The end of Awana

I worked in the Puggles room of our church's Awana program this year. It was my first time working with Awana, which is a nation-wide Christian program for children and youth. Puggles are the youngest class, mainly the three-year-old children of other Awana workers. Tonight is the last night. I'll be glad to have my Wednesday nights back, but I know I'll miss the weekly antics of these kids.
Some of the highlights:

* Calling God. A few of the girls like to "call God" on the phone (which is usually a wooden block). They run around the room telling him of whatever make-believe situation is going on at the time. It's very sweet to see the fruits of parents and church workers nurturing their children to understand that we can talk to God anytime, so much that they would incorporate it into their play.

* Potty time. Most of the kids in Puggles are potty-trained. I had my first experience of taking a little boy who was in the throes of potty training to the bathroom. He took me step by step through the entire experience. I'll spare you the details.

* Fighting/drama. Most of the Puggles are girls. One week, they'll get along famously. The next, they'll be at each other's throats - hitting, pushing, screaming, the whole bit. "I AM THE MOMMY!" "NO! I'M THE MOMMY" "I'M CINDERELLA!" etc.. .. stealing the coveted baby stroller from one another, it goes on ... It's like a toddler Jerry Springer.

* Story time. The kids listen to a lesson at the end of the session. For all of their craziness, they are usually very sweet during this time. The lessons often revolve around a simple message, such as "God created families" or "God loves you when you're scared." We ask the kids one by one to answer easy questions about the lesson. Their answers never fail to crack us up. For instance, "When are you scared?" elicited many answers about Moms and Dads.

I'm taking off next year with the new baby on the way, but I think I'll definitely come back as an Awana worker in fall 2010. Elliott will be old enough to go to Puggles and Will can go to the nursery or stay home with Tim. I would like to work with one of the older classes so I can experience what Elliott and William will be involved in as they grow up in the church. Tim grew up attending Awana and his Dad was an Awana leader for years. I'm looking forward to it being a part of our family's lives, too.