Thank God for the 3rd Day!!!!

Today, I was able to get all the kids living on the compound together and do a Good Friday/Easter Sunday lesson.  Many of you may have seen it surfacing on social media over the last couple weeks.  We folded crescent rolls (linens of Jesus), around a marshmallow (representing Jesus (don't judge)) dipped in butter (oils of embalming) and rolled in cinnamon and sugar (representing the spices), and baked them in the oven (representing the tomb).  When you remove the linens (crescent rolls) from the tomb (oven), all that remains are the linens because the marshmallow has melted away.  The lesson, therefore, is that Jesus no longer resides in the tomb because HE HAS RISEN!!!!!

 Don't be alarmed, we dripped dye on them so that we could tell them apart.  :)

It was great having all the kids together and sharing in fellowship with one another.  The dessert was great (so they say).  Even more exciting was watching 8 kids, all with their Bibles (different versions, languages, and sizes), reading in Scripture together and reflecting on what Christ did for them.  

As myself and different kids read part of the scripture, I reflected on how real this story could be in this culture.  The embalming process is much different here than in the US and so is burial.  They bury people in concrete, tomb like structures above ground.  I thought, what would it be like for the whole ground to shake right before Jesus was resurrected.  This is a land that knows what it feels like to have the ground shake violently and the fear that brings.  

Take time to reflect on the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection throughout the weekend.  Read Matthew 27 & 28.