23.11.8
I noticed that I will be taking care of 5 children in my small group and I was able to notice one of the children is from Russia. It was interesting how I was not introduced by the actual person but rather by the people around me. These past AWANA days will cover the concept of giving, correlating with Christmas, in which they are exposed to countries and areas that are currently having a hard time, and Russia and Ukraine came to be the hottest topics. This concept naturally exposed the existence of the little boy. At first, I tried to stop what they were saying about Russia and the boy by saying that I was also Russian and that it hurts when we hear things like this. Their reactions were expected, they constantly asked questions which I ignored. Through this, I was able to learn how children state their opinions without fear. I believed that it was my job to prove them wrong and shift their perspective. However, as discussed in the goal section, it was difficult to state with confidence as I did not know to what extent I could teach and educate them. Eventually, I ignored them and allowed them to reflect on what they had said. Today was the day that I was exposed to a conflict I could proceed to solve through the past AWANA days.
