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The room was empty black chairs and a creative looking stage but loud children’s music was playing to the unfilled room. It was a quarter after six and two boys entered the room and walked up on the stage there they began to practice a simple comic skit that would later be used in the midweek children’s church production. 

Around six thirty kids began to check in and made themselves at home with playground balls and hula-hoops. The laughter and all around craziness of a child’s joy was enough to bring warmth to your heart.  The two boys who had been practicing the skit began to play with the kids or rather the kids began to pull at their shirt tales begging them to pay attention to them.

Around seven o’clock the shorter on the two boys, who had a black foe hawk and may have been Hispanic, gathered all the kids to have their seat.  All the giggling kids ran to the seats and after a few minutes settled down. The Hispanic boy, Tim, told the kids it was time dance and sing, so he asked the kids if they wanted to volunteer to be on stage to help him show the kids the dance moves. The kids’ hands shot up in the air and he picked four people to help him, three girls and one boy, and for the second song he choose three boys and one girl. Tim, the leader, had a big grin on his face exaggerating his movements to excite the kids. The kids laughed and so did he it was obvious that he enjoyed working with kids and his job. It only took me a few seconds before I caught the joy fever and had a smile plastered to my face.

After the kids had sung two songs and danced, Tim had them settle back down and sit in their chairs. At that point he went behind stage and the taller boy, David, went on stage and greeted the kids. Every month they teach the kids a certain virtue and try to instill that value in the kids. This month the virtue was gratitude. David explained what gratitude meant, he said that it was letting others know you see how they’ve helped you. Right after David finished explaining the virtue Tim came out from behind the stage wearing a white karate robe.  And the skit that David and Tim had practice earlier was now in motion. It was about how Tim wanted to take revenge on his coffee barista because he didn’t leave room in the cup to add sugar so he was practicing karate to get back at him. During the skit Tim ever pretended to break a concrete block (which the kids thought was hilarious). But during the skit David reminded Tim that the barista made his coffee everyday and that he never messed up before, he also asked Tim of he was thankful anytime before when the barista made his coffee. In the end Tim remembered that he should be thankful for all the times before when the barista didn’t mess up his coffee and forgiving for the one time he messed up.

After the comic skit the children watched a movie about gratitude and then broke off into small groups to discuss the meaning of being thankful and forgiving.

It was fun to be able to watch this event and see what churches and teaching children today. And what do you know? I too was reminded to be thankful and forgiving.