the hannah study

every monday night this summer, i am leading 5 girls in a bible study on the woman of Hannah in the Bible.

i knew God told me to do it.
it was confirmed in the responses by the girls AND their mom's when i asked each of them about it.

but i didn't know how it would go. 10-11 year old girls are new to me :-) but i jumped in, prayed and prepared and it's been SUCH a blessing!

i did it for them. but it's also been such a bright spot for ME in my days!

i worried about them not talking and just staring at me (and, we all know that i am NOT a huge talker...so what would i do?!?). i worried about them not being "into" the study/making fun of it/not staying on track.

NONE of those things has happened.

they talk. they laugh. they are silly...but then get back on track. they love each other. they are respectful of me. they are AMAZING, beautiful girls! 

we meet at 6:30 (this is the HARDEST part of the whole thing - i make dinner early. feed the other 5 kids and teach them the country we are eating dinner from. clean up. get them ready for bed/baths/pjs. and get them set up in the basement until pat gets home. he's done a GREAT job getting home pretty soon after that...but sometimes it's close to an hour later! and then REsetting the table for another whole meal!)

the girls and i eat together. i read the book, A Place at the Table, during lent and really enjoyed it. at the end of each day (it's a 40 day thing) it highlights a specific child that lives in a country and shares a little about them...what their day looks like...including what they typically eat. i have used that to come up with meals for each monday night. we find the country on the globe, read about that child, and pray before we eat that meal. we've eaten a LOT of rice! :-)

last night was our 5th meeting. i asked them what countries we've eaten dinners from. they listed them. in order. right away. they are engaged! i was amazed!!

after we eat, we gather to do the study. rebekah and i make a fun, YUMMY dessert on monday afternoons for us to enjoy. she loves coming up with what we are going to have. and it's fun to cook together!

this is the book we are going through. i would HIGHLY recommend it! it REALLY teaches girls how to STUDY the Bible...find scripture. read it over and over. think through it, pray through it, and apply it to their lives. i'm sure learning a lot!!

this has been a sacrifice. it hasn't been easy. it's always a sacrifice for the other kids when you do something one on one with one child. making the dessert together with rebekah (which is a SWEET time for the 2 of us!)...and doing the study and making the other kids go to the basement is a sacrifice for the younger 5. but they have handled it all well! gearing up for the study on monday night when i'm normally gearing down after a full day is a sacrifice...but God ALWAYS provides!

i can SEE the girls learning...i can see their eyes and hearts being opened. pray with me for them...that the excitement they have to study His Word right now would continue their WHOLE LIVES!