Bouncing Around Asia in 2012!

Dear friends,
           It has been a long time since I have written. There are a few reasons. The main one is that I was cautioned that I could compromise my ministry if I said too much in my blog. But after thinking a lot about this, I think it is more costly to not keep my friends up to date on what is happening and where I have been. So many are curious and asking, so I will at least summarize the last 6 months.
         Another reason I haven't written is that I have been BUSY! Here are the highlights since April...

         * I attended the gcmEQUIP conference in Chaing Mai Thailand. (gcm= global children's ministry) at the end of May. I helped with registration, hospitality, and taught a sample lesson of our curriculum to several leaders from approximately 6 countries during our post conference.


Here is the group that attended the 1for50 retreat after the gcm EQUIP confernece. 65 from 40 countries! What a wonderful group to pray with! It sounded like Pentecost! I'm sure it made the Lord smile.




We had a reception at the end of the gcmEquip conference with international clothing. Here are some of my new friends!

Here I am with Kathleen Chapman who was a plenary speaker at the conference. She is a fun person I really connected with. Her book, "Teaching Kids Authentic Worship," is excellent. I taught some principles from it when I was in Asia and SE Asia this fall. I have also used her ideas to teach kids about worship twice and it has been powerful. It is a must read for serious disciplers of kids.

We had a field trip to an elephant park at the beginning of the 1for50 retreat. My first elephant ride. I decided that day that riding an elephant should be on my bucket list and I also checked it off! I am riding the elephant with a key children's ministry leader from Ethiopia.

            * In August our oldest daughter, Laura, married Kagiso Phaladi from Botswana. Laura met Kagi in the UK where he is studying Pharmacy. They were doing ministry outreach when they met. He will be done with school in May. The wedding was August 18th near Niagara Falls, Ontario.


Niagara Falls on the Canadian side (rt) and the Niagara River in the background on the left.

Botswana engagement outfits, reheasal, wedding and the happy couple!

Father/daughter dance- so sweet!

Jesse was able to come for less than a day to be with us from his base in CA.

The Electric Slide, African version! So very fun to watch!

3 generations!

Laura made her own wedding cakes- Reeces Peanut Butter and White Almond. Yummmm!



Our new family including my new boy!

 

                * In late September I went to East Asia for 2 weeks for my 3rd visit there. We did 2 trainings of about 80 people. All were extremely pleased with the training. One woman said she had been through several other trainings and this one was very practical and spiritually uplifting to her. I was able to visit a Sunday school class the day after training #2 and watch our student use the things we had taught her to share the Gospel with her class of 5 years olds for the first time. She did an amazing job! It was so exciting to see our training put to practice in a real setting! And the kids loved it!



This nail demo is a favorite. On our way to the airport I put the nails in my carry-on luggage- not thinking- but since we were in a hurry, I can understand why it happened. Anyway, I was pulled to the security counter with Wendy to 'discuss' these nails and why I had them. Wendy explained in Chinese that they are part of our performance. They asked to see our 'performance' and were delighted with it! They clapped, gave back the nails, and sent us on our way!



Wendy likes taking pictures of me eating. The food was so good everywhere we went!



Slippers are the footwear of choice in this training. Mine happened to look like pigs. (-:




 Translators are a necessity for us when we train. They work very hard. I am slowly getting better at remembering to go slower for the translator. 



 A restaurant with a specialty in soup cooked outside in this big pot.



Creative sheep with ears made out of towels!



A new structure at the Olympic Park.



How it looks up closer...



And closer...



 And right up close you can see an intricate pattern on each circle of light.



 The Bird's Nest at night.



The Swimming Cube at night. 



The Olympic Torch. Very beautifu.



 This man was so touched my the training that he was making plans to integrate what he learned into his school.



 Rose tea- so good, along with fantastic hospitality.
 

 * And then home for 2 weeks before heading to SE Asia for a 3 week, 4 training trip. Three of us went to 4 different cities from late Oct. to mid Nov. #1 was to speak at a conference. I taught 3 workshops, and my teeammates taught 5 others and each of them were plenary speakers as well. There were 180 at the conference and we were invited back to do more training.

