We took another break this week before finishing the commandments. Besides it being our 4th anniversary, we wanted to do something special to say good-bye to some of our special helpers who are leaving Macau this month. So we told two brief Bible stories, relating each one to a different "honoree."
First we introduced the prophet Elijah (Kevin Hui, who will enter Tokyo Christian University this fall). He was a famous prophet, probably most famous for the time he was going to sacrifice a bull on the altar (one of the kids wearing cow horns, stretched out on a board across several stools), and God Himself sent fire down from heaven to consume the burnt offering (girl in halo sprinkles tissue paper flames over the bull). God really loved Elijah, so much that when it didn't rain for three years and a lot of people didn't have enough to eat, he sent ravens to feed him (kids with black wings carrying crackers and a water bottle). Not only that—God loved him so much that when it came time for him to leave this world, he didn't have to die! Instead, God sent a fiery chariot, drawn by horses of fire, to carry him up to heaven!
I was quite proud of this fiery chariot—a leftover from the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, with tissue flames added. I was also very proud of our two horses. I never guessed Ka Ho would be willing to keep his horse mask on long enough to help carry Elijah away, much less long enough to pose for a picture afterward! Good job, Ka Ho!
Wound up this story by saying that Kevin was like Elijah. He had done some wonderful things in God's service, and now he was going to fly away from us in a "fiery chariot." We presented him with his farewell gift. Then it was time for the next story.
Unfortunately, our second honoree had to work! But her daughter came, so she was the main character in our story: Jesus. Jesus, of course, also did mighty miracles, and God loved Him very much. Although He had to die, that wasn't because God didn't love Him enough. Instead, it was because both Jesus and His heavenly Father loved us so much that He died in our place so that we could go to heaven. But then, of course, He rose from the dead and also went to heaven in a special way.
But when all this was about to happen, He wanted to make sure His followers knew just how much He really loved them, and how much He wanted them to love one another. So He and His followers ate dinner together (Jesus passes out crackers to all). While they were eating, Jesus got up & tied a towel around His (her) waist & got a basin of water…and began to wash everyone's feet! We didn't have Man Man actually do this for everyone; it could have weirded some folks out. We just said, when He got to Peter (a girl we'd gotten to okay this before we started), Peter said, no way! You are my Master, you can't wash my feet! And Jesus replies, but it is important that you let me do this, or else you won't really belong to me. So Peter lets him. And Jesus concludes, now I want You all to follow Me in this. You need to love one another as I have loved you, and be willing to serve one another humbly.
Our absent friend Ka Lin learned this lesson well from Jesus, we pointed out. Even though she didn't do a lot of upfront stuff in the time she was volunteering with us, she was always willing to do any little behind-the-scenes thing that needed doing. And we appreciate Man Man too, because it was hard for her, being shy and not used to being around mentally handicapped/autistic kids, to come to Merciful Love with her mother. But she was obedient, and fit in very well and ended up liking it very much! So we presented Man Man with gifts for herself and her mom.
Our game followed the foot-washing theme. The kids lined up in two teams, each on a row of stools, sitting shoulder to shoulder. While we didn't actually do any foot-washing, we did the before-and-after. Kid one had to take off kid two's shoes, then sit down while kid two took off kid three's shoes, etc., until the last kid took off kid one's shoes. Then the procedure was repeated only putting the shoes back on. It was great fun, and once again I was thrilled with how well everyone cooperated. It was a little unfair; the first team one because they had more kids wearing flip-flops as opposed to regular shoes! Something else interesting to note: a-Wai, from our very poorest family, never wears anything but flip-flops. He was supposed to take off the lace-up shoes of the person next to him and he had NO idea where to begin! But he hung in there while Bruce was helping him, hand-over-hand.
For craft time, we used a worksheet I found on the internet where the kids glued pieces of cereal ('food that the ravens brought Elijah") in the spaces provided and then added them up to see what the total amount was.
We had ordered in food, then, for a meal to celebrate the anniversary. During our Bible stories, A-Wai had been demonstrating a new odd behavior pattern—holding his face under the water faucet while scratching at it vigorously. Then coming back into the room with water dripping off his chin. Finally I told him that he either stop this, or he would have to leave before the meal. And he stopped! After the meal, however, he was right back in the bathroom doing it again. We hadn't cut the cake, though, so I told him that he would have to leave now, without cake. "But I won't do it again!" he said. (A complete sentence!!) However, I felt that it was more important to be consistent in penalizing his aberrant behavior just then, than to reward his grammatical excuses. And he & his mom had had a good meal.
I still feel bad about the whole thing though. I wouldn't do this with any other kid; they all have behavior problems of one kind or another. One big difference, however, is that their parents take charge of discipline themselves. A-Wai's mom is simply unable to do this. She was smiling as she left; it's possible that she appreciated someone taking him in hand. (And he didn't lose his temper! He just tried his excuse & then left!) I need to talk to her more about this some time, I know. But we left the next day for vacation. Will not be back until September. Praying for them, and the best way—and the most pleasing to God, which I still don't know whether this was--to help both a-Wai and his mom.
Pictures will also have to wait until September!
