Hard Work Plus a Lot of Fun

Sometimes people study the Bible for the sake of it. But since studying the Bible can be hard work, it is sometimes harder to get kids to do it. Though we shy away from competition, making Bible study a game is a great way to create young scholars. This past Saturday we held Brazil's XI Bible Bowl on the books Daniel and Jonah. Seven churches sent fourteen teams to compete in Recife.

The big winners again this year were from the Boa Viagem church. I think some of them memorized the whole book because they would get cranky if the question wasn't worded exactly like the text. João Pessoa had four teams competing, two came in third place in each division. Lucas McKinney had the third best score of the younger ones.

This is the second year I have directed Bible Bowl since Daniel Palk left, and I have plans for 2015 to make it bigger and better. Watching the kids getting excited about studying God's Word is worth all the hard work.

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For the Kids, Part III

In the USA, there are two special days during the year that children love: birthday and Christmas. Brazil adds one more: Children's Day. On this day, children receive a present and since it coincides with Our Lady of Appeared Conception, Brazil's patron saint, it is also a national holiday. Each week we get kids from the Castelo Branco neighborhood together at the square in front of Dona Terezinha's house to talk about Jesus. For Children's Day, we invited the parents to watch the kids perform a play of the "Prodigal Son," then each kid receives his or her fill of cotton candy, cake, and a sack full of goodies. The parents who came received a Today's Portuguese New Testament and an invitation to the weekly Bible study at Terezinha's. Lori Hagewood has organized this activity for three year with the help from Terezinha, Joseph, and Michel (from the China Taiwan restaurant). Michael, Ashton, and Tif...

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Emesson started coming to Bible Club over a year ago, when Neil Schultz and Cait Beckloff, our AIM team, were teaching it. For several months, they planted the seed in his and his sister's hearts. Unfortunately Neil and Cait's time in João Pessoa ended. In 2014 Bible Club received a boon when Erick and Jenny Paddy, former AIMers, returned to the field and picked up teaching the Bible Study for English speakers. They watered the sprouting seed in Emesson's life until God's Word became more important for him than just practicing his English. Last Wednesday night, God gave the increase, adding Emesson to the Family of Christ. Sometimes things don't happen when we think they should, but God is in control; His time is best, and we must thank Him for playing a small part in His plan.

McKinney Report

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