Giving the Charge

As a missionary, you get asked to do a lot of things you wouldn't normally do.  It's normal to walk into a church as a foreigner and be warned five minutes before the sermon that you're the one giving it.  Just the other week, we had a team here and one of the guys from the team was asked to speak at a Homecoming dance.  When they got there, they also called up his buddy who had not prepared a thing to say.  Good stuff.

Well, I got my chance not too long ago.  I was asked to give the charge at a graduation at Cuatro Christian School, the school run by Kids International Ministries.  This wasn't any ordinary graduation, no.  I was honored to be the guest speaker at a prep-class graduation.  Prep is a grade here between Kindergarten and 1st grade that prepares the student for elementary school.

Luckily, they gave me a few days to prepare.  On the day, I got up and delivered a charge about how God likes to use little people to do big things (ie. Joseph, Gideon, and David), and how God would work through them if they try their hardest and always keep their eyes on Him.  It was a good experience for me to see the formalities of this culture and to interact with the kids and their parents.  This graduation was a huge deal to a lot of parents who never thought they'd see their kids even go to school.

Delivering the speech of a lifetime.

Kim Courtright (director of our school), handing me an honorary certificate for being the guest speaker.  They also gave me the flower arrangement around my neck to wear while I spoke.  Very formal!