Truth and Training Thursday

It's Thursday which means it's another Awana Thursday.  This was the last Awana meeting before the holiday break so everyone can concentrate on Christmas.  Awana won't start back up until January 4th.

One thing we really enjoy every year is the Christmas decorations in the chapel each Advent/Christmas season.    We're always drawn both to the Advent candle (which are soooo much bigger than ours at home) and the Nativity scene.   The Nativity scene will not have the Baby Jesus in it til Christmas.

Alyssa greeting her students as they arrive to the chapel.

Ashleigh waiting for her instructor to show up.

The Chapel filling up.

Tonight was "Happy Birthday Jesus" day.  Sparks stayed in the chapel today in order to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" that was being projected on the wall, so Ashleigh's group had to head to the classrooms where the Sparks usually meet to do their verses.

While parents were invited to stay, I had Garrett with me today so we opted to wait outside the classroom while Ashleigh recited her verses.    But we could see her through the window from where we were standing :)  Here she is actually reciting her verses.

For tonight, Ashleigh worked on 2 Thessalonians 2:15

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.   -- 2 Thessalonians 2:1

Continuing with the books of the Bible, Ashleigh recited the next 6 books of the Bible (I know she's ready to recite all of them at one time.. lol) 

1 Thessalonians     2 Thessalonians       1 Timothy      2 Timothy     Titus      Philemon

She also had to recite her review verse from last week:

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord,  and as many were appointed to eternal life believed. 

And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.   --  Acts 13:  48-49

We had hoped to work on two sections this week, but she just wasn't feeling up to the larger verse from Revelations that would have been the memory work.   She'll have two weeks to work on it and complete the section.

The Truth and Training groups went to the Awana Store tonight after they recited verses.  Since Ashleigh wanted to pick up a few present for Garrett, Garrett and I went back to the chapel where we watched the video with the Sparks and then caught a bit of their lesson.

The leader of the Sparks is Miss Janet, and let me tell ya, she is absolutely amazing with the kids.  She has a way to really draw the kids into her lesson in ways I wish I could.  Today's lesson was about the birth of Jesus and how Jesus was not the King that people were expecting but instead, he was exactly what everyone needed.

We then headed to the Annex to meet back up with Ashleigh, who was back from the Awana store.  We caught her with a group of friends checking out a video and seeing what everyone picked up with their Awana bucks.

While she indeed spent a bit of her Awana dollars to buy a few gifts for her brother, she purchased a few things for herself as well.  First was this webkins clydesdale, which happens to be a stuffed toy she was really wanting for Christmas.

She was also able to get herself this Nerf gun with her Golden Awana dollar.

Without a doubt, the ending of the evening was the best, as Jerry brought out his guitar and lead the kids through singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "What Child is This".. As this was not a practiced performance, but just something to pass time, I was completely taken aback but just how wonderful they sounded.  I had to record them :)


Finally, I loved the backdrop that the stained glass and the Christmas trees in the chapel provided and couldn't help but take a couple of very quick snapshots of the kids with them.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and remember the reason for the season.  While Awana is on hiatus for the next 2 weeks, we'll still be working on scriptures during our Advent time.