Author: CEF of Montana, INC.

The 4th of July provided a break for the week for all the CYIAers and no clubs happened that week.

However, the teens jumped right back into the 5 Day Clubs the next week.

Jennifer and Ayla led some clubs in Butte, Chris and Doug led clubs in Bozman, Dave led a group doing clubs in Havre, and Josiah led a VBS in Gallatin Gateway.

The leaders all had stories to share about having fun with the kids and having fun with each other as they taught clubs.

The best stories though were about the kids that believed in Jesus as their savior. The team in Butte had seven kids believe in Jesus in the first two days of the club. The club in Havre had one girl who wanted to trust in Jesus so much she was shaking as she prayed.

The teens have only been working for a couple of weeks, but they have already touched many lives with the work they are doing.

On top of that, the parents of these kids are coming to the rallies at the end of every week and are hearing the gospel as well.

We are excited to see the work that God is doing this summer and we can’t wait to discover more of what God had planned for this summer!

The Summer of 5 Day Clubs has begun! This last week starting June 24th three teams of teenagers put on five different 5 Day Clubs. Two were in Belgrade, Two were in Wilsall, and One was in Gardiner.

It wasn’t just the teens doing the work though. It was clear that God had his hand in each club, influencing the kids.

In Gardiner Derek and Angela worked together as a team led by Ayla.

In Wilsall Seth, Bella, and Megan put on their clubs under Dave’s leadership.

 

In Belgrade, there were more clubs happening throughout the week with Josiah, Billy, Alyssah, and Reese!

The CYIAers were given the week of Independence day off, but they will be ready to go again this coming week!

The final day of CYIA ended with every teenager earning a certificate. Their hard work continued up until the hours before the banquet started.

Now they are ready to embark on the adventure that waits for each of them this summer. They have learned all of their lessons, learned all the songs, taught their first club, and now they are ready to put it into practice.

The banquet had some amazing food made by Kathy Howe, Anna Grinder, and Charlene Ball that everyone enjoyed.

The CYIAers then displayed some of what they had been learning by singing some songs, teaching a verse, and teaching about one of the songs.

Everyone seemed to enjoy experiencing what the teens have been learning and getting to know one another.

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Clubs have already started and the teens are using their training to teach kids all over Montana about Jesus and the good news He brings.

 

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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Monday morning brought a new experience for most of our CYIAers. They were all broken up into groups and sent off to do four different 5 Day Clubs. Three were right next door at a preschool. For the fourth, we partnered with Fellowship Baptist Church here in Bozeman.

All the clubs did very well, especially for the first one. The kids at the clubs had fun playing games, singing songs, and listening to the stories. The teens quickly discovered that they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were.

No classroom can teach how to handle a group of four-year-olds that only hear every other thing you tell them. No amount of warning can prepare you to handle distractions and quickly moving attention spans. These things, along with others, have to be experienced in order to actually learn them.

The teens have also been finding that no matter how prepared they are, the chaos of the moment can make all their careful study and preparation disappear from their minds. It’s only by trying again and fixing their mistakes that the training will truly stick with them.

Of course, the teens also had fun. Playing with and teaching a group of kids will always have its perks.

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There was also a bit of fun with some packages sent in the mail for EVERYONE. (Thanks Jesse and Beccah Joe) We had fun discovering what was inside and reading the fun notes that went along with them. (Though Megan might have a talk with Jesse about her package)

The rest of the day was filled with preparation for the next day’s club and working on more practicums.

 

 

 

 

And me? I’m making a special surprise for everyone

Missionary Stories

Bible Lessons

Memory Verses

Songs

Prayer

Review games

The CYIAers have all the pieces now. The various sections of each Five Day Club. They’re working hard to get them down and make sure each piece is ready for the kids.

But you can’t see the picture in a puzzle unless you put all the pieces together.

Each club has to run smoothly, engage the kids, and make sure everyone is learning about Jesus. The CYIAers have to work as a team to stay organized, keep the schedule, and to be ready to teach.

It’s a lot of information to take in and a lot of hard work for them to do, but Dave and Chris are continuously encouraging the teens and pushing them to do more, even beyond what they think they can do.

Of course, part learning to do 5 Day Clubs includes learning to play games with the kids. This also means that the CYIAers have to play the games in order to understand them and in turn, teach them to the kids.

The whole week has been a lot of work and a lot of fun. Saturday will be half a day of practicums and half a day of relaxing. A day of rest to take a break from all of the hard work and be ready for another week of training

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The week is already halfway over, but a lot has already been accomplished. Most of the teens have said the wordless book and received a “Well done!”. Some have even started on the Bible lesson. They are all working hard to learn what they need.

The days are full of learning. Wednesday was full of learning to do the Bible lesson and Thursday is was full of learning to do the Missionary Story, memory verses, and to introduce songs.

The teens aren’t just learning the material they are going to teach, they are also learning how to teach effectively. How to add excitement to the stories, how to involve the kids, and how to hold their visuals. The Bible lesson has the extra challenge of including applications to teach the kids.

In the evenings we get the privilege to hear from Adam Burt during chapel as well as for some devotions in the morning. He’s been challenging the teens in their view of God and their relationship with Him.

Of course, there are also plenty of breaks with games and singing songs for the clubs. Everyone is learning to get out of their comfort zone and join in the fun, and we are all getting to know each other in the process.

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