Seed of a Vision

Nato squirms and smiles, trying really hard to pay attention as I slide another popsickle stick up from behind my hand. "Ahora, cuántos son?" I ask, hoping this time he'll remember that four comes after three, not five. "Uno, dos, tres, cinco, siete. . ." Haha. Well, we'll give it another try.

A few months ago, Kirsty and Oscar, the couple that heads up the Homes of Hope department here, got the vision to begin working with the kids in a colonia outside Ensenada. What began as a soccer game and coloring sheets every Wednesday afternoon has developed into parachutes and 3 different tutoring groups (not that we cut out the soccer game ; ). I'm excited to see where God takes this ministry! Check out a few of the pics!

View of the valley from the cement slab that we do kids' ministry on- many families in this colonia and the surrounding area are migrant workers from down south. As you drive through the area, you can see fields of vegetables and huge tents where tomatoes are grown and packed.

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Kirsty points to the animals on the card and has the boys count with her. She and I work with the youngest group of children-four to five little boys each week between the ages of 4 and 6. Right now, we're working on teaching numbers up to ten.

My friend Nato tries to pay attention but there's just so many more interesting things you could do with the popsickle sticks! But with his big eyes and toothy smile, it's hard to stay irritated for very long ; ).

Josh and Caleb perch on the rocks to work with the oldest group of children while Oscar helps a new kid sign up. We try to get a little info from each child and then visit their parents, explaining our heart for their child and beginning to build relationships with the whole family. Some of these kids are from families that we've built for in the last couple months.

Montse and Cole work with the middle group of children. The lesson of the week is how to tell time. Montse and Kirsty spend hours each week coming up with new ideas and cutting out and laminating the materials for each group. Uno is one of the children's favorite games- we like it because they learn numbers and practice their colors!

Our group of wiggly, eager learners and a couple volunteers, Abby and Katie. After going over lessons for as long as the kids (and teachers ; ) can handle, we clear the cement slab and play a game of soccer. And in case you were wondering, yes, half the kids are way better at handling the ball than I am! Thankfully, everyone's welcome at Kids' Ministry, even those of us who can't kick a ball straight!