Field day with the kids was like
most things on mission trips: you go in with a plan, but have to be fluid and
flexible with everything you do. As game leaders, Stephen and I went in with a
list of activities and a set order of activities. However, at lunch, a few
hours before it started, we were told we needed to change our activities into
games for a four-team competition. Rather than playing the games we originally
thought of like soccer, kickball, and ultimate Frisbee, we did a number of
relay races and a few games we learned through SouthLake.
Field day started with a game in
which teammates were blind-folded and had to find each other using only animal
sounds. This was the hardest game because all the kids who were not
blind-folded were making noise and confusing the ones who were actually
playing. We played this a couple of times and then moved into the relay races.
We did a sack race, three-legged race, and wheel-barrow race. These brought out
the competitive side in all the groups. There was a lot of humor watching
people trip over each other and fall in both the sack and three-legged races.
The racing got old too though so we moved onto the water balloon toss. This
game consists of two team mates tossing a full water balloon back and forth and
progressing backwards after each pair of successful tosses. We finished the day
playing the shirt game. To play this, everyone received a bandana to put into
his own waistband and wear as a tail. The goal for each player was to remove
other people’s tails. The last team with players remaining won. This game
created alliances between different team and helped have a sense of community
between different teams.
All in all, the field day was
successful. The participation of both the kids and the seniors exceeded my
expectations. I thought the kids would have less motivation because they would
not want to play some games the gringos were teaching them. I thought the
seniors would not want to participate because the games were geared towards
younger kids. Everyone played hard and I was happy with how the day went.
Seeing us come together with the kids brought a lot of joy to my heart. Despite
any kind of language or age barrier, everyone played as a team and showed the
power a loving spirit can generate.
---Andrew Naspinski
Sunday we were able to spend more
time fellowshipping with the boys at dinner and during a special movie night. For
dinner we had meal of Agai de Pollo with rice and potatoes. It was so awesome
to get to know the boys better, and see them interact with each other as well
as all of the Southlake kids. They seem so different from the Girasoles at
Kusi, but the one main similarity between the two groups is the joy that they
both emanate in their every day lives. After dinner, we moved the tables, and
set up a projector (we have been eating our meals hear outside in the
“courtyard”). The caregivers brought the boys blankets, and we all settled in
to watch Penguins of Madagascar. The littlest boy, Fernando, climbed into my
lap and became enthralled with my water bottle and camera. By the time the
movie was over, he was fast asleep in my lap, as were many of the younger boys
in their chairs, and the group was ready for bed!
--Lydia Talbot
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