Semester Break Program at BCI Academy

BCI Academy was on semester break February 6th-10th.  But that didn’t stop the missionaries from having fun with and ministering to the children.  The long-term missionaries that are currently in Ethiopia planned a fun-filled program for grades 5-7 that was held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The days were scheduled with activities that included praise and worship, a sermon, ice-breaker games, crafts, challenges, and sports competitions.  There were approximately 60 children that came out to participate in this special program.  The children were divided into four teams that they would stick with throughout the three day program.  The children were asked to pick a team name and to also create a team chant.  The teams were called:  Abraham, David, Samson, and Exodus. 

The children were told that they would work as a team throughout the entire three day program and at the end of the program there would be a prize for the winning team.  The teams were able to earn points for good behavior such as: being quiet, teamwork, helping others, winning challenges, etc.  However, the teams were also able to lose points.  They could lose points for not wearing their team wristbands, fighting, being disruptive, etc.

Each morning was started with prayer, praise and worship, and a sermon.  The children sang songs in Amharic and also English.  The children really got into the worship with clapping and raising their hands in worship to God.  The praise and worship was followed by a sermon.  On Tuesday, twenty-eight children went forward to give their lives completely to Christ.  What an amazing way to start our semester break program!  The children were also very receptive to the preaching and they asked questions and lead good discussion about what they learned.

Team challenges were done throughout the day to build excitement for the overall team challenge and to build team rapport.  The teams were given assignments that they had to perform and points were given out to the winners.  The hardest challenge that the teams had to perform really taught the children what it meant to work as a team and it taught them problem-solving skills as well.  In this challenge, two adults held a jump rope chest high and the children had to get all of their team members, plus their assigned social worker, over the jump rope in the shortest amount of time possible.  There were many different strategies used to complete this challenge.

Some teams decided to just throw over their smallest team members, others decided to run and jump over the jump rope, others decided to use each other as human steps and walk over the rope.  Even though their were many ways to accomplish this task, each team ending up finishing the challenge and they were very excited that they were able to accomplish this.  When the challenge was first assigned some of the children thought it was impossible and some of the children were scared to go over the rope because it was so high.  But each child learned that even though you think something is impossible or even though you are scared, as long as you work together as a team-you can accomplish your goals.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the children were separated into boys and girls and the social workers led discussions that were entitled “Life Skills Training”.  There were a variety of topics in these discussions and the social workers allowed the children to ask as many questions as they wanted.  The boys talked about what it meant to be a responsible man and the changes that their bodies are going through.  The girls also talked about the changes in their bodies and also how important it is to stick to your goals and not to get distracted by having boyfriends at such young ages.  Their was a lot of good discussion in these groups and the children enjoyed being able to talk freely and openly.

On Thursday the children went on a field trip to Kiriftu Lake in Debre Zeit.  The children were very excited about this field trip and it sure showed in their grand entrance.  Without being asked, two teams decided that they wanted to dress in their team colors for the last day of the team competitions.  Of course these two teams earned extra points for their dedication to their teams!  Also, the children ran down a big hill that leads to the lake chanting their team chants.  What a way to start the day!

The children did many more games and activities “field-day” style.  There were human pyramids, piggyback races, and other similar games.  Then the children got to go on a hike around Kiriftu Lake.  The children definitely loved this part of the day.  They stuck with their teams and sang songs while hiking the trails.  What a way to praise and worship-by singing songs to God while walking through His beautiful creation!

The day ended with the awards ceremony.  Prizes were given out to the team captains, the mvps of each team, and of course to the winning team.  And the winning team was. . . .David!  Each team member received gifts which included personal hygiene products and art supplies.  The missionaries gave a small gift to every child that attended the program because every child was on his/her best behavior and every child participated well and tried really hard in all of the team challenges.

The semester break program was a great way to allow the children to have fun and to take a break from school.  It was also a great way for the missionaries to be able to spend time with the children in a social setting and to be able to get to know them better.  Also, some of the children didn’t know each other that well before the three day program but because of the team challenges, they have made new friends. 

The semester break program was a huge success and the missionaries are looking forward to the next opportunity to minister to the children in a similar way!