The answer is that they were attending our second "preschool in a suitcase" workshop, which is designed to equip teachers to pioneer biblically based preschools in developing nations. It was a joy to work with this highly motivated group of people and to know that their investment will make a difference in the lives of many children in many nations over the coming years.
It was particularly encouraging for me to meet Og Sun, a Korean lady who attended a PCYM (child and youth ministry school) that I led in Paisley, Scotland, during the 1990s. She served as a missionary in Jordan for many years and is now working with a new team in Egypt. What a joy to meet someone that you had the privilege of training nearly twenty years ago, and to see that this person's life and faithfulness are still bearing such good fruit.
Although my background is in education, preschool has not been my main area of experience, and so I was serving only part time in the workshop. One afternoon, I taught about the four pillars of our preschool curriculum:
- Knowing God as Creator
- Knowing God as Father
- Knowing Jesus, who is "God with us"
- and Knowing the Bible, the written Word of God
These four pillars that form the foundation of our work with preschoolers actually allow them, at a very young age, to begin forming a biblically Christian worldview that equips them to answer the most fundamental questions of life - things like:
- Who am I and where did I come from?
- What is valuable and important in life?
- Where am I going and what hope do I have for the future?
- and How can I know what is right and wrong, truth or lies?
This important area of worldview is one that I often teach and work on with pre-teens, as it forms such a foundation of security for entering the teenage years and growing into adulthood. I believe personally that the pre-school years (3- 5 year olds) and the pre-teen years (10 - 12 year olds) are two of the most important times of lives, in terms of receiving good input and forming a strong foundation for our lives. So I was glad to be able to teach on this area as we considered the sort of curriculum and themes that are appropriate for preschools built on Biblical values.
When I haven't been working with seminars or workshops at the retreat centre, I've been preparing for my upcoming trip to Senegal, and enjoying some holiday time with my parents who are visiting from Scotland. This week's programme has included trips along the coast to Benalmádena and Fuengirola, as well as a trip inland to Coín (where we killed two birds with one stone - doing some shopping in the town while my car was at the mechanic for its annual service.) Tomorrow we're heading back along the coast to visit Marbella's old town and marina.
