35
children- over half of them completely new to our church- all heard the Gospel
of salvation in Jesus, memorized verses, sang worship songs, and learned
Biblical truths about Jesus Christ. That
is worth all the hours and stress of preparation for this week-long camp.
Our
volunteer team was small this year but equipped by the Holy Spirit to serve the
children that arrived. We had
such a blast along with the kids! The volunteers,
most who had no past experience with VBS, were amazed at the fun and
learning.
Ivonne, one newly baptized
volunteer, testified that she learned as much as the children- memorizing all
the Bible verses and learning new truths about Jesus that she had not known.
We
were so thankful for our church building (which we have been renting
since
January)- with 2 classrooms besides the main sanctuary, and an enclosed patio,
we had space for all of our VBS stations: kitchen, music, crafts and
games.
Unlike our sister church where we
also lead VBS, this building is completely closed, so we did not have to worry
about decorations blowing away or getting rained on- what a relief!!
We
know that the Lord has His hand
over each child that attends VBS: Diego, 7-year-old,
was especially rebellious during all the activities. But, after the second day,
he told to his group leader that he wanted to share a secret: that his father does
not love him (and shared some details of their relationship). The group leader
hugged him, and prayed with him, and assured him, again, of God’s love and care
for him. It was a reminder to our whole team that these children desperately
need God’s loving, constant, faithful presence in their lives.
It
was fun to watch my own (almost 3 year old) daughter grow during VBS this year. Jemina not only learned the Bible verses, but
joined me in front leading the music choreography, and accompanied me when I
gave announcements. Little Asher (1 year
old) experienced VBS from his walker-toy. I am so thankful that my
children can
grow up in the Word of God and the Church.
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