{"id":3563,"date":"2015-03-22T16:10:06","date_gmt":"2015-03-22T16:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/?p=3563"},"modified":"2015-03-22T16:12:23","modified_gmt":"2015-03-22T16:12:23","slug":"sunday-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/2015\/03\/22\/sunday-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday School"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sunday<\/a>
Sunday School – yep it can be crazy!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When we first arrived, my boys wanted nothing to do with Sunday School. \u00a0They didn’t understand anything and it was very different so they preferred staying with us in the service. \u00a0However I knew that it would be important for them in the long run to make friends and be comfortable in our church. \u00a0So I started going up with them to Sunday School every, every Sunday during the service for 6 months. \u00a0Since I was up there I started watching and participating in the class. \u00a0Well, before you know it, soon I was considered a teacher. \u00a0Now, you need to understand that teaching is something I enjoy, but there is a reason I chose to teach High School and left the kindergartners to my calmer, more energetic sister. \u00a0However one thing about teaching younger kids is that they are very forgiving about your language level. \u00a0So that, in short, that is the story to how I have found myself now an official teacher in our Sunday School class.<\/p>\n

The last three weeks were my first weeks teaching since back, there are two other teachers I rotate with and they gave a little bit of a break when we came back. \u00a0Being my first time back, it struck me how different things are here and so I thought I would share with you a little of what it is like to teach Sunday school class here. \u00a0I am a teacher in the small class, which means anyone under the age of 6. \u00a0I have kids from the age of 1 to the age of 6 and we have no toys. \u00a0It depends on the week, but there can be any where from 5 to 10 kids in the class and there is never more than one teacher.<\/p>\n

\"Are<\/a>
The two classes together, we had a very small class this week usually those benches are jam packed, however it is probably because of the size that I had time to take pictures!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first part of the time the small class and the medium age kids are together. \u00a0We sing songs, do offering and share prayer requests. \u00a0During this time one of the younger kids climbed up on my lap and was asleep in a few minutes. \u00a0One things to know about African kids is that they can fall asleep anywhere as they rarely nap in a bed. \u00a0Once the singing was done the medium class took off to their room and it was my time to teach. \u00a0This leaves me alone in a class with 7-12 kids under the age of 6, I am sure sometimes God is up there laughing at how I ended up here. \u00a0Oh well, to be honest it has grown on me. \u00a0So I get up and quickly tie the sleeping kid on to my back so that I can still teach the lesson. \u00a0I learned quickly the value of having a wrap around skirt on hand at all times when teaching little kids. \u00a0I am teaching on Noah. \u00a0So I drew a boat on a whiteboard I made at home and each one the kids takes a turn drawing part of the story.<\/p>\n

\"Some<\/a>
Some of my bunch during story time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At least a forth of the class, mostly the really young ones, have no idea what I am saying as the kids at this young of age usually only speak their mother tongue which is different in each family as to which language that is. \u00a0However they are all used being completely lost as to what is going on. \u00a0At the age of 3 they start going to school which is when they start learning French. \u00a0One young kid needs to go the bathroom, so I send an older kids (you know 6) with him to help him go bathroom. \u00a0Once the lesson is done we lay down the mat, the kids take their shoes off right away and find their place on the mat.<\/p>\n

\"Mat<\/a>
Mat time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each kids sits with a picture to color. \u00a0Crayons are spread out and then for the next 20 minutes the kids take their time and color their papers, \u00a0Even the little ones sit down and color for the longest time, something they learn in school very young here. \u00a0I have a model done because it is very important here for them to color it right (you know no purple boats or anything :)) \u00a0We then clean up and get shoes back on. \u00a0If the service isn’t done we sing songs until the end.<\/p>\n

\"These<\/a>
These kids have become so precious to me<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Little<\/a>
Little ones and all<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Here<\/a>
Here is our newest member, as his family we recently run out of the country where they lived because of their faith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My kids now go up to Sunday School no problem without me, but the ministry has grown on me. \u00a0I have learned so must through teaching these young little hearts. \u00a0Yet it is crazy when I think about it, just crazy how God has changed me and my boys over these past few years.<\/p>\n

\"God<\/a>
God is good!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we first arrived, my boys wanted nothing to do with Sunday School. \u00a0They didn’t understand anything and it was very different so they preferred staying with us in the service. \u00a0However I knew that it would be important for them in the long run to make friends and be comfortable in our church. \u00a0So […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2545],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-updates-and-news","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3563\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}