Awana

I've been meaning to post about Awana for months and I'm finally getting around to it now.  We started at the beginning of the school year when we signed Grace up for an Awana program at a church within walking distance of our house.

If you aren't familiar with Awana it is a national and international program that is designed for kids ages 2+.  As stated on their website, "Awana helps churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. Our programs offer a proven approach for evangelizing and discipling kids in the church and community."  One of the main focuses in the Awana program is memorizing Bible verses so Grace has a new verse or two to memorize every week.  Even though we work on them with her she always picks them up faster than I do! 

The church that Grace is attending is open for ages 3+.  Her class consists of 3 and 4 year olds and there are probably about 12 kids in her class.  Her good friend Aubrey also goes with her so it's fun for them to get together those days.  She has 3 teachers and they are wonderful.  Also, her class is called the Cubbies and she has a cute little song about being an Awana Cubbie.

This is my first experience of dropping Grace off for something and not really knowing entirely what is happening.  My knowledge is based on what Grace tells me and the limited interaction I have with the teachers.  I think it's good for all of us to have this experience.  It's teaching Grace to listen and obey other adults in authority and teaching me to trust and let go a little.

She gets to wear a vest and earns patches for scripture memorization.  So below is a picture of her all dressed for Awana.