One of the major tools we use in Young Life is club. Club is an event each week where we go to a kid's houses where we play games, sing songs and finish with an introduction of who Jesus is. Some people in YL like to call it a party with a purpose because we always have a great time and it's an opportunity to show kids that loving Jesus can be fun!
Club Puro Pinolero
Puro pinolero = Pure Nicaraguan
The week before Nicaragua's independence day, our club was themed after everything Nicaraguan. We sang songs in Spanish (which we normally sing in English), drank Pinol (a typical Nica drink that tastes like chocolate milk & cinnamon), and the girls taught me to dance after club was over.
Explosion Club
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| Boys v. Girls trivia - I was the timer, pumping a balloon with confetti and they had to rotate - like in Catchphrase - guys and girls until the balloon popped. |
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| Ever tried Coke Zero and Mentos? |
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| It REALLY works! |
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| What's Explosion Club without sparklers and REAL fireworks? |
Color Wars Club
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| The talk was about Jesus dying on the cross, taking all our mess (the paint) and making us new in Jesus. A great visual by one of our volunteer leaders, Mark. |
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| Launching paint water balloons at student leaders! |
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| Color Wars = Success! |
Everybody's Birthday Club
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| Arturo was graciously volunteered by his friend Sergio to be our human piñata. |
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| Then everyone took off their left shoe and swatted at the piñata as he ran by to get the candy off. |
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| Where there is colorful icing, there will be food fights. |
Clubs not pictured: We're back!, Capture the flag, YOLO & Battle of the Sexes
To say I've had a favorite club this year, the answer would change every week because I have been so impressed with my team and the way greatness is had each week! It is truly amazing to be a part of this team and I can't wait for it to grow in December when Ella makes her way from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, por fin.
Like I said at the beginning though, club is just one of the tools that YL uses to reach kids. The main focus every week is to make sure our message is clear that Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. We have used great visuals and stories from the past to make it relatable to kids while never losing the meaning of the Gospel.
I gave the talk last night and used a story from my travels about walking through a cave with only a candle's light to follow. Giving talks always makes me nervous. One of my teammates asked one of the kids who probably speaks the least amount of English of the group at club last night, what the talk was about and that is when I knew I had done ok. He said, "She talked about how we all have caves, dark places in our lives, but Jesus is the light of the world and came to free us from them." BAM! That is exactly what I was going for! I feel like after I give a talk, I'm not sure what I just said but when I hear a simple synopsis like that one with my exact main point I know that the Holy Spirit lead my words and opened kids' hearts to hear his message.
Guys, this is my job! I can hardly believe it myself.
