AWANA

Yay! So another year of AWANA has begun. Tonight was opening night and I had a real good time getting to know a few of the Sparks. Since I have self-proclaimed myself of being 'demoted' from the games director to a Sparks leader, many things were new tonight; many things were also old but still brought a refreshing sense. It was only the first night and I was allowed to get to know these kids at a much deeper level already as compared to when I led games. I think I might have hesitated at first when we split into our handbook groups as I had no clue what I was supposed to do because the new handbooks hadn't come in yet. But then I resorted to what I did with UrbanPromise and did a really cheesy introduction game. But it managed to help the kids become engaged for the full 20 minutes I had with them.

Although my role had changed, I was reminded that this is still AWANA and it exists for the same purpose that it always had and that's to draw these kids closer to God. I wasn't sure of what to expect of the kids tonight because throughout the two months I was with UrbanPromise, I became so accustomed to those Camp Hope kids that I wasn't sure what to get out of the NEAC kids compared to the kids in Surrey. I definitely need to remind myself to not compare, but to love these kids for who they are. I was also reminded that these kids here at NEAC are just as cute as the ones in Surrey. One thing though, that I must mention, is that ALL the kids here are chinese, haha. And the numbers with Camp Hope cannot compare with the numbers here. AWANA has almost twice the amount that Camp Hope has on paper, so I will definitely need to get used to the gigantic numbers again.

I look forward to getting to know these little kids! Seeing them smile totally makes my day =D