't get those songs out my head!" That's a real good thing!

Ms Debbie, who teaches Bentley in Sunday School, came on Tuesday morning to do a lesson illustration with the JennaBeth and her friend Morgan. She had made them shirts that said, "I am kneading Jesus. He is my bread of life"...

And then they got to actually make bread...

The whole group of kids got to taste the bread and we had mini loaves we sent home with each child.

That evening after the kids had gone home, a big thunderstorm came. Right before the rain started, I snapped these pictures of a beautiful rainbow.

DAY THREE: JESUS IS THE WAY

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6

The biggest highlight of day three for me was getting to hear Darci teach about Jesus being the only way to God to JennaBeth (2) and Morgan (3).

She had their attention and to see little Morgan do the motions Darci had taught them to help them learn their memory verse (Yes! She had them doing a memory verse!) was about more than my heart could take!

Cecily did the lesson and review game with the group this last day. She's my oldest (orange shirt)...

The games Wednesday were all water games and the kids really loved them...

Splish, Splish, Splash (water version of Duck, Duck Goose)...

Water slide...

Water balloons...

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them." Mark 10:13-16