Art Bags in Action Archive

El Salvador

Even in the midst of pandemics, food shortages, and other life challenges, it is okay to take time for creative JOY!

And these days a happy image is a treasure for sure. We love seeing these sweet children in El Salvador decorating their community palapa with the paper dolls they made from supplies in an AFN bag, and, wearing crowns they crafted also. Thank you to Global Outreach Developments (G.O.D.) for taking our bags on their trip in June and giving these children the opportunity to be artists.

USA Border with Mexico

"[AFN] art bags were a real blessing...a real asset...
we thank you and thank the Lord for you!"
-Larry Hurt

In July, Larry and his granddaughters were working with a YWAM Team running a Vacation Bible School near the Texas/Mexico border. One particular day, while the YWAM team traveled across the border into Mexico, Larry and his granddaughter visited Catholic Charities where hundreds of people come every day as they await their immigration cases to be adjudicated. They took one art bag along to see if they could connect with the children.

When they arrived it was daunting! There were hundreds of people who had just arrived that morning, hundreds in the sleeping area, hundreds in the food area, and finally hundreds in the clothing area. Larry's granddaughter said “grandpa we can’t do this!” because there were so many people and children!

At first, they set the craft bags aside and began to toss a ball around inviting the children to join them while counting in Spanish for each successful catch. But it wasn’t long until the granddaughter said “grandpa can we get the crafts out now?” and so they began to make paper dolls and crowns and draw pictures of the families and home countries of these refugee children. !

Through their work, they met a young Colombian girl. Her entire family was led to the Lord the next day by a Colombian family on the YWAM team!

Ghana

This "Art Bags in Action" story really begins way back in 2010 when Linda Ruth Paskell, an art professor, first visited Ghana, where she met Naana Kittoe Manful. Naana's organization Obaatan (which means Beyond a Mother's Compassion) works towards empowering and equipping women with education, health care and vocational training. There was an instant connection between these two women and they have remained close ever since.

Linda Ruth returned to Ghana years later where she continued working with Naana & Obaatan. It was during this trip that Naana took Linda Ruth to the School for the Deaf and the kids quickly stole her heart. As an art teacher, she also noticed that these beautiful students did not have art supplies or many creative opportunities. Working together with Art for the Nations, Linda Ruth's honors art students lovingly painted the bags in these photographs.

In April 2021, the bags finally made it to the School for the Deaf in Ghana!

"Thank you for your heart. Your vision. Your creativity and ministry! It was a huge blessing for me as a faith-filled educator to provide such an inspirational project and purpose for my students. I hope we can do it again!" - Linda Ruth Paskell -

Kwanzimakwe, South Africa

They came from the small cement box homes, down the dirt roads of Kwanzimakwe, South Africa. Almost two hundred cute, smiling faces running towards the ministry center. They were filled with excitement about the afternoon of activities.

When they arrived at the crowded outdoor craft station it was like Christmas morning for the kids!* Their families can't afford things like colored paper and glitter, so this was a real treat for them. They couldn't get enough of the glitter! They loved creating something and making it their own. It was special to have something to take home with them to show off to their families and remind them of God's love.

Uganda: True Impact Ministries

A team from True Impact Ministries took five art bags, sharing them with four schools and one orphan home. Interactions with kids started outside, where many enjoyed soccer or "futball". As the kids moved inside, they gathered in noisy groups, eager to start the arts and crafts projects. Laughter bubbled over as they worked to color their paper people. The True Impact team then helped the younger kids cut carefully along the lines to make the long chain of paper dolls representing the "Family of Believers." Art for the Nations bags were a valuable and much-appreciated gift for each child.

Bosinia & Herzegovina

Bags taken by Cru MK2MK ministering to refugee families outside of Sarajevo

The staff at the refugee house were supportive and the kids were very excited for the Cru team to be there. The team used the AFN bags with these mothers and their young children while the older kids went to an off-site soccer field to run around.  The small kids, who often feel left behind, were excited to have a special project just for them.

The women, whose whole world is usually taken up by just the immediate survival of their families, used stencils to paint beautiful trees, flowers and butterflies on the canvas bags.  They were given the opportunity to create art while Rebekah and other team members watched their kids.  They were given a break from thinking about their transition, their safety, their survival.  Pride was evident on these women's faces as they showed off their finished products. 

"After that first day, I was not looking forward to the rest of the week there, but God took what I saw as a mess and turned it into a masterpiece.  The children looked forward to us coming every day, our students were so sad when the week was over, and the staff told us how much of a blessing it was to them that we came and served there. God really showed me that I can trust Him; that He can take what I see as a scattered mess of broken pieces, and turn it into something beautiful; that He uses for our good and His glory." 

— Rebekah, Cru Intern w/ MK2MK

 Those are the calls Ann hears from students all day long at the school where she teaches .   Ann is a teacher, missionary and a certified Art Therapist for traumatized children.  She incorporates AFN supplies into art classes she does with children in Cambodia.  

Currently, she is using the donated supplies from AFN at a rural village learning center in Kampong Speu province. There are 240 children, ranging in age from 3 - 19 years old, from 10 surrounding village, to whom she gives art classes every other week.

"When I walk through the classroom door I am usually greeted by cheers or thronged with hugs.  The children look forward to this time SO much.  Its hard to explain how excited and engaged they become during an hour of art class.  

So many children, in the remote rural  areas, have zero access to the joy and creativity of art because the village schools just don't have the resources to buy enough paper, scissors, crayon, markers, glue or glitter.  Many schools have no electricity, roughly made wooden desks, open air windows, and few supplies.

I also do a “traveling art class” when time and funding permit. This is when we travel to a distant province, village, community….and stop over at a rural church or remote primary school. Then I give a children’s bible story on my big flannel-graph set, and follow it up with an art project for everyone.  

With the variety of art items that come with each bag, I have designed hundreds of varied arts and crafts projects for kids of many different ages.  I have seen extremely poor children handle the crayons and sequins as if they were gold. It’s really a wonderful and rare opportunity for them."
 
— Ann Soldner

  In early October, our small mission team of 4 arrived in Brazil to minister to an impoverished community in the Amazons near Benjamin Constant. We were equipped with our Art for the Nations bags and looking forward to working with the kids from the community.

Our local ministry partners had spread the word that we were coming, but they were not sure if the kids would turn out. The time for us to work with the kids came, and boy, did they turn out! They filled the room! They were so excited every time we pulled out a new AFN project for them to work on! We had the opportunity to work with them for 3 days and to share the love of Christ through each project.

I have been on many mission trips and have taken AFN bags to many nations over many years, and each time they have been a hit with the kids, and the “big kids” (adults) love them, too! The sweet children of the Amazons were especially well behaved and put their hearts into their artwork. It was a special time for all!

— Brenda Walker

We spent 2 -3 hours with the approx 40 childern and their two teachers from a "Head Start" Pre-school Program. The message that I will send from them back to you is, "Thank you for caring and the love they feel/felt!"

— Fritz Hyde, Midland Michigan First United Methodist Church

USA - Appalachia —

Sometime we forget that even in the United States there are children who do not always have access to the basic necessities of life, let alone art supplies to color or draw on a summer afternoon.  In June a group from Ohio partnered with Helping Appalachian Rural People (HARP) to minister to children living in rural SE Ohio.  They took two art bags as part of their broader missions trip.  
 

    "The bags were GREAT on our mission trip in June!!  We had several components to our trip, but visiting children in a low income apt. complex and doing activities with them, was a very valuable part of our trip.  We had been there last year, but there was a change in managers and we were having a hard time making contact with her.  However, we were able to link up with a man who delivers sack lunches there in the summer for part of a church effort to serve low income children during the summer.  Through him, we met some children, and made contact with the manager.  We were able to return and do activities with the children using the AFN bags.

          We loved the name activity...and we expanded on this...sharing some bible verses and sharing a children's story by Max Lucado about how each child is special and uniquely made and loved by God.  They loved using the glitter especially."