Our kindergarten community was super excited to be holding our Obstacle-a-thon again this year in support of the Heldsbach Kindergarten Project in Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Our support is a practical way we can ‘Share the Good News’ which is the vision of our church community at Good News Lutheran Church, Middle Park, Queensland. […]

Our kindergarten community was super excited to be holding our Obstacle-a-thon again this year in support of the Heldsbach Kindergarten Project in Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Our support is a practical way we can ‘Share the Good News’ which is the vision of our church community at Good News Lutheran Church, Middle Park, Queensland.

To run the event, we turn our entire playground into one giant obstacle course. The children are encouraged to complete the course five times.  They get sponsorship for each lap they complete. How amazing to think three-, four- and five-year-olds can help other children and communities in need around the world.  Along the way the kindy children develop other skills and competencies such as perseverance, pride and confidence in who they are, as well as a willingness to keep trying, empathising with others, taking turns and developing gross motor skills and spatial awareness.

We continue to run our Obstacle-a-thon as we believe that all children can make a difference to the lives of others. 100% of monies raised is donated to supply much needed learning materials such as stationery, books, balls and puzzles, as well as training for the volunteer mums who run the kindergartens. Coral Gallasch who pioneered the program with her husband Tony in 2008, recently advised that the program now has a total of 980 children enrolled and 90 volunteer teachers!

Our kindy immediately had an affinity with this project as we believe in the value of early childhood education in setting children up for success, and we know the importance of having loving, skilled and committed adults who believe in children and want to lift them up to be the best they can be. Training mums to be the kindergarten teachers is simply incredible and really reinforces how a child’s parents are their first and most important teachers.

In building an awareness at a young age of the needs of others, we are teaching children to be global citizens. Many children give their own pocket money and one child said she would love to visit PNG one day. We are planting seeds just like Coral did. The children love seeing the photos that Coral sent through of the kindy children and their classrooms in PNG. They are learning that God loves every child and that we can be more like Jesus when we help others.

This is what the children had to say:

“I liked running up the hill. (the children in PNG) look pretty happy, it makes me feel nice in my heart to help people” (Daniel, 5)

“I liked going in the maze. It was super-awesome to help other kids!” (Arthur, 4)

“I liked going on the wobbly blue thing” (Ezra, 3)

“It was fun going down the hill. It makes me happy to help” (Maeve, 5).

This story was also published in the August 2024 edition of Border Crossings, the magazine of LCA International Mission.

If you, your school or your congregation, would like to know how you can connect to the mission of God through a LCA International Mission partnership, you are invited to phone Erin on (08) 8267 7300 or email erin.kerber@lca.org.au. For more information, go to www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/start-a-partnership/

Read more stories about congregational partnerships at www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/local-partners/congregations/