This week our speakers were Ed Morales and Eva Spangler. Ed talked to us about Child Protection Policies and the ways that we should be careful when interacting with a child, especially as outreach is fast approaching. We also looked at with Ed, forms of abuse. We looked at physical abuse, sexually abuse, neglect, and emotional, physiological, or mental abuse. We also looked at stories of protection in the Bible and what protection involves in a Godly way. With Eva we got to do more wonderful art. We did two assignments with her this week. The first one being our hands filled with pictures and positive words that describe ourselves around it. The second assignment was drawing out 5 containers that represent different areas of our lives. We ended the week with a time of prayer and encouragement for one another.
The most impacting information for me this week was just the different prayers and words spoken to me and over me during our time of prayer on Thursday. A new understanding about God was through all the protection stories in the Bible and the specific and different ways that He protects His children. A revelation about myself that I received this week was the way that God looks at me. It is something that God and I have been talking about for a long time now, and with the time of prayer I was really encouraged. When Elin was talking about how she felt God really wanting me to hear that he was in love with me, and that I really needed to hear it and believe it, it really hit hard. Also with Jillian speaking of how God is just aching for me to let Him hold me, it really broke my heart because I know how much of a truth it is. I so often just want to be strong and deal with everything myself, and I know how much God just wants me to know that he knows that things hurt and that is ok, because He wants to be with me in the hurt.
This week’s teaching brought out the question of what type of child protection policies do the different ministries have in Rwanda and if they don’t have one in place how can we help them to instil one. I will get this question answered by doing research and asking questions especially once I am in Rwanda.
This week was a rough week in some ways. I have been so frustrated with the incompetence of my bank that my mind has been all over the place. I have found myself doubting often wither I should even go to Rwanda or not. Or if I should just return to somewhere in Canada and work in a ministry there for my field assignment. It has been hard even thinking about outreach being so soon when we have so much more work to do here first. I feel like I have not been turning to God this week as much as I need to in my everyday life. I have loved this community and it’s people and culture so much over the last 2 ½ months. It is hard to imagine leaving it in 18 days.
I am looking forward to the next two weeks of teachings and the final deadlines of all our assignments so that we can take a deep breathe finally and really be able to focus on going on outreach.
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