#2 was a training of 90. Most were in positions of leadership with children and represented 52 entities. We had a university Christian Education professor, many gov't Christian Ed teachers, directors of Compassion Int'l projects, orphanage personnel, full-time Christian kindergarten teachers, pastors and some Sunday school teachers. They were a very fun and active group of students. Lots of laughter and some tears.   



Here I am teaching about application. You can be taught things, but if you don't apply what you have learned, it won't become part of your life. This is where a child either becomes a disciple or not. "Present. Discuss. Apply." It is a montra I teach during training. By the time we are done, I tell them my goal is for them to say it in their sleep!



My trusty chicken is a crowd pleaser. It announces the end of games or of tea break. 



These puzzle pieces have been assembled after each attendee wrote the gifts they have to apply to children's ministry.
As a Body, all the bases are covered. This was very encouraging.



Training #3 was 2 flights away in another city. We had 25 students mostly from one church. What a wonderful group there! We fell in love with these students. We had never seen any group so ready to jump into the outreach part of the lesson! They were already doing outreach and were figuring out ways to do it even better. On the Sunday, in the middle of our teaching days, Kimberle and Sheryl went to an inter-city outreach location and shared a Bible story, and I taught Sunday school for the church hosting us- 70 children ages 1-17. I taught on worship. (Hint from Kathleen's book: Serve a salty snack and then teach about thirsting after God.) At the end of this training we had tears as we said good-bye. In 3 days we had developed deep attachments to each other.

The Sunday school class I taught.

My teammates enjoying a delicious fish dinner including coconut milk and avacado drinks.

Here I am teaching my apply lesson by telling a story about a boy and a plane.



Here we are hot but rejoicing in a great training.

Praying a blessing over the participants as they go forth to apply what they have learned in discipling children.

#4 was another plane ride away. Kimberle went home while Sheryl and I went on. We were with 25 very interactive students. Half or more were like training #2, ministry leaders who worked for various organizations. One Hope, Compassion,
Postbox, orphanage workers, Pesat, pastors and Sunday school teachers. They LOVED the games and how practical everything was. Again lots of laughter and some tears. They lined up to invite us to their ministries to train their people. So we had a discussion about long term plans and their need to eventually have their own trainers. They all agreed to assemble a group of 20 of their best trainers from all the ministries and we would begin training those 20 next year. Whether I am involved in that training is up in the air. If I could be helpful and it fits my schedule, maybe I will get to go back. I learned a great deal from Sheryl and Kimberle on this trip.



As hard as we tried, we could NOT get that ball out of the window!

Look good? Found at your friendly HyperMart store!

Now that training was over, Sheryl began to relax. Now THAT is scary!



And I am eating jelly fish much to the delight of our hosts! And this was just before we ate durion!
A great way to end our time in this beautiful country!

 

I am home now and Greg is in Zimbabwa with Laura. Greg has just come from Ghana and has some amazing stories to share when he gets home. If you have made it through all this, I salute you and thank you!

Thank you especially for your prayers. There were a few times when I was gone and the Holy Spirit talked for a little while. At those times I really felt your prayers! You have a huge part in training the 325 we worked with in SE Asia. AND the other 80+ we trained in Asia.

Until all the children have a chance to know Him,

Nancy

P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to email. nancyfritz@aol.com







Nancy's SE Asia Trip Report

Dear friends,                                                                                                             April 14, 2012

            A few weeks have passed since I arrived home from my 3 week trip to S.E. Asia. My life is getting back to normal, and now I’d like to let you know how it went…

We went, we taught, & saw God do amazing things!

The view out our kitchen window right before I left.

           I arrived in the capital of this SE Asian country and was met at the airport by my new Asian family. I had met one of their sons at a class Greg taught here in WA in January! This son, Miki, heard me mention my trip, and told me he had family living near the J. airport, and now they are my family too! I LOVE Kiki, Merry and Mika! How gracious and generous they were to take care of me. They invited Sunday School teacher friends over and I got to do an abbreviated lesson for them. Here are my new 14 best friends watching me eat black pepper beef. It was very good. This group wants to host a training for their network in the capital. We shall see! BTW (by the way), the fruits they treated me to were amazing! Mangosteen, rombuton, etc., but I somehow avoided tasting durian on this trip. They can’t believe I have never eaten it! 

My new extended family! I love these people!

The 14 teachers I met with impromtu.

Wendy-Poppins was right on time!

            I went to the first city and got started with the first training. 37 students greeted me and all went as planned. I did fine on my own until Wendy arrived at lunch time. Thanks for praying! Our students in the 1^st location were fun and musical and a little crazy! If we even mentioned something that they could think of a song to, they would pop up and start singing! They were eager and absorbed everything! It was a joy to teach them!

            The host pastor has embraced the 1 for 50 vision for this region of the country. He has already assembled a team of 3 to begin training others so that there will be at least 1 trained children’s worker for every 50 children. They figured out that they need to train 20,000 children’s workers. 59 received certificates at our training including the host pastor  who is pictured with Wendy and me below receiving his. 

        John (above left) was our translator. He was excellent. He was grateful for your prayers. Translators work hard! It was extremely HOT! As the oscillating fan moved while I taught, so did I! While Wendy and I took turns teaching, John had to keep going the entire time. Here is one of my fun students-Darwin. I am wearing a gift from our hosts. This fabric is made by their people group. Wendy and I had to dance for it during church, however!

        Why Wendy "Poppins?" I will start by saying that Wendy was the best roommate EVER! We got along great. She is an excellent teacher and fellow teammate. We hope we get to train together again someday. Well, all I had to do was to mention something I wish I had brought, and out of her bag it would come! Not to mention training supplies like 15 lbs. of candy, several hundred pipe cleaners, a box of 100 markers, etc. She grew up in Hong Kong before moving to NYC. So add to Wendy’s “Poppins-esque” persona, Chinese remedies (in her suitcase!), Chinese wisdom and her accent that sometimes confused John- like “sneakers” sounding like “Snickers!” Priceless! Wendy and I became a mosquito hunting team extraordinaire and had LOTS of fun together! When we shared a room, she was happy for me to be there since the mosquitos and other bugs considered me the "other white meat" and left her alone!

           Below is one of our lessons on the heart of a teacher. And below is me eating my first frog. And yes, it tastes like chicken! First, the challenge-then not so sure- Hmmm-Conquered! Our fun & amazing 1^st training done.

 

#2: 1 for 50 Leaders Vision Casting Event

               Kimberle and her daughter Jamie joined us on the 12^th as scheduled. Jamie, 16, didn’t feel well when they arrived, and Wendy and I took turns staying up with her during the night so Kimberle could sleep. Most of the upcoming meetings were on Kimberle’s shoulders and we wanted her to get her sleep. It was a long night for Jamie! Kimberle got word from home during the night that a strep test sent away to the lab for Jamie, was positive after all. The rapid office test had been negative. They had brought the medicine just in case. She began taking it and recovered over the next few days. She only missed one day.

Jamie feeling better

A Miracle!

          One week before this event, our hosts had only 7 people signed up to come. They wondered if they should cancel it but didn’t know how to do that. So they trusted the Lord & you all prayed…94 SHOWED UP! See the room full in the top picture? They represented scores of ministries and Christian non-profits in that country. This photo is of us with our hosts. These ladies worked tirelessly! They made name tags, certificates, fed everyone lunches and snacks, and collected and distributed everyone’s information for networking afterward. They were fun and took great care of us as well. They are in a key position to be servant leaders for their country’s 1 for 50.

            Above is me sharing my pet sheep with the participants. Oh horrors! One was missing! (Don’t worry- they found him!) I also had fun telling the turnip story and they made me participate in a dance contest to a children’s worship song. I think they perceived me as being funny or something! Go figure! Femmy was our translator this time and was excellent! She was terrified but did a sensational job.

Highlights and Praises!

An activity to help everyone understand teamwork and networking.

Participants collecting each other's resources and contact information.

            The goals were to see the Lord awaken these leaders to the cause/dream of reaching & discipling the children of their nation. That is what 1 for 50 is all about. We talk about various aspects of getting that job done. Each ministry represented at the meeting brought its own strengths and weaknesses to the task. They considered how they could work together sharing resources. They wrote these on pieces of paper which they posted around the room. Then they went around the room and gathered each other’s information. They became more and more excited as they realized this could really happen! It was happening! They prayed, played and connected with each other. They committed to share the 1 for 50 vision with others. Our dream became a reality. Thank you for praying for this event! This was HUGE! Kidzana was invited back to do trainings for many networks. One big one is already scheduled for the end of Oct. I may be going back! Please pray that the Lord works out the details if I should go.

            The man above became blind in an accident at age 25, and shared his testimony and ministry with us. He has started a home/school for blind children. So touching and inspirational! And you were there with me!

 Training #3

            We flew to our 3^rd training location on the 15^th, and by that time, I felt strep starting. I began taking antibiotics and slept all the next day. Because there were 3 of us to train, Wendy was able to take over for me. Wendy and Kimberle also took antibiotics for strep but weren’t laid up from it. God was good. We also didn’t get sick from mosquito bites, although we got quite a few.

           

        This group was from many areas including a worker from another country who plans to take the 1 for 50 vision back to that country- and so it spreads. We enjoyed also meeting 2 men from the Book of Hope ministry. One is the country leader. So much personality! Others were groups of Sunday School teachers from all over that region.

          One thing we do while teaching methods of sharing the Gospel is to use a piñata. One funny thing that happened at this training was that this lady thought this bush was the piñata and beat the leaves right off of it!

           

            This time our translator was Mega. The electricity went on and off during our days there, and the A/C along with it. She was a trooper. She had to go all day and did a great job.

Last but not least…

            We took 2 flights, then drove for 5 hours in this vehicle. Let’s just say that we were pretty far out in rural area after driving on lots of windy roads and a stop at the equator on the way! (See the picture on the left)  When we got there we were greeted by 120 eager students. They were S.S. teachers from 10 different parts of that region.

           

              Again, these people were delightful! -beautiful, kind, funny and eager to learn. We used games to illustrate the principles we were teaching, and they were ALWAYS a hit! The people of this country LOVE games! By doing so we also taught them some new games to use in their ministries.

           

          I enjoy teaching a lesson on how to use object lessons. I give them many examples and we all laughed pretty hard when instead of talking into the microphone, I started to talk into a flashlight! As part of another object lesson, I took a bite out of an apple before trying to give it to Jamie. That time she wouldn’t take it like I needed her to, and I didn’t know why. She whispered to me that it hadn’t been washed, right after I took a bite of it! I could just imagine the amoebas entering my body, and almost choked. All of this in front of 120 students! We laughed so hard we cried! Our students thought it was funny too!

           

          This group of 3 & their mentor/head teacher, took the object lesson challenge and made these object lessons to give to us, making a copy for themselves too. So well done! Here I am holding microphones up to my computer speakers so we could show a video with sound.

           

             We drove back to the airport, and 5 flights, and 40+ hours later, I was back home as scheduled. I have enjoyed sharing the experience with you. I asked you to come with me in prayer, and I believe you did! God did amazing things! We trained over 300 people who will now be training children and other teachers. I hope this gives you at least some idea of what the trip was like. Without you, I could not have gone and been part of this amazing ministry. My trip to Thailand for the Global Children’s Ministry -GCM Equip conference (globalchildrensministry.org) is at the end of May. I need to go to help do networking for Kidzana and 1 for 50. A conversation at a similar conference last year opened the door to the country I just returned from. Relationships are the key. I am a relationship person. Again the shoe fits me & I feel like the Lord wants me to put it on. Want to go to Thailand with me, too?

           

                                                                        Until all the children of all nations know Him!                       

                                                       

                                                                Nancy Fritz