A few weeks ago, several members of my team and I helped with a holiday kids club (basically Vacation Bible School). I had committed to volunteer about a month before, but by the time the club came around, I didn't want to do it. It was our week off from ministry programs since all the schools were closed for the week, and I just wanted to rest. I wasn't going to back out on my commitment, but I wasn't exactly excited about it either.
We had a day of setting up the church and another day of training before the club started. I was already so drained, and I had no clue how I was going to have any energy to work with all the kids and to just be silly with them. My hope was that once the kids arrived, I would be able to get into that mindset of excitement, joy, and silliness. I'm thankful that we took time to pray in groups that first morning before the kids got there. My group prayed for patience, energy, and joy, and God totally answered.
We ended up having so much fun with those kids for the whole week. Apparently we had more kids attend than the last few years, but we had enough volunteers that we were able to really get to know the kids and build relationships there. Those kids shared plenty of joy and excitement with us, and I was super impressed with how well they listened and paid attention to the stories and dramas. We got to talk a lot about forgiveness and God's mercy, which was especially helpful for many of the kids from different religious backgrounds.
One particular child stood out to me that week. "Maddie" was in my small group, and she seemed fairly shy and quiet at first. She was the one in our small group who always knew the answers because she listened so well to the stories, but she was so soft-spoken that she would whisper the answers in my ear. In the various activities throughout the club, Maddie was always patient and kind. It seems to me that most people get so caught up in the chaos of life that they miss a lot of the little moments of goodness, but Maddie has that quiet joy that simply radiates, as if she actually notices and tries to soak in every ounce of goodness she comes across. Had God not already convicted me about my attitude towards the holiday club, this little girl's example of joy and peace would have been enough.
The cherry on top of that whole week was the card that Maddie made for me at the end of the club. It was kind enough that she made cards for some of us volunteers, but she showed even more kindness through her words. This seven year old girl expressed to us that she enjoyed spending time with us and that she really loved the holiday club. She couldn't help but share the joy and love she felt. I saw so much of God's goodness in that; He brought encouragement to me through Maddie even though I started off with such a poor attitude.
On another encouraging note, I recently rode a bike for the first time in several years. I had an accident on my bike as a kid and haven't felt confident cycling since. Biking is fairly common in this city, so it would be quite helpful if I could count it as one of my modes of transportation. I've had to deal with a good bit of fear over riding a bike, but my teammates are very patient and helpful. One of them took me to the park the other day to practice, and although I still feel wobbly and a bit out of control while cycling, I'm making progress.