Assemblies

Our first official “mission trip” activity took place Tuesday morning after we got back from Swakop. We visited a couple of school assemblies to announce the VBS and skate competition. We only had a few minutes, so we planned to perform a quick skit that Paul taught us (“The house is on fire”), then give some details about the VBS, then ask a few easy trivia questions and give out some candy as prizes. Piece of cake.

The first assembly was early, and was at a school about 15 minutes away from the church. The principal’s disposition was a great combination of funny and stern – he made some very deadpan jokes during his introduction and announcements, and yet also carried the air of a disciplinarian. He seemed like someone you would like, but also wouldn’t want to mess with. Probably perfect for managing a bunch of 6- to 12-year-olds.

Brad and Heinrich (the South African skater guys) gave their spiel on the skate competition first, and then it was our turn. The skit went great – we remembered our parts, and the kids laughed as it got more and more ridiculous. Jeff’s acting skills were a fan favorite. Afterward, Lauren and Brianna gave some details about the VBS. Brianna transitioned into the trivia section, saying we had some questions for them and afterward they could come up and get some candy. Then the floodgates broke, and we nearly drowned in a sea of screaming children.

I want to point out that this was not Brianna’s fault at all. I was worried she’d blame herself at first, but she didn’t seem too down about it. It could have – and would have – happened to any of us. There were a few reasons:

• We hadn’t really discussed the details of what we would say or how we’d introduce that segment, so Brianna was forced to wing it. Not that she needed a script, but we just hadn’t addressed that part in any of our meetings or practices. So she started describing something about giving out candy without really knowing exactly how we’d do it, and the kids heard what they wanted to hear.
• Also, it’s reasonable to expect that you can say the word “candy” in front of a crowd without pandemonium breaking out.
• Also, it’s reasonable to expect kids to act crazy sometimes. That’s what they do. Their brains aren’t fully matured yet. Heck, adults with mature brains act crazy quite often, too. These things happen.

So they flooded in. They knocked over chairs, arms outstretched like sweet-hungry zombies, screaming and pressing closer. Brianna and Lauren both tried to calm things by telling them to go back to their seats, but the mic had lost its power to command attention; the kids were focused, I’ll give them that. Eventually, the principal got back up on stage, took the mic, and spoke some very commanding words (I believe in Afrikaans) telling them to return to their seats. And they did. He lectured them on their behavior in a classic “principal voice,”, and they were calmed and subdued back into normality. Paul then took the mic and went back over the details of the skate event and the VBS, reminding them why we were there, and then told the kids that they were lucky to have such amazing teachers at that school and asked them to compliment their teachers for the job they’re doing. It was a nice recovery, and it calmed some of the tension in the room.

Then the assembly ended and we left. We felt a little awkward.

At first, we thought we had screwed up – our first official thing, and we caused a riot! But we processed through it pretty quickly, and Paul was great at talking us through why it happened and highlighting what went well. He pointed out that the principal didn’t seem to be upset with us at all – in fact, he was just a little embarrassed at the way his kids behaved in front of visitors. It seemed that he usually ran a pretty tight ship. We were further encouraged when Pastor Volker (who was also there) talked to the principal and told us we were invited back two days later to speak at the older kids’ assembly. That was a relief.

It’s not like the kids were bad. A lot of them came to the VBS, and they were really awesome – some were wilder than others, but for the most part they were attentive and obedient, and seemed to grasp the things we shared with them. That day seemed to just be an aberration. The promise of candy does crazy things to children, I guess.

The other assembly that day was at All Nations Church – they have a school there, and were obviously a prime spot to advertise the VBS. That went much more smoothly. And the second assembly at the original school went fine as well. We got over the impact of the first experience pretty quickly – we had so many other events and encounters, all of them positive, that any worry or earthly fear about the first day was wiped out. Like Paul said immediately afterward – we’d be able to look back on it as a funny story of our team’s start to our ministry. And when I think of the mental freeze frame I have in my head, of standing on the edge of the stage as time slowed down, candy in hand, not sure if I should give more away or withhold it and face the stampeding horde…well, it was pretty funny.