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Frisbees and Faith
Dennis Kingery (Unit 221)
Hillcrest School
Jos, Nigeria
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| During the summer holiday between my two years of Brethren Volunteer Service teaching Business and Accounting at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria, I had a chance to travel out of Jos to Kulp Bible College (KBC) at the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria - EYN) Headquarters. I enjoy going to this area of Nigeria because it is rich in history of the Church of the Brethren. |
At Kulp Bible College, life is peaceful, there is not much to do besides work in the fields, and the people are incredibly friendly. I was fortunate to be there during the planting season. Except for an occasional tractor, farmers still use oxen to plow their fields. |
( artwork by Jon Schrock)
One day, I was passing the time by attempting to play a game of frisbee golf. I say attempting because every time I threw the frisbee, one of the kids from the area villages would pick it up and try to throw it back to me. Finally I gave up on the frisbee golf and began playing catch with a few of the children. Before I could say, "ultimate frisbee," I had close to forty children running after the frisbee every time I threw it. It was quite a sight and lots of fun. Most of the children had never seen a frisbee before. Finally, my arm had had it and I went home.
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The next day when I went back, many of the children were throwing plastic lids around, or anything else that was round and floated through the air. This sight made me wonder about my impact on them. When I was playing catch with them they would try to imitate the way I threw the frisbee. So is it possible for them to learn other things by watching me? Would they learn what it means to be Christian by watching me? Children learn from what they see their parents, teachers, and other elders doing, and I have always believed in leadership by example. For me, this means the best way to teach these children about Christianity is by Christian living. Seeing those plastic lids flying through the air reminded me of the importance of living a Christian life by following in the footsteps of Jesus. |
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