By Courtney Prater, Missionary Intern to Myanmar
This picture was a skit called “Garcia”. The King (Adam…in the blue) and his people were at the castle when they had been robbed…..twice. The king ordered his people to search for the thief, whom they did not find until they were robbed a second time. They brought the thief back to the king as they were told. Once the King lifted the bag off the thief’s head…he was completely shocked to see his mother’s face. He knew that someone had to pay for the act of stealing. He traded places with his mother and let his people beat him to death. The skit represents God sending his only son to die on the cross for OUR sins. Rather than making us pay.
This is actually the second time I’ve seen this little play. When kids do this skit they really try to make a lot of it funny. When I was here in December, the remote village we visited had a Christmas Program and this was a very popular and funny skit. I laughed a little bit more this time because they were my students and I loved seeing their funny personalities. A lot of the boys are definitely “class clowns.” As a “teacher” maybe that should not amuse me, however it makes me feel more connected with them that I can laugh and understand their humor…even in the classroom. The show went very well. At first when I was setting up things…the kids were playing with everything that I set out (glasses, masks, scarves, necklaces….costumes) and I was trying to open all the cookies for them, and before I was done I had 14 hands grabbing and ripping apart the packages trying to help open them as well. It was VERY overwhelming for your me (I am kind of OCD about order), and I had to tell myself over and over to not freak out! I would never literally freak out…but it was making me anxious. I like things to be in order, but this was definitely a good exercise to calm me when I want things to be perfectly in line. Before the show I had 23 acts signed up…..by the end of the show we had around 45 acts/skits/singers/dancers/models. They kept signing up….and planning it right before the went on stage! Ha that would never happen in America…we have to plan..plan..plan. and practice over and over! ]]But they did well! It was a lot of fun.
On Sunday morning…I was the preacher! This was VERY different for me. I read a story “A whale of a Tale” about Jonah and the whale. The kids loved it. Then I explained the message behind it. To wrap it up, we planned a funny skit for the kids. It was myself, Josiah and three kids. I was in the middle listening to my music…without a care in the world….or Jesus in my heart. And Josiah was reading the Bible to my right. The three kids…one by one…got diseases. The first one would walk by me coughing, then walk by Josiah coughing. A minute later I would start coughing. The second disease would walk by me itching, then walk by Josiah itching. I would start itching and coughing. The third would walk by me choking, then by Josiah. By the end of the skit, I was coughing, itching and choking. Josiah was fine. Once he saw me suffering he came and prayed over me. Once I accepted Jesus I was free of the diseases.
The skit was not necessarily about diseases but it symbolized problems. And God is bigger and stronger than any problem we may have and with him we can…and will be saved.
To end my Sunday night….we were trying to capture the huge lizard in our kitchen! At first it was myself and my two roommates which are girls. We were too scared and kept running away every time we attempted to grab the tail. So we called the boys over. Three of them came and got the job done in ten minutes! The thing was huge! Compare it to a 6inch Subway sandwich! (because I love subway….and miss it!).
Now the thing is in a cage in the kitchen as a pet….I think? Why else would it be in a cage!