VBS: Saturday Edition

New to me this year are a few sites who requested just a Saturday. Trying to pile five days of fun into one day seemed a daunting task, but Orient had done it before, so I just adapted their old schedule. They’re an organized bunch! This was an especially exciting site for me because I used to teach in town. Almost half of our participants were my former students!

This particular former student asked for a piece of paper so he could take notes on the Bible study. That's exactly what he used it for- taking notes. He made his third grade teacher very proud.

The volunteers were very confident in taking their stations. We even had a former P.E. teacher to do games, and the Bible story volunteers had as much fun with the costumes as the kids did. I got to be in my favorite role- float around, help as needed, and watch kids bond with the folks they’re going to continue to see right there in their own community.

They decided on a mission project to learn about and collect an offering for during their Sunday morning program. First we watched an intro video to see what PET is- basically a hand-operated bicycle/cart for those around the world who have limited mobility and no access to wheelchairs. Without this device, they have to literally crawl on the ground or be carried. The video told stories of many PET recipients who had stepped on land mines during the Vietnam War. One of my former third graders leaned over and told me: "That is exactly why there shouldn't be wars and all the countries should just be friends." Amen to that, wise boy. I’ll vote for you. I think the kids would have been sold on the idea just from watching the video, but even better, they got to try out a PET for themselves. We learned that a) you can fit two preschoolers in the cart (no worries, they had spotters! But really, that’s how some people are able to transport their little ones,)  b) driving takes a fair amount of upper body strength, and c) it’s harder to steer than it looks!

I wish we’d have had more kids to come share this fun day with us. There were thirteen, and almost all of them attended church there. We had talked about how knocking on doors was one of the best ways to let folks know they’re welcome, but it sounds like the volunteers ran out of time to get that done. Next year I hope they will! There are definitely kids afoot- the friend I stayed with and I went on a walk the night before just for exercise, and we ran into five kids along the way who hadn’t known there was Bible school happening the next day. When you’ve got something this good, you want to share!

Flame Flies to Farmington

Summer seems incomplete without a trip to Van Buren County, so I was glad to get to Farmington. Last year, scheduling conflicted with many different things going on in town, but this year we seemed to avoid most of that. We had nineteen kids on the first night and stayed fairly close to that throughout. A good group of volunteers helped get kids where they needed to go. 

We made the stained glass window craft this week (washable markers on rice paper, like coffee filters, then spray it with water to make the colors spread.) I was the Designated Sprayer, and it was a lot of fun to watch the kids as their creation turned into something different. One little girl had made designs on most of her paper and had written "I Love Jesus" in the top corner. My first instinct was “How sweet!” followed directly by “Oh, dear,” because even if I could avoid getting that section wet, it would be covered up by the frame we put on top. Luckily she was a flexible artist, so she didn’t mind if it got wet. We talked about how it’s kind of like when we love Jesus, we don’t just keep it to ourselves. Love doesn’t just stay in one spot- it spreads out everywhere. I sprayed. The words slowly disappeared. The beauty remained. 

After watching a couple of kids model Flame's cape, losing many hula hoop contests, and signing up one of hopefully several JOY campers, it was time to head out. I was fortunate enough to get to stay with friends David and Elizabeth at their B&B. They are amazing in their hospitality, and I loved being part of their community- and playing their piano! If you’re ever in the area or you need a getaway weekend, go check out Porch Time.

Captain Shield- "God's Heroes Have Heart!"

Last week found Paige and me in Van Wert, Iowa. It was a small but mighty group- we averaged 10-11, but this group of God’s heroes sure had heart! The very first little girl to arrive came with her purple Bible in tow (and a winged doll named Neveah, heaven backwards) and proceeded to read to us the inscription in her Bible her grandparents had written when they were still alive. It was remarkably special and a great reminder that our faith is passed on by family.

Family doesn’t have to be related to you, though. We had some great helpers here who were willing to jump in and do whatever was needed, finding lots of ways to share God’s love with the kiddoes and each other. Instead of worrying about setting up the projector and messing with technology for the video, they had prepared to do the video parts of the opening assembly script live. Instead of “code blue” called for in the script, they used “code white” and flew in a large cloth dove on a stick. They had as much fun performing as we did watching. Captain Shield was extra dedicated in her costume in 90 degree heat.

While I was in the area, I stopped by Osceola to help with Pastor Rosa’s Latino youth group. They are a great group of kids, and we learned the story of Pentecost, where the Spirit-filled disciples spoke in all kinds of languages. We learned how to say “Holy Spirit” in Spanish, English, Chinese, Cherokee, and Hebrew. Many of the kids were also excited to sign up for JOY camp! They are looking for a young, energetic English-speaker to come do lessons with them, so if you know somebody in the area, let me know!

Answer: Capes, Extension Cords, and Ice Cream

Super Cherie models the crown craft!

Attendees check out the stained glass cross

Question: What are some things God can work through?

No, I'm not kidding.  Keep reading. You'll see.

My Jeopardy-clue-a-day calendar is still on May 15, if that gives you any indication of how fast this month has gone! I warmed up for VBS this spring with some wonderful planning fairs in each of the districts we serve. We shared craft ideas, went through a sample opening session and Bible lesson, did a science demonstration, and Bob Dean with Cokesbury showed us all the curriculum choices for the year, including our choice of Hero Central. It is hard to turn down a curriculum in which you get to wear a cape. If you missed this event, don't worry- we'll be doing it again next year!

After a good end to the school year at my new school, it was time for Annual Conference. I wasn't a delegate this year, which left me plenty of time for the MUMMs booth. I love seeing friends, neighbors, and pastors, some of whom stopped by to tell about their plans for VBS this year and how they've carried on once we got them started. My favorite Annual Conference story, though, was when God used an extension cord to set up a Bible school.

Perhaps I should back up a bit.

I was sitting at the booth, minding my own business, when I heard a noise behind me. I figured it was from the other aisle of booths. Then the noise became a voice- "There's no way of doing this without scaring you...sorry. I followed the cord." The curtains parted behind me to reveal a lady with a stole and an iron. She was from Needling God, two booths down.

This is a stole from Needling God- check out the other gorgeous work she does here!

Now we had not requested electricity for our booth, but somehow we had gotten it anyway, so I was happy to share. She proceeded to plug in her iron, smooth out the most beautiful stole I've ever seen, and talk to me. Eventually she asked what group I was with, and as I started talking about MUMMs, she said a friend had just told her she should come talk with us. Her husband had a church with a lot of kids but no VBS. I asked where, and she told me, saying no one ever knew where it was. I knew where it was. It was 15 minutes away from where I used to teach. She went and got her husband. He called his volunteer. We set a date.
Done.
Reminder number 1,378 that God plans things far better than I do.

For the first VBS of the summer, Paige, Cherie, and I all went to Randolph. ("Where IS that?" asked all my friends and family.) In this town of under two hundred people, 18 kids came the first night. The next night we had 31!  My highlight from this site was a little girl who came up to me after our class time and asked if she could take home a Bible to read the story we had learned today. Absolutely! This led to a good conversation with the pastor where we learned that hardly any of these kids here at VBS attended the church. What a way to reach out into the community! This was even more evident the last night. Parents were invited to the closing time for a short program and ice cream. Many parents came, and church volunteers met people in their community they didn't know before. It is easy to assume that everybody knows everybody else in a small town, but I have spent enough time in small-town Iowa to know that's not the case. Events like this are so important in bringing people together.

Pastor Jan helping during Bible study

The pros of duct-tape shields!

Capes. Extension cords. Ice cream. The church. God can use anything.