Africa update!

So we've been back at home base for the past couple days and it's been really nice. Running water. Semi-reliable internet. Heaters. Sleeping in until 7:30! You can't possible understand how stoked we are about that last one, as sad as that sounds.

Yesterday we had a children's ministry training with the TYS and I learned a couple things about myself and about kids:
a. Punching unruly kids is not the answer. Even if they really deserve it.
b. I probably shouldn't be left to take care of unruly kids. Or maybe just kids in general. There are so many rules and I know I'd accidentally break one so no kids for Andrew, please.

I'm halfway joking but in all seriousness, I didn't grow up in the Army so I wasn't fully aware of the extent of Safe from Harm. It's pretty intense but I understand the purpose. Protecting kids has got to be the priority, we've just got to think of creative ways to keep some kids under control without breaking the rules. Anyway, the biggest thing I took from that training was that the kids are the future in our corps, but how many of our corps are making programs that reflect that? And how many of us treat the kids in our corps like the future leaders? Are our Sunday school lessons relevant to the kids' lives? Do we give them practical advice that they'll be able to use throughout the week, or are we just telling them stories?

As someone who volunteers with the teenagers at my corps, that was a real wake up call for me because I know that I could have done more to make the time we spent with the youth so much more valuable. I don't know when I'll be back at my home corps but if I end up working with the youth again, I'll hopefully look at task in a different light.

Anyway, I've still got paint all over myself from Y-Connexion prep and I'm up way past curfew so I'm outta here. Thanks to everyone who wrote us letters, we got them today! We're praying for you all!

Goodnight!