“I never expected a bouncy castle to be ministry”

We’d like to share with you Sarah’s story. She is currently a Cultivate intern in Lebanon and last Tuesday her team and her visited a Syrian refugee camp and this is what she wrote:

The thing that impacted me the most is the absolute joy that the kids showed while being involved in the ministry. We spent our time in the camp bringing in bouncy castles and teaching a Bible lesson and a song to all of the kids in the camp. The language barrier was frustrating for me at first, but I found that I was able to interact with the kids anyway by just asking their name, helping boost them into an inflatable obstacle course, showing them love, and seeing their joy.

After everything that these kids have been through, it was incredible to see them have the opportunity to just be kids and have fun for a couple of hours. My main takeaway from this experience is the importance of adapting outreach and ministry to the culture and environment that people are in. I would have never expected a bouncy castle to be ministry, but I saw today that it truly reflected the heart that the New Heights’ team has for these children.

New Heights not only cares about the kids’ spiritual development by giving them a Bible lesson, they also value the kids’ emotional health as well, by giving them a time of relief from the trauma they may have suffered in the past. My day spent in the refugee camps taught me about why a holistic approach to ministry like this is important. The New Heights team is absolutely incredible and I am so thankful that they have welcomed my team and me into their outreach in the refugee camps.

Thank you, Sarah for sharing your experience and what you’ve learned about ministry!

If you would like to partner with us bringing the Word of God to refugee camps, visit www.onehope.net/donate