Sharing our Hearts for Longlac: July 24, 2008

Another day of blue sky and sunshine..…PRAISE THE LORD!! It’s so perfect for today we’re going to Pamela Lake with the kids for an afternoon swim and BBQ hot dogs. Everyone was to meet at the clinic and head out together. Nadine and Shirley hopped on the yellow school bus with the kids and the staff while the rest of us went in a van. Around 10 mins. onto the highway, the school bus broke down on the side of the road. As we’re waiting for another school bus to come pick us up, we could feel it’s getting hotter. Thank God the new bus didn’t take too long and the children were very patient and behaved while waiting. We’re grateful we could experience even the “little grace” from above.

When we got to the lake, everyone was ready to dive into the cool and refreshing water. It’s so nice to see the kids playing freely with Taketo in the water, jumping on him and riding on his shoulders. Nadine and Ada accompanied the less “rowdy” bunch in the deeper end while Dom and Helen interacted with the younger ones by the shore. Even Andrew and Daniel were having fun playing with the other kids with a water gun and burying each other in sand up to their neck. Shirley spent most of her time talking with P and got to know her a little more. Overall it’s a great afternoon of spending time with the kids and the staff while enjoying God’s wonderful nature.

Later on in the afternoon, we (Ada, Helen, Nadine, Shirley) participated at the Ladies’ Cooking/Cultural Exchange which was held at the clinic. Our hope was to connect with the ladies and girls in the community through teaching them how to make Chinese dumplings and fried rice. The whole team had helped make all the preparations in the morning and the day before. One challenge was that we couldn’t find any proper dumpling wrappers in town so we had to use spring roll wrappers (cut them in four) instead. Thank God for helping us in getting everything ready with creativity and teamwork! After we showed them how to wrap the dumplings a few times, everyone was encouraged to try. Conversations were flowing freely while we were making dumplings together. They did a great job of making over 150 dumplings! Shirley also gave a demo on how to make Chinese fried rice. A few of the ladies crammed into the kitchen to watch every step. After everything was cooked, a nice feast of what we had laboured tasted exceptionally good =) Just when we thought we were all fed and done. P in turn showed us how to cook one of their traditional dishes, moose stew and fried bannock. It’s my first time trying it. It tasted like lamb and Chinese fried donuts…..actually quite yummy! You’ve got to try it someday!! When P was cooking, the four of us were helping her and chatting with her. She gradually felt more comfortable and began to share with us more of her personal struggles and concerns. At the end we even had an opportunity to hold her hands and pray for her right there in the kitchen! It’s amazing! May God continue to work in the lives of the people in this reserve.

Posted by Helen

Kids came in packs