January 2 2013

So, it is 2013. Sweet As Bro.

Yesterday was our last night at Paihia before we move on in life. Instead of having our usual sausage fest (haha, I'm punny, but not really), we put on a program in the tent where the DJ usually is. We had some musical numbers, some skits and some testimonies.

I went around before it started to tell people what was happening and invite them. I told one group that there would be skits, and with my Canadian accent they thought I said skids. Awkward. But we got that cleared up. And the next guys I went to tell listened to my explanation of what was happening and then asked "Bro, what are you on?" Bah!!! All of my life I always got bugged because I have droopy eyes, or 'bedroom eyes'. My eyelids just are big. Ok? Geeze. Leave me alone about it. Anyways, I always get asked if I'm high. And I never am. But now I have the best response ever! I said "I'm high on JESUS!" They thought I was weird. They jokingly asked if I wanted to sit with them, so I did. They didn't know how to respond. We played a card game called horse racing or something.

The program was pretty good. First, Hannah, Sarah and Jacob played a few songs. Then we did the creation skit. At one point Van hugs me. Sarah took a photo and it looked like we were about to make out. Hilarious. Hannah did her testimony. Some other guys that are working with Operation Jerusalem sang some songs. They were actually legit so good. Then there was my testimony and the ropes skit and Daves testimony.

It was so hard to give my testimony because most of the audience was drunk, and they kept asking questions and making comments. It was quite distracting. But entertaining. A lot of them thought it was pretty funny to heckle, but so many kids in the back were actually listening so intently. It was actually really cool.

At the end we tried to have some prayer. We were just gonna go around and pray for whoever wanted it, but then the microphone got commondeered by one of the other OJs and that plan didn't come to fruition. Which is frustrating and unfortunate. But one guy named Alex actually came out in front of everyone and accepted Jesus. It was really cool. He will be a radical Jesus lover and I am so excited for him. Everyone was making fun of him and he was just like "hey guys, it's not funny." And he is one of those cool dudez, so having everyone see that was probably so good.

So many of the youth actually came by after and told us what a good job we did with the program. Lots even said that it was better than the DJ, and they LOVED the DJ. So cool that we could do something totally chill and wholesome and they liked it better or as much as the sleezy DJ. Man, these kids are so hungry for God. Maybe all of this prophesy of revival starting in the North will come true!

Then Van and I sat up late with our favorite friend named Louis (like french pernounsiation). He has been in the camp site beside us all week and we have been coveting his amazing music. So he gave us a bunch of it. We hung out until the wee hours of the morning. It was awesome. We have made so many friends here.

It is really cool because so many of the youth kept coming back and visiting us. Even if they were atheist or unsure or whatnot, they knew that our tent was safe and that we loved them. Some boys even adopted me as their mother. I took care of their drunkenness one night, and the next night they kept coming by and checking in and it was like our tent was their homebase and if they lost eachother they would come find me. It was so cute.

One guy had an expensive radio, and he didn't want to leave it laying around, so he came to our tent and asked if he could leave it here and get it in the morning. He didn't even know us, but he knew that our tent was the only safe place here, and he trusted us. Pretty cool.

So regardless of how many souls were or were not saved the past 5 days, MANY seeds were planted. These kids will always remember the crazy foreign christians that loved them and accepted them no matter what. And that we were cool and able to have fun with them. We weren't just a bunch of people preaching perfection at them, because that's not what it's about. Love is Jesus' message, and I know that they recieved that from us this week.