De Jesús cordero soy

Hello from St. Louis! I arrived here safely Monday evening and have already had Ted Drewes and Imo's, so I suppose you could say home service is going well so far :) I leave for my first network building trip (Sedalia, Columbia, and Warsaw, MO) Saturday. 

I'm committed to keeping up my blog throughout this season, which means first catching up on the hectic two weeks that preceded my arrival here. Last week, LAC missionaries from around the region gathered in Punta Cana for our regional conference, and the week before that, I helped with Vacation Bible School in Palmar Arriba. The theme? De Jesús cordero soy (I am Jesus' Little Lamb). 

My involvement actually started several weeks ago, when the coordinator, Deaconess Caitlin, and I sat at her kitchen table and scrolled Pinterest for sheep- and shepherd-themed crafts that went beyond cotton balls. I also pitched in during the prep stage by making posters (I spy my "Mackenzie Font" handwriting in the first photo below) and craft samples. 

The week of the event, I was admittedly a bit of a flake on account of other work duties and cramming in last visits with friends before an extended time away, but I was onsite 3 of the 5 days. 

Each day began and ended in the chapel, where the kids learned Psalm 23 and the title hymn and participated in brief Vespers services. Do not let the empty chairs fool you: kids always trickled in well past our 3 pm start time, and attendance swelled throughout the week from 85 on Monday to 150+ by Friday. We had planned on 50 so it was a bit of a scramble, but the team pivoted agilely to accommodate larger numbers, and oh, what joy to see the chapel fuller than I've ever seen it. 

Caitlin (right) was a rock star and did it all with baby Ellie strapped into her carrier!

I settled comfortably into behind-the-scenes supporting roles rather than participant-facing ones. Tuesday, I sat on the floor in the hallway with seminarian Carlos and hot glued pipe cleaner shepherd's hooks onto paper towel towel tubes since the craft room had ZERO outlets to plug in the glue guns. Kids picked up their crafts (and Bible story worksheets) by group at the end of the day, a cumbersome process that we improved upon later in the week.

Thursday and Friday, I shifted to registration, helping kids find their nametags (alphabetized to make it easier!) and registering first-timers, which we had all the way through the last day. 

It was a privilege to serve alongside such a willing, hardworking group of fellow missionaries (like Rev. Lucas, below, who has a knack for working with children than shines), seminarians, and local church members. 

By the end of the week, we were exhausted, yet amazed at how our Shepherd had gently guided and well provided for all involved. "I am Jesus' Little Lamb" is commonly deemed a children's song, but its lyrics represent a confident faith every Christian would do well to adopt. This phrase seems particular apt for the next few weeks of my life: "Day by day, at home, away, / Jesus is my staff and stay."

Until next time, blessings!