CYIA 2019: Working As A Team

This past week, the CYIAers have learned that a 5 Day Club is more than just repeating the lessons they have memorized. They have to be prepared for numerous distractions, kids with short attention spans, and even each other.

Each person has to be prepared, not only to teach but to help out with everything else and adapt to different situations. The team members are relying on each other in order to make the club work.  They are also discovering how different personalities work together within the club.

Together the teens are learning to smooth out the rough spots in their clubs. To find the issues and try various things until they find something that works. Sometimes it’s simply getting the kids more active, or keeping their attention with something exciting while the magpies are being noisy. Other times it might mean studying more or working through personality differences with your teammates.

Yet at the same time, the teens are doing a great job! This is the first 5 Day Club many of them have ever done and the staff has been impressed with each one.

Thursday afternoon we all learned to do face painting. At the end of the summer, we will have many teens going to the Billings Fair where they will face paint and share the gospel with hundreds of kids. The teens and interns had fun practicing on each other with the paints and the wordless book.

Later that evening we all went to a rally for one of the clubs. The kids were able to get up front and sing for their parents and some even prayed out loud for the missionary they’ve been praying for all week.

Of course, the highlight of the evening was when two names were drawn to win the water cannons. That also meant two kids were allowed to choose a leader to spray with water.

Jennifer was chosen by both kids and even though it was cold out (there were even snowflakes falling from the sky!!!) she was thoroughly soaked. The kids laughed with glee at the sight and were very excited to keep the water cannons.

When we arrived back on campus the teens went back to work on practicums. There isn’t much time left and they want to be prepared for clubs that start up on Monday.