After a great many years away from AWANA, tonight marked my return. No fanfare, no confetti, just doing it. I was filling in tonight for a friend who's on vacation this week, so I got to work with the Cubbies. That's the littlest of the AWANA groups - kids ages 3 and 4. They liked the puppets. They enjoyed coloring. They all liked playing the piano.
Next week I get to move into my actual spot - listening to verses recited by some of the older kids. That will be fun. I looked through the book and was surprised by the number of changes. Of course, it's been a very long time since I was in AWANA, and I knew things were different. But just how different I didn't know.
It seems like the books are easier than when I was a member. Maybe they're not, but from what I recall, these don't have as many sections, as many verses per section or as much that needs to be done during the week. As I browsed through the book, I found myself thinking, "I think I could've finished this in about a month. Then what would I have done for the rest of the year?" I haven't dug out my books to compare side by side, so I'm just going off my memory which could be completely out of whack.
One advantage I had was that I could memorize verses fast. I'd prepare sections in the car on the way to AWANA. It was a 30-minute drive - I could get a lot ready in that time. The sections to be done outside of that time required a bit more work, but I could do it.
In those days (boy, that makes me sound old), the groups were Sparks, Chums/Pals and Guards/Pioneers. Each spanned three years, with one book per year. Today, we have Truth in Training, which is divided into two-year groups, I think. I'm still learning all the divisions, so I might be wrong. When my church started AWANA, I was in seventh grade, which was the middle of Guards. So I completed three books in two years to earn a Timothy trophy, which is currently sitting under my desk because I'm not sure where to put it. I still have my charm bars with all the charms. They're in a jar in my closet, I think.
So I'll relearn AWANA, and it will be great. I'm looking forward to it.
