This past week took me to Kirkman, IA- a bustling town of 64 people, according to the last census- for four enjoyable evenings of Bible school. Not too many of those 64 are children, so the VBS attendees were mostly grandkids of members of the congregation. My hostess for the week did spot a family pulling kids in a wagon on the last day of the week, though, so they plan to dig even deeper into the community next year. It's easy to tell that VBS is important to the life of the church, and I was happy to work with so many grandmas who provided food and encouragement to the 15-16 different kids that came during the week.
It was appropriate to celebrate Independence Day this week, as Kirkman UMC is getting ready to be far more independent with their Bible school next year. This was the third year I'd been at this site, and next year they'll be on their own. The idea is that MUMMs comes in and models for a few years, and by that time the congregation gets in the routine of things and feels more confident that they can do this on their own! This is a highly appreciative group, though, and one I'd gotten to know fairly well, as I've stayed with a host family there each year. The helpers were so sweet that they got me flowers as a thank-you for my time there.
I was glad that the kids got to leave a momento behind. One of our crafts this year is decorating canvas quilt squares and tying them together to create a reminder for the church. Apparently this isn't a brand-new idea, as the church basement housed a few quilts from 1990 where our VBS kids' parents had done the same thing. It was about time for an update.
There were some great kids at this site, and we got to review some of what they already knew while learning new things too. While I was explaining that the next story (Walk to Emmaus) took place after Jesus came back to life, one girl interrupted, really surprised- "Wait, he came back to life?" Her friends looked at her like she was a little crazy, and they tried to assure her that she knew that ("Remember? Sunday school?") but she certainly didn't look like that was clicking. How wonderful to be there to see someone learn something important for the first time (or maybe the second, having forgotten in between...and don't we all live like we've forgotten it sometimes.)
Another fun first was a boy learning about the feeding of the 5,000.
"So- did they get full?"
"Yes, they sure did."
"They just ate like two little bites of fish, and they were full?"
"It didn't run out. They just kept reaching in the baskets and there was more and more. In fact, there was a lot left over. We can't do that, but Jesus can."
He was quick to share his new knowledge at the parent program the last night. I started telling the story, and at just the right time, he shouted out, "And there were leftovers!!" Sometimes things stick.
Since I was staying in Farmington, one of the VBS helpers suggested I walk around Indian Lake, which has a neat trail. It is gorgeous, and a nice place to decompress from the noise and excitement of 37 kids. I must just have a kid-friendly face or something, though, because after a few minutes of absolute solitude, I met three girls who were trying to find their way back to the trail. They asked if I could stick with them because I was, "you know, kind of like a grown-up." So much for solitude, but it turned out to be nice to have company. They had a sense of wonder about everything ("Oooh! A deer!") which was rather what all summer of Workshop of Wonders VBS was about- appreciating what God does that we don't always notice. (Also, because teachers never really go on summer break, we read every informational sign there was and learned some vocabulary, like "momentum" when we rushed down a hill.)