Jungle Barbie

I mentioned in the previous post that Yolanda had got me involved in a children's campaign that the church was running last week. It happened on three afternoons, from Thursday to Saturday, and we got an average attendance of just under 200 children from the area. A great number!

My job was to help out with the actions and dances for the songs that we were going to sing with and for the children. The theme of the campaign was 'Jesus is my Superhero', and some of the songs we sang talked about various well-known superheroes who are nothing compared to Jesus. One of the songs mentioned Barbie...I didn't know she was a superhero...but anyway... The people running the campaign thought it was just hilarious and so appropriate that the new white girl should play the part of Barbie! Apparently they didn't notice I didn't have blonde hair or perfectly shaped body...haha.

On the first afternoon, I found out that we were getting costumes too! Someone had gone out and borrowed superhero outfits for us to wear in our dances, and my Barbie outfit was a Snow White dress!!! So there I was, dancing away in my Snow White costume (something I haven't worn since my mum made me my first beloved Snow White costume when I was little!).

Since then, I have had children in the area call out to me, 'Hola, Barbie!' Oh dear. What a reputation I have now.

However, I'm making it sound like Barbie was the centre of attention at this campaign, and she really wasn't. Jesus' love and amazing sacrifice were explained to the children on all three nights, and there were lots of children who came forward to give their lives to Christ at the end of the meetings. Perhaps some of them were only following their pals up to the front, or perhaps some thought they were going to get a prize if they said they'd accepted Christ. But we hope and pray that many young lives were truly given to Jesus through this campaign, and that the people of the church here will maintain contact with them and their families.

The campaign was one of the Samaritan's Purse ministries, so on the final afternoon the children received a box full of goodies! It was so delightful to watch them open their boxes and enjoy the contents. These are the kind of boxes that many of us have put together at school or church around Christmas time - shoe boxes and plastic boxes that we fill with toiletries like soap and toothpaste and with toys and sweets and games. It was a privilege for me to see the receiving end of these boxes, to be with the children for whom they are intended and to watch them open them. And I'll take this opportunity to encourage people to make up these boxes when you have a chance; it's worth it! I had fun explaining some of the North American contents to the children - what a Tootsie Roll is, how to use a Slinky, translating some written instructions and messages, etc.

On Friday night, after the children's meeting, I was invited to go to the thermal baths outside Moyobamba with a girl from the church. She took me on her motorbike (which is still a novelty for me and is thoroughly exciting!), and we spent the evening in the hot pools. It was amazing! I haven't been in contact with hot water for weeks, so stepping into those outdoor hot pools was a wonderful experience, one that I think I'll be repeating many times while I'm here in Moyo!

I was also invited to the young people's meeting on Saturday night at the church. It was nice to meet people my own age, and hopefully I'll form some friendships in the group and be able to go out with them to do things at the weekends.

Yesterday was the start of our final week of preparations for the beginning of school. I'm making lots of activities and games for the preschool and primary age children, and I'm getting quite excited about playing these games with the kids! There's been quite a lot of rain lately, and the roads are just mud baths. I bought a pair of wellies yesterday, making my walk to and from school a now pleasantly squishy experience. :-)

The children at the campaign

Dancing to a song about superheroes... I'm on the left in the Snow White gown!

Thrilled to open their boxes!