Yesterday was a good day. Brother David and I went for a walk around Bapatla looking for a place to eat or buy snacks, and while we were walking, we unintentionally found a school. Suddenly there was a group of children kind of huddling around us and following us as we walked. Brother David and I stopped and tried to talk to them in English, which they knew a little of. A few of them asked us our names and told us theirs. We seemed to catch the attention of quite a few adults during our walk too.
Later that night, we taught at another village. This village was poorer than the others we visited, and apparently a lower caste, but I have never seen children so happy. It must have started as soon as they saw our car coming up. Suddenly we heard excited screams and yelling, and the children ran up to put car as soon as we parked. They waved and said hi as we were getting out. It took a while for them to calm down! It took a whole to get everything set up for us to teach, so Brother Nathan taught them high-fives just like he does in every village, and I took pictures. The children actually seemed really happy to get their picture taken and were practically fighting each other to get in the shot. Finally, we started teaching, despite the fact that the power went out and we had to go without a main light or microphones. We had a lantern so we could read our notes, and Sister Becky had her phone that she could use as a flashlight, and we can all be loud when necessary, so we made it work. Afterward, we gave the sixty or so children a new craft - black crosses with a stylus they can use to scratch it with and the colors underneath show up. Then Sister Becky and Brother Nathan performed Father Abraham for them twice, first so the children and the adults sitting in the back could all see, and second so the children could participate. Then the night continued as usual, Brother David taught his sermon on Lazarus, we prayed for the people, we got back to our hotel, and fell asleep. Unless you're Sister Becky. Sister Becky didn't quite make it to the hotel, she was asleep long before then and kind of sleepwalked to her room. I guess it was a pretty exhausting day overall.
Jennifer Grabow
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