This month 5 of S Squads teams partnered with YWAM including mine. Each week we did different things, but this week was my favorite. My team and the YWAM team went to villages and we got to do and see a lot.
This was our transportation. We would all climb in the back of it and either sit or stand our way to the villages or from school to school.
At our first village, we worked with our first pastor. He organized for us to work in schools. My team divided into three groups to teach: English, a Bible story (Moses), and games. My teammate Jenna and I taught English. Then our YWAM friends divided amongst our groups to help out and to translate. Here are our stats: 7 schools, 3 periods each, 21 periods of teaching the same thing.
So for teaching English, Jenna and I had our YWAM friends Palm and Tiw. Palm translated and Tiw helped with encouraging the students to talk and was the child wrangler when the younger ones got roudy. Our basic routine was this: Introductions with “My name is”, favorite food with them practicing saying “My favorite food is,” reviewing the alphabet and with younger students had them come up with things for those letters (and we drew them) and for older kids we played hangman (which was a HUGE hit). We also reviewed colors and did different games with them. one was we had two people hold a colored pen, we would say the name and the children had to run to that color. They then would not just run, but mob the person holding the color. So needless to say, the 4 of us laughed a lot because we all have quirks and and the children were so funny. The four of us, after the first day, got into a quick routine and were like a well-oiled machine. And when there was a curve ball (like “hey, you’re teaching preschoolers!” or “Hey, you have 70 students to teach!”) we were able to change our things to make it appropriate.
The English teachers: Jenna, Palm, Tiw, and me.
220 students that were divided into three groups–we taught them all–just not at all at once.
Jenna and Palm’s drawings.
Then after a couple days we worked with another pastor. We also did the teaching thing, but we also did a lot to experience some different aspects of Thailand. We got to plant grass for the cows. We got to hunt bugs by turning on flurescent lights which were connected to a car battery which was then connected to a speaker. We danced to Thai music, shared testimonies with believers, and we even got to see a couple “fireworks!”
Planting the grass.
Attracting the bugs.
But the other highlight this week was working with YWAM. It was so refreshing to be serving with another team and with a group of our peers. They taught us a new version of Uno which was addicting and we played almost every night. We laughed a lot at all of our quirks (I wish I could tell you all about them!) and all our crazy rides in our blue truck. We worshipped together in different languages. We served together. In that week, we became family. Even though we were Thai and American and spoke two different languages–we loved each other and loved God. I am going to miss them for sure.
