Okay, so more on Garden Esperanza. Soon after setting up the table, the reggae stopped and the cursing lowered. Kids started slowly stopping by to see what we were doing. We were teaching about Jesus. As soon as club started the first day, I knew this is what makes me feel alive. This is the setting I was made for. Through the week about 15 or so different kids came to club.
By the end of the week, there was over double the kids, 2 video cameras rolling, and parents standing around. Not only were there kids, but there was a 16 year old. He didn’t go to church but was interested in what we were talking about. At the end of the club, he personally thanked the teachers and we were able to connect him with a Caymanian to start taking him to church! How cool!
Not only that, just at the goat yard alone, 4 kids and a married couple committed their lives to Christ!! 
It was so sad to go after our last day of club, especially after all the progress we had made in just one week. I wanted to stay. I wanted to spend my afternoon playing with the kids in this neighborhood and teaching them about Jesus. I wanted to hug many of the kids, daily, and tell them I was sorry for what they had grown up around. I wanted to squeeze them every day and tell them how much Jesus loves them. I wanted to be Aibileen from the Help and tell them “you is kind, you is smart, you is important.” I wasn't sure if all of their parents had told them that before.
I kept praying hard about finding someone to turn it into their ministry. There is so much potential there, but the momentum doesn’t need to be lost, especially with school starting for the kids this week. It hurts to know that isn’t God’s plans for my life right now. If He hadn’t so clearly pointed me towards the World Race, I believe there is a high possibility I would have chosen to move to Cayman Islands to spend time with the kids I fell in love with. Not only the kids we taught clubs to, but the kids we taught clubs with. The kids we trained with.
I’m not sure if I told y’all this part, but the whole first week, the mornings was spent training to teach 5 day clubs. We spent the morning learning the lessons, memory devices, the wordless book, verses, songs and lots more, and the afternoon at local schools. This was the hardest part of the trip for me. It was emotionally and physically draining I felt like I was sitting in school all day. I didn’t understand the point; I just wanted to dive right in to the clubs.
the girls getting their certificates
By the end of the trip, though, I was able to look back and realize there is no way I would have been able to teach clubs without the training. Lots of times we don’t see why we need training. But seriously, how could I have taught kids effectively without proper training? Training is preparation. How often is it we don't want to train but want the final skill?
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So I wrote an edited version of the above post in my journal about the goat yard. Anyways, the next morning, we decided to go to a coffee shop in downtown Georgetown for devotional. While we were there, a lady noticed us. She told Susie, one of my teammates, she could “tell” there was something different about us. We didn’t look like tourist. While the rest of us went inside Café De Sol, Susie sat back and talked to her. When Susie cam back into the coffee shop she said, “You’ll never guess what happened.”
She went on to say, the lady ended up recongnized us from the goat yard. Her mother was the neighbor with all the people on the porch, the one that let us stow our table. Her son, who was 6, had been coming to the Bible club all week, learning about Jesus. She told Susie, she had been saved about 3 months previously and was very interested in the goat yard ministry. I wondered if maybe she would be the answer. The one that continues with that ministry.
After Susie told us that, my head literally went to wow God, you brought us to this coffee shop for a reason. Things didn’t end there though, as we were leaving, she asked Susie to share the gospel with one of her friends using the wordless book. Susie sat and talkedto her friend for about 45 minutes. With tear filled eyes and a heart of repentance, her friend was saved. The Lord put us there together for a reason, and now we have a new sister in Christ. 🙂
I am so thankful Susie showed me how to be bold for Christ this week. It is something can and will use for the rest of my life.
I have one more post I will write about CI with the total numbers and just more personal growth that I experienced. Have a great week. Love you all! Thanks for all of your support!
If you have prayer request send them my way. I would love to pray for you.
