Can -you- drive there?

This week is Vacation Bible School at my church. I mostly spend my time, as the preschool co-director, running about answering questions, fetching things, holding crying little ones, collecting paper work and anything else that needs doing. I love this and know I'm doing something important so that 70+ preschoolers can have a safe and happy experience learning about God.

Today on one of my collecting things errands, I was gathering the offering the children brought in. One savvy little girl asked. "Why are you taking our money?"

"Well," I said, "I'm gathering the offering so that it can be counted."

"Then what will you do with it?"

"Oh, it's very exciting. We are going to buy cows and those cows will go to families in Africa." Here I was thinking, yup that should explain enough to this four year old. She'll think that's cool and go on.. Oh no, not this youngster.

"Will we drive to Africa?"

Blink...blink... "Oh, well no. You see we give this money to a great organization called Heifer International." She gets a puzzled look on her face and opens her mouth. "Heifer means cow." The puzzlement leaves and I smiled. "And these great people, take this money, the money you brought, and they buy cows and give them to families in Africa, and those families use the cows to help run their farms."

"So, we don't get to go to Africa?"

"No, honey I'm sorry we don't."

"Oh, well, that's ok."

And she went back to her coloring. I was struck by this little girl's curiosity, and her willingness to go to Africa to give the families their cows. I'm sure she doesn't know where Africa is, but she was perfectly happy to pick out cows and drive them there.

I had explained this to the children yesterday, but I'm not sure it really sank in for her until today, but I'm glad I had that unique opportunity to once more share what the children are doing to help other boys and girls in our world.

Each year we have a mission project that we get the kids fired up for, sharing with them how much money they've brought in and what it will buy and what that means to the boys and girls we help.

So far our kids have purchased two flocks of chicks and half a goat. Our goal for the week is a Water Buffalo, mostly because we're sailing on a High Seas Adventure, and it's the only animal even remotely connected with water that Heifer International provides. That and Larry the Cucumber sings an awesome song about water buffalo...