Making an Mk's Day

This is a photo of the three dear folks who flew all the way from Western Canada (Vancouver) at considerable expense to minister to our children during our recent conference. The AIM conference was held in Nampula, for 39 adults and 11 children, from June 21-28th and was a very busy time. Barb Woodring came, along with Noah and Phil Balzer (father and son) to care for our children during all the meetings, but it was much more than that. they presented a full-on VBS program complete with surprises every day, treats brought from Canada, special events, and a birthday party with presents for each child! They had the kids every day from 8:30-12:30, 1:30-5:30, and then from 7-8. I don't know how they maintained such a level of energy to the end of the week, but they did it with smiles on their faces. The theme of the week was "God's Promises", dealing with covenants, and they used a lot of hockey-related images during the week too. Noah and Phil had brought their hockey gear and did skits for the kids as hockey players, and there were hockey t-shirts, jerseys, and hockey sticks for all the kids. There was even a day of "hockey training camp" and it was hilarious to see the kids running races dressed in adult hockey gear. They had such a blast and we are so grateful to Barb, Noah and Phil for their sacrifice of time, money and energy to minister to our kids. It was a week they'll never forget, and we hope that they all come back again next year! - C