Natalie and the Boys: Awards Night

It is so strange at times watching my boys do the same exact things I used to do as a child. Last night was the AWANA awards night at church and it brought back some great memories of the years I got to be a part of this great program. Don't tell my boys this but by 6th grade I had not even passed all 4 of my books! I think I only passed 2! I even remember my 6th grade AWARDS night and a boy named Michael making fun of me because I didn't get the Timothy award like he did. He grabbed whatever award I did win and took off running with it while I chased him all through the grounds of the church. I'm pretty sure that was a dumb way of him letting me know he liked me.

Thankfully last night my boys weren't grabbing other girls' awards! We did have a great night though and let me just say how proud I am of them both. Considering we have been in AWANA for 3 years now since returning from Russia I'm especially thankful that Josiah passed 3 books. Memorizing for him is not easy and I won't lie there were many tears shed on both parts these past 3 years just trying to finish the books. Last year he didn't even pass his 2nd book but this year he worked extra hard and was able to finish his 2nd book and his 3rd book only by the grace of God.

Nathan on the other hand can memorize anything in a short amount of time with little effort on his end. It's amazing how different they both are but I'm thankful for those differences. Nathan did a great job and finished book 1. He's hoping to work harder next year to finish his 2nd book early and start working on his silver star as soon as he can.

Nonetheless we are just thankful that the boys are memorizing scripture. To this day I still remember so many of the verses I memorized in AWANA. It was a real blessing in my life and our church does an amazing job of running the program. I'm even praying this summer about being an AWANA leader in the fall. I was a leader when I was single and I think it would be fun to try it again!