rachael's practicum report #1

Substitution Assignment: I was unable to do my regular assignment this week due to the fact that I have a commitment to help out in camping ministry on several weekends this semester. This is a ministry that is very important to me as I hope to do it full time in the future. I believe that I should get at least some credit for this assignment because I was able to observe a Bible study that is not a typical local church practicum. As my desire is to work with at-risk youth in organizations outside of the church, this Bible study gave me insight into the way to reach out to these youth through the Word.
Report by: Rachael Mulder
Subject: Practicum Report #1
A. Time Spent This Week: 3 hours (planning =1, dinner with level 4’s =1, bible study =1)
B. My Class this Week:

1. Planning with Pastor Brad and Sierra: This week I met with Pastor Brad and Sierra before Bible study. We discussed the various cottages and the needs associated with each cottage. We also discussed the rising issue of kids getting into trouble at Whites. This past week kids seemed to get out of control, with an abnormal amount of kids getting into trouble. We also discussed some ideas for Bible study and future chapels, including music selection. We ended the planning with a discussion of the curriculum for the Bible study.
2. Dinner with level 4 girls: After planning we headed to the cafeteria to eat dinner with some of the girls. Tonight we chose to eat with the level 4 girls. These are girls at the highest level who do not have to eat with their cottage. I sat by a girl named Whitney. She lives in cottage two. We had a great time chatting about school, girly things, and her boyfriend. It surprised me at how innocent she seemed, yet I know that her life has held great struggles.
3. Bible study with girls of White’s: After dinner all the kids who chose to headed to Bible study in the chapel. At first the girls and guys met together. There were probably 50 kids. We began with some singing, including The Happy Song and My Father’s House. At first the kids seemed hesitant to get up and do the motions, but after a while they got into it. Then the girls and guys split up. Miss Sierra led the girls Bible study. We had around 20 girls from almost all of the cottages at Whites. It was an exciting time for me because I got to spend time with a larger group of girls outside of the cottage setting. The Bible study curriculum we are using is Hope 3:16 by Max Lucado. Tonight was the first night of the Bible study. The main passage focused on Nicodemus’ question to Jesus about what it meant to be born again. The girls really grappled with that question. It was a new experience for me to see girls who hadn’t heard and didn’t understand what it meant to be born again. They also discussed things that get in the way of pursuing a relationship with Christ. At the end of the Bible study, one of the girls asked Sierra how she could know that God is real. She admitted that she did not believe in Him because she tried to feel Him and hear Him but couldn’t. She had honest questions and wanted to know how a loving God could allow horrible things to happen to her. My heart went out to her. I wanted so badly to give solid and concrete answers to her questions, but I had none. All I can do is pray that God will make Himself so real to her. I left Bible study excited because I truly felt that I had gotten to see the hearts of these girls.
   

C. Questions this Week:

1. How would you respond to the question of why God allows bad things to happen to these girls? Many of these girls have been abandoned, raped, and abused. Have you had any situations like this? How did you respond?
2. What role is appropriate to take in this setting? I am not leading the group, and I don’t want to get in the way of the girls participating in the discussion. When is it appropriate to add wisdom or to sit back and let the girls discuss?
3. How do you get involved in these girl’s lives without taking their baggage on yourself?