Now the hard work begins. The book is written, but for me that is the easy bit. Its the discipline and the dedication to see the project through.
I was thinking out loud, with one of my nearest and dearest Elaine today over email, about where too from here and her email reply to me was so gold, that I thought I would share it with you…
So on the train this evening as I travel to visit my family, for family night I will be answering these questions myself.
Thanks elaine, for your inspiration. You are amazing.
Is what you are writing new revelation needed to be shared?
Has God put the message inside you to express for others? Are they asking for it?
If you only had limited time in your life left would you still write that book?
Are you in an inspired writing space where stuff is flowing?
So here is the tough answers that need to be contemplated.
If you are procrastinating on a project, how about answering these questions yourself.
Well it is day fourof the creative arts camp and the team are doing the most fabulous job. They are such a great team together. Let me introduce them to you, whilst Nate does a hip hop demonstration in the background and venetia does fire twirlling. The kids are enthralled, the slum is alive and the kids school holidays have never been this adventurous.
Tobi- Tobi is the most amazing school teacher back home and has done so much fundraising and resource collecting for this trip and the community centre couldnt be happier. She is keeping two classrooms of pre-primary aged children enthralled and the enrollments are escallating every day because of the amazing programs she is running. Anj the centre manager, our direct report is so impressed with her and how the children are responding despite the language barrier.
Trevor- Collected funds to buy cameras to teach the photography course and the kids absolutely love his quiet, faithfulness. In a country when older men are very violent, to have a gentle giant in the midst is so beautiful for the children. The photography course went to the crocidile farm today and you should have seen the kids faces as they got in the car to go out on an excursion out of the slum. They put their best clothes on and got to keep the cameras they used today.
Kym- her skills are so valued here. We did a cooking school on sunday and she has rebranded their logo as it is a microenterprise in the slum and lonely planet is coming to review them next week. She has also spread herself between the photography course and the spray painting class. The tag they did accross the wall of the community centre yesterday is so gold. To see these kids draw in their books and relate to Kym through art is breathtaking.
Simone- has been leading worship each morning and is preparing tomorrow to lead us all in comunion. To start the day with such a presence of God is so peaceful. She has been couragously leading the hip hop classes, and the boys in this class are a handful So in the arvos when the weather is too hot she is taking these kids and teaching them other skills like drawing, sewing and today walked them out of the slum to a pottery place to paint little statues. Very cute! she is amazing.
Venetia- is such a soldier and has been working so hard in the area of candle making and also every afternoon she gathers a group and teaches them poi, she had sewed these amazing flags together and she is fire twirliling tonight and the kids adore her. Her quiet spirit and soft heart is so inspiring.
Carole- is the most beautiful mum, who has the kids eating out of her hands. She is leading the screen printing and the screen printing that the kids have done are amazing. They made pillow cases yesterday and today libary bags, tomorrow they will be painting tshirts. Which in a time where we are finding a lot of kids without much in the way of clothing is so gold.
Nate- is such a champion and has become a local legend with his spray painting skills and also his breaking moves. He has hip hop booming through the slum right now and has the kids grooving and teaching them b boy tricks. Kid drama, is his street name and the kids adore him. Tomorrow his spray class are tagging shoes, that the boys can keep, and I swear I have seen more kids wearing their hats backward in the streets as we walk the slum since he has arrived.
Family who are missing their loved ones, I get the prievelge of hanging with them.
Sorry bout the spelling the computer is crazy, but so wanted to brag on my team.
Today the hip hop crew are catching the skytrain into town to beat it with the big boys of Bangkok. Watching the kids from the slum trying on all these outfits that Nate had brought over and running around with their pants falling down because they are so big was a memory I will never forget. Hats on backwards, shirts to their knees, the excitement of leaving the slum and going to siam square is palpable.
Then the graff kids finished off their tags and their shoes today, watching boon, who has literally worn the same clothes everyday that we have been here running about in these sprayed shoes with a shout out to khlong toey graffitid on the side of them was to die for…
The candle makers have perfected the art of candle making and have packaged them up ready to sell at the concert tomorrow night. Some of the team have promised to auction some of the candles so the kids can take some money home.
The photography dudes went to a real photo studio yesterday and took some shots and have recieved all the shots and get to keep a camera each. Watching them with their cameras is so inspiring.
Music, preprimary and screen printing are all so practical as well. Every kid is taking home something.
Last night we wrapped around 300 presents to give out at tomorrow nights concert, from new clothes to stickers, baby blankets to whistles. The luck dip for all the children from the slum will be wild.
Last night we also sat with the three teams that are working in the slum at the moment, we havent really seen the other two teams one from South Perth Church of Christ and the other from Submerge in Melbourne because the slum is so big and the need is so great. So to come together as a whole crew and sing praise and worship and then share stories from the two weeks was very beautiful.
Many of our team cried as they shared the highpoints and the low points of the trip so far.
We are coming to the end of the business side to our trip, and the team are stuffed but elated at the same time. To stay in the slum and work with the same kids each day, everyday we are here is a complete privelege.
To everyone who gave and sacrficed so we could come so equipped to leave as legacy here thankyou. Every tim tam, jar of vegimite, texta, shoe, tshirt, gift has been welcomely recieved. Everything has been used to the maximum and the team have been unbelievably generous with their time and talents.
These two weeks will not be easily forgotten, neither will the looks on the kids faces as they do something that only the privelged kids outside of the slum get access to, like art, music, dance, photography, graffitti and more.
