Changing the After School Program

The day started normal by praying.

Ellen led some songs for the kids.

But it wasn't going to be CADIN as usual because Ena, in front of the door, had attended Community Health Evangelism, or CHE, with us in the states.  We are planning on training all the volunteers in CHE and use this method for next year.

But, it was Ena's turn to lead a lesson and she couldn't wait until next year!  CHE is participatory learning and so everyone sat in a circle and discussed the lesson.  Instead of standing up in front the person who is leading is sitting as part of the group.

We did a lesson on the Five loaves and two fish, from John 6:1-14.  We read the Scripture and then instead of giving a lesson we asked questions.

Questions like:
    • Who followed Jesus to the mountainside?
    • How many people were there?
    • Could the disciples buy bread for that many people?
    • What did the boy give them?
    • What did Jesus tell them to do?
    • What happened next?
    • How many baskets of food did they gather, after all the people had eaten?

As they gave the answers they were giving the lesson!!

We asked some interesting questions that are more life application, such as:
    • The boy gave Jesus all that he had: five loaves and two fish.
      What can you give to Jesus?
    • The boy gave food to people who were hungry.
      What can you give to help other people?
    • A young boy helped to feed a large crowd of people.
      Can Jesus work through children?
    • How can you serve Jesus? What can you do for him?
    • Are children important to Jesus?
    • Are you important to Jesus? Why?

This was amazing to hear incredible responses from the kids, just 6 to 9 years old, reflecting a great vision for life and for living for God!

After all the discussion we made our own fishes and loaves.

Even during this time we continued to ask questions to stimulate their thinking.

At the end, two of the boys collected all the fishes and the loaves.

Then we talked about how our fishes and loaves are different from the those in the story and here are some of the things the kids told us:
    • We made our fishes and loaves from play dough.
    • Our fishes and loaves are not real and so you can not eat them.
    • Our fishes and loaves are not the left over but what we made.
    • People really ate the fishes and loaves in the story.
    • Jesus did a miracle and it was real! 

Can it be more exciting than that!!  Out of the mouths of babes, 'Jesus did a miracle and it was real.'  Amen!!

John 6:1-14

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). 2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. 4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover was near.) 5 Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” 6 (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) 7 Philip replied, “Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” 8 One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.

14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”