A word for the wise: if you want to bond with English Christians with a knack for bowling, go and bowl several games with them in competition. But, that will come later.
Day 5 in London started out with Hayes Lane Baptist Church’s “Mess Monkeys.” Play, crafts, snack time, Bible reading and stories, fun little songs: that’s Messy Monkeys. Sound like anything we know? It’s a lot like our VBS, and seems to be a lot of fun for the kids.
Immediately after Messy Monkeys, the guys of the group donned our orange “Hayes Ambassadors” orange football jerseys and got ready for football camp. (This is the English kind, mind you.) Football camp was simple, just like one of ours and with another Bible reading. Dietmar, the second Englishman I met here, did both the MM story and the FC story, about the Wise Man and the Foolish Man. His example was very convincing! The football aspect is coming back to me, and today (Day 6) I filled in in the older kids’ (my age and just a little younger) game, I scored three goals (one a fantastic header which I would not bring up if Nigel, one of the Hayes Lane-ers, hadn’t kept bringing it up earlier. 😛 ) I haven’t played in seven years, but I’ve done well so far.
Now we come to English Ten-Pin Bowling. Imagine this: a bowling alley with sparkling games, lanes for bowling, a bar/dining area in one corner, and loads of people bowling and playing. Just like ours, except for the fact that everyone is English!!!!! So we go bowling with nine others, and our ride, Tim, the FS leader, says on the way there, “Oh, I’m not that good.” When asked, Dad said, “My best ever was 275.” . . . . . . . Did I hear that right? TWO SEVENTY FIVE?????????????? Well, then he says he wouldn’t get much. Jamie said he wasn’t that good.
We get there and start bowling, and we were doing pretty well. But, either Tim lied or, as he said, he didn’t expect to do well, he started knocking ’em down very good. Jamie said that gave him what he needed, and all of a sudden, he gets a strike. Then another. Another. And ANOTHER!!!!!! Four in a row!
Needless to say, he did very well. We all did and had a lot of fun. Jamie, I think, will be getting on in a little bit and typing up a summary of today, Day 6, and about how me and him did at English cricket. 😉
God bless.
Garrett
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