VBS

The last two days we were there, we ran a Vacation Bible School program. Or, as we called it there, a “Children’s Holiday Club.” (They’re UK-influenced for some things and go on holiday instead of taking vacations.) We knew this was one of the biggest events of the trip and had been discussing/planning it for several months before. Still, we didn't have many details about what exactly was expected for it or how many kids would be there; we were told to expect anywhere from “0 – 100.” Also, we didn’t find out that the entire thing would be outside until two days before. So we were continually refining our ideas, even up to the day before it started.

We wound up getting around 75 or 80 kids the first day, which was a lot. We all made guesses at how many kids would show up, and Jeff was the closest at 46. Despite this, we were ready – we had a good mix of activities to keep them occupied, and some of the young adults from All Nations were helping us. First, we started with some worship outside, picking some songs that they could do hand motions to. The majority of them were young – between grades 1 and 6.

Then, we did a skit about the story of friends lowering a lame man in through a roof for Jesus to heal him. The first day’s theme was unity in the body of Christ, so we focused on how they had worked together to help their friend get closer to Jesus. After that, we split the kids up into three groups and rotated them through different activities. Two of them involved drawing/making things (either for themselves or for each other). The other one, the one that Jessica and I ran, was a relay race. We tied the kids’ legs together and made them run a three-legged race across a field to get some popsicle sticks. Then, they had to balance these on their head while they ran to another table. Once there, they wrote down a quality or aspect of Godly character that a Christian could display (honesty, generosity, love, etc.) We helped them glue these in the shape of a house.

They were a little too good at it, so we adapted to make them do the whole thing with their eyes closed. They all seemed to have a good time. After each group finished, we showed them their progress on the house and explained that the church was not actually a building, but all of them working together, and that they each brought a piece of something that was necessary for the body.

We wrapped up that first day with snack time. We were exhausted, but it felt like a success.

Day 2 was a little easier, because only about 45-50 kids showed up. The previous day, many kids had told us they were leaving for trips to the beach or elsewhere, so we expected that (and didn’t think they hadn’t liked the first day, or that we smelled or something. But who knows.) We had more worship, a glow stick dance party in the front part of the church (which the pastor was kind enough to let us use, despite the original “all outside” rule), some more relays, and dancing lessons in which we taught them how to “follow the lead” of Jesus – we showed them a basic dance, and then had them do it with their eyes closed as we led them through it. (Yes, there were a lot of “eyes closed” events there; I supposed it’s an easy mechanism when trying to make something with kids more challenging or interesting.) The dance thing was Brianna’s idea, although Jessica had the most dancing experience and led the group. Elisa and I helped her, which for my part meant two-stepping with a bunch of little girls, most of whom were half my height. It was awkward, fun, and most likely unbearably cute for anyone watching (see the pictures on facebook.)

The end was awesome. We brought all of the kids into the courtyard to make “gospel bracelets”, those little bands with different colored beads on them that are meant to represent different facets of the gospel and help them share it. We talked about what each bead meant as they put them together, and then led a time of worship and prayer. It was amazing to see these kids, some of whom had been wild during the running-around parts (although really, they were all very well-behaved the whole time for kids that age) calm down, focus, and genuinely open their hearts to pray and worship God. Two kids came forward to give their hearts to Christ, including