This Thursday at Hyaets, we took a group of children to ImaginOn, an interactive children’s library. It was their last field trip for the week, and in some of the HRBCers opinions, it was a relief not to go somewhere that involved getting wet! One thing that caught many of the Hyaets children’s attention was that on the sides of a building near ImaginOn, there were pillars that if you smacked them made a noise like drums, laughter, or a piano note. Then, later at Kids Club, the bible story was “Fishers of Men”, and many of the activities had to do with fish, such as decorating a cut-out fish, fishing – such as “fishing” for magnetic fish, and water – such,  as playing with water toys in a bucket of water. The simplicity of the activities and how much the children enjoyed them made the activities the best out of the whole week. After story time, we handed out bibles to the children and said our goodbyes. About that time, the second group of HRBCers had arrived. When the children had gone home, all the HRBCers and Hyaets people gathered for prayer, and then the first group of HRBCers stayed inside to reflect on the week while the second group went outside to get the 411 about what Hyaets was and what they’d be doing for the next few days. During our reflection time, we discussed our highs and lows of the week and what lessons or experiences we would bring back home. Some of the high moments, or favorite moments, had to do with the Kids Club activities, like playing football, the field trips, interacting the children, such as doing devotions with the older children, and just getting to know children and making them happy. One person said that just being able to minister to those children while doing such a simple thing like serving snack, made him realize how he can be one of God’s many shining lights. Some of the low moments, or least favorite moments, had to do a lot with what we saw. One person said that just seeing so many scars, physical and emotional, was hard to comprehend. Another person said that seeing how they lived made her want to cry sometimes. And one person said that just the knowledge that there was so much left to do, and here we were going home was a low for him. That was one lesson we went home with: there was so much we could give the children in Charlotte like fun activities, art projects to take home, or even just a hug , but there was also so much that we couldn’t give them, and that made us all remember how blessed we all are. On the way home, we also learned a few lessons we learned on the van, such as don’t leave fries from dinner in your pocket, remember to bring cup holders, and use the bathroom twice before going back in the van and on the highway! We all arrived at church around 11:20, all of us groggy and sleepy-eyed from sleeping in the van. The week at Hyaets was a success. Many new children from the neighborhood started coming for Kids Club, and one parent said to us that our group was a real blessing to her and her child.

by Carrie