Girls' Night, yeah yeah yeah...

Here is a new recipe for one to try: Take 15 Belarusian girls, four American girls, two American mothers, and an assortment of junk foods (popcorn, chocolate, cookies, etc.), shut them up inside an empty church for an entire night, and then see what happens. That was what happened last night right here in Ratomka, and it was a blast! The three Nebel girls (Sophia, Lydia, and Annabelle) and I planned out an outreach for teenage Belarusian girls in the Ratomka area. Some of the girls already go to church here, but our real mission was to reach out to girls in the Virtual Orphanage program, who have perhaps never heard the gospel. So we lured them in with games and ice cream sundaes, and then when they least expected it, we presented the gospel in the form of a short Bible study. I was delegated to lead the Bible study, through an interpreter, and to be honest it was a nerve-wracking experience. Here were girls who perhaps had never heard the Good News before, and maybe never again would. I just pray that something miraculous happened when the translator was translating, because I kept stumbling over words and losing my train of thought. It was a humbling experience. A tiring one, too, since some of the girls had so much sugar that they didn’t fall asleep until 5 AM!!!! Perhaps I’m getting old, because I caught myself being the “grumpy chaperone” who kept telling the girls to be quiet, settle down, and go to sleep. It all turned out well, though, and we feasted on chocolate chip banana pancakes for breakfast, always a great way to end an event. J