Two years running, Ministry Day has been the best day of the school year for me!
Every year, the Faith Academy Middle School has a day we set aside as “Ministry Day.” This is a day where we take some or all of the day and minister to the community around us. Faith Academy is surrounded by squatter homes. Squatters are the poor people of the Philippines who live in make-shift houses. Most of the kids that come to our A4J program during the first semester (it’s a program like AWANA) are the kids that live in these areas. Many of these kids also attend a school nearby called Cuatro Christian School (CCS).
For ministry day this year, we brought in all of the 1st – 6th graders to Faith Academy. We had a packed schedule for them.
We started the day with a mini music concert. The strings, band, and choirs all performed some numbers for the students from CCS.
Then, the students from CCS performed for us! They did a variety of fun dances as well as a short dramatic monologue.
After the music portion, we split into five groups. I was with the 6th grade group. We took the 6th graders from CCS and taught them how to make sugar cookies. Many of them had never made sugar cookies before. One of my students told me that a CCS student had asked what they had put on top of the cookies (frosting)! Most Filipinos don’t bake, as they don’t usually have ovens. They do almost all of their cooking on a stove top. So, getting to bake cookies was a special treat for them. They loved it!
After cookies, my group ate lunch! All of the barkadas raised money so that we could give the students lunch. We made chicken adobo and rice for them (a favorite Filipino dish).
Once they had finished eating, the students had art. We gave them chalk and let them draw on our sidewalks. Some of the students were fabulous artists!
After art time, the 6th graders played a game of mat ball, followed by a big group game in the gym.
At the end of the day, we gave them a merienda and a gift bag. Then we were able to go back with them to see their school and give gift bags to the preschool and high school students who didn’t come.
We had a great day! I love seeing my students blessing the community around them. I love that God has placed us in this community so that we can do so.
