Were you wondering why I bought those beachballs on Monday? I know you were. Nothing gets past you. You’re like a bloodhound for information, a detective on the case of The Obscure Beachball Reference, or a third similie that pertains to the seeking of information.
Now, you might think that’s quite a rambling introduction to a mission blog. But you don’t realise that it’s Black Wednesday, the lowest point of energy in the week (we’ve done five days of work before our team day off, and we have five more full days until we go home again).
But back to the beachballs. Fine, I’ll tell you. It was to teach about the big rescue of Easter to the kids at Hillvue Public School (of breakfast club fame). The primary team taught back-to-back scripture assemblies, complete with ‘super saviour’, a puppet show, and a rescue game where beachballs represented PFDs (‘personal flotation devices’ for those of you playing along at home) which literally spelled out Easter for the kids.
Meanwhile the high-school team cashed in their free time for some voluntary street evangelism. Sharing the gospel with non-statue humans, and having a long conversation with some Jehovah’s Witnesses (“yes but a preverbal predicate noun is usually anatharous! It’s Colwell’s rule… or was it Apollonius’ corollary? Did anyone bring Wallace?”).
In the afternoon we had a special team meeting to hear from Rod about his experiences in various churches and his philosophy of ministry. The team definitely appreciated his honesty and wisdom, and his articulation of familiar truths with the conviction of experience.
Soon afterwards a group went to Coledale to run a range of ministries; leafletting, teaching on prayer, Jack Hammer (yes, that’s his real name. we asked him. trust me) gave a gospel talk and Bert the puppet made his fourth appearance so far on mission.
And in the evening, most of the men gathered at the rugby club to hear Dr John Best speak evangelistically about mateship (that we can have friendship with God). Tom B manned the bbq to slow-cook our meat for most of the afternoon, and while he didn’t get to hunt, kill, or skin our dinner, he seemed pretty happy to at least be near it on the fire for a few hours.
At the end of a long day – as the tiredness lingers behind our eyes, and somehow ten of us find ourselves unpacking a truckload of chairs and washing up cutlery in the church kitchen at 10:30pm – we know we have survived Black Wednesday for another year. Tomorrow’s rest day with the team is perfectly timed to recover from a big first half, and to share fellowship with each other in the gospel we have been proclaiming.