HUGELY IMPACTFUL DAY 3 - UPDATED

Welcome to our Blog for Day 3.

The following elements are a part of each conference day: - Times of singing and worship, both contemplative as well as celebratory (with fun hand motions) - Times of teaching; either biblical encouragement/exhortation or teacher-training. - Training exercises where they become familiar with the materials and/or methods - Breakout sessions/workshops in smaller groups to learn creative teaching options.

The following photos will give you a glimpse into day 3. We continue to be SO IMPRESSED with the people here. “Gentle,” “gracious,” “kind,” “teachable,” “joyful,” “devout” are just a few of the words that come to mind in describing them. They are like sponges and have SO appreciated what they have been receiving. And WE are so appreciative of what we have been receiving from them as we observe them, interact with them, worship with them, laugh with them, and even shed tears with them. We are reminded again of just how beautiful is the Body of Christ and what a joy and privilege it is to see and experience it in all of its diversity this side of heaven. And as a “P.S.” – all of your prayers for us to stay healthy have been answered. ZIPPO! NADA! Nobody even a little bit sick. That is no small feat. THANK YOU! And we don’t take for granted our safety on the roads as we go back and forth between the hotel and the conference center. Keep those prayers coming! Especially for our Saturday-Sunday trip up to the mountain villages. Apparently the roads are only passable with a very strong 4-wheel drive vehicle. And in that we are at the early stages of the rainy season, the roads can become impassable.

OK, ON TO A LOOK INTO OUR DAY 3.

Meet the famous "Story Cloth."


It was our focus for the entire morning of Day 3. It is a large cloth with 42 images of key stories from the Old and New Testament, starting with Creation and ending with the return of Christ. It is an awesome tool for teaching "THE STORY" of the Bible.

Pam used a ton of very creative ways to show them how this tool can be used in teaching little kids (and big kids) the Bible.
THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT and they learned a ton. We formed 10 groups, all sitting on the floor around one of these cloths. Next to the cloth was a plastic packet containing every one of these squares. (They had been photocopied, cut out, laminated, re-cut, and then collated by an army of volunteers - A HUGE amount of work!) So, after working with the cloth and cards for a couple hours and having an absolute hoot, they were absolutely blown away when they were told that each and every one of them was getting a complete set to take back to their village and church. They applauded and were grinning from ear-to-ear. So for you who worked so hard on these cards (do the math: 8,400 of them!) and who gave money so that we could purchase the Story Cloths for them, please know how the gift of your time and treasure has translated into a HUGE BLESSING for these people.
So here's Pam explaining the what's and how's of using the Story Cloth and the Cards, followed by some shots of the attendess getting into it.

"I LIKE this!"


Little prizes for the winners of the exercises.



In the afternoon, we offered 4 different workshops that they all rotated to. They learned about flannelgraph, puppets & drama, how to do "hands-on" learning activities, and ABeka Picture-Story sets.

We regathered in the evening, which started up with some great and fun singing (the Karen people LOVE TO SING) and then moved on to the message/challenge given by Ellie that prepared the way for the very moving and meaningful Candle-lighting Commitment ceremony, where we consecrated ourselves to the Lord for His redemptive work IN us and THROUGH us.

THIS DAY WAS POWERFULLY USED BY GOD. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

And then the Word.... followed by

CANDLE-LIGHTING COMMITMENT TIME

And this little guy is what this conference has been all about. Guaranteeing that the next generation of Karen can discover the transforming truths about Jesus - His "grace and truth," His infinite love, saving power, and call to continue to expand His Kingdom.

And these are the young "apprentices" who are getting a huge boost in their understanding of the Bible and in their teaching skills.

"V" is for victory - the ultimate victory of the Cross that the Karen are experiencing and are committed to passing on to the next generation and to those of their people who have yet to discover it.