Day 11

The Empowering Lives team called the day “Give a Child a Chance.” Beatrice loved that name!

The past two months had been a busy time of planning. Not only had Beatrice overseen making the event announcements and distributing them at school and the local village homes, but she also shared about it with several local churches and Sunday schools.

She gathered a group of her new friends to help prepare the school field, clearing it of sticks and large rocks and filling up any holes so nobody would get hurt while playing games. Beatrice also worked very closely with the ELI team planning the crafts and games and creating a fun skit to present to the crowd.

When the special Saturday arrived, the team was excited to welcome the children. At first only around 45 kids showed up. But within the hour, they counted over 340! What a turnout!

Beatrice led the games for each group as they came through. “Duck, Duck, Goose” proved to be a favorite. After a wonderful skit and Bible lesson, Beatrice was honored to lead a small group of kids her own age to discuss what they had learned. She invited many kids to Sunday school, and the following day there were 13 new children—in her church alone!

It was such an exciting weekend! After the day was over, Beatrice couldn’t wait to plan the next one.

• Why would the name for the event be "Give a Child a Chance"?

• School-wide events are not common in East Africa...why do you think everyone was excited for the day?

• Can you imagine being able to conduct Bible lessons in a public school?

• What do you think the day did in Beatrice's heart, and the eyes of her classmates?