KFC

We ran into Terry Reeves at the airport and in a matter of minuets we had made a rough plan to take the Sunday School Class from the church in Mololoa to KFC.
This was no small undertaking. I called Jen and she started working on getting permission slips for the kiddos and Diane and I went to make sure that KFC was available for a group of about 70 kids and a very large group of North Americans.
The next morning dawned bright and clear and I was more than a little nervous about bringing 70 children on a bus to a restaurant with only a small time to prepare. As anyone who works with children knows you feel an awesome responsibility to care for and protect these small ones.

We gathered at the church and sang a few songs, we then sent out the eldest child from each family with the permission slips. We divided the children into groups of about 10 and tied red ribbons on their wrist for easy identification. We had to walk them to the bus as there was no place for the bus to turn around. We had a plan and as usual it was a wash, literally, the sky opened up and the rains poured down and thunder shook the building .
It finally began to let up but the place was a muddy mucky mess. We had a small change in plans and used the truck to ferry the children to the bus. It was a bit messy but it all went remarkably well and we were only a mere six minuets behind out target time.

After the bus was loaded you could feel the excitement in the air. Our kids in their ragged clothes, splattered in mud, some with no shoes, were grinning ear to ear and barely able to sit in their seats. They were standing up and down, looking out the windows and pretty much jumping out of their skin. This called for a little distraction and what better form than a few songs.
As our bus bumped and splashed along the kids sang their little hearts out. We sang songs of praise and joy all the way to KFC.
When we pulled up I was a little worried about a mass exodus. But with Jen at the helm we calmly walked into the restaurant and then the kids did what kids will do

Run
Climbed
Jumped
Screamed
And just had Fun.

How cool it was to see these little dirty kids who so often get over looked or treated as second class citizens treated like royalty. The group that was here was awesome with my kiddos. They became as children, they did not care that they did not have nice clothes, they did not care that they had matted hair, they did not care that they really did not have any idea how to “behave” in a restaurant, they did not care that they had no shoes and muddy little feet. They just played.

I loved watching these little ones that I have come to love over the last few years have a chance to be totally spoiled. Okay I admit I was a little worried but Ken and Diane had door duty and everything ran smooth. We did not lose a one.
The bathrooms with running water, soap and the driers were a big hit. I think some kids spent more time in there than on the play ground.

When dinner was served the kids all set at a table with a new friend and ate and ate and ate. It seemed as if the food would never end. Mountains of chicken and French fries and biscuits, unlimited refills of soda and as much ketchup as they could eat. One little boy ask if he could take his bones home. Jen thought they were for his dog. But he said no they were to play with. He was taking home chicken bones to play with as a toy. Here he is with his "toys" on the chair with him.

It was so cool seeing them eat until they could not hold another bite and still have some left to take home. Kind of reminds me of the whole loaves and fishes story.

It was time to leave. All the kiddos were still really pumped up but now their little bellies were full. They had been given a very special day that they are still talking about. They all gathered to go and decided to give what they had to their new friends. They did not have gifts to give other than their hugs and thanks and a few songs. But what they had was given freely and with an honest appreciation for the special time.

We loaded back up on the bus. It was a much quieter ride home. In fact more than a few little ones fell asleep on the ride. Just worn out.

When they got home we had to slop in the mud and slipped and slid our way to the church. The moms that met us there were bombarded with tales of giant slides, big balls and tons of chicken. Poor little Alex actually got sick at his stomach from overeating, but the whole time he was sick he kept telling his mom how big the pieces of chicken were and how good they tasted.

What a special day for some very special children. Thank you to everyone who made this day possible, it was so much more than a play ground and a plate of food. It was a chance to minister to some little ones who so often get overlooked in a world that tends to judge by appearances. Thank you for seeing the heart of these kids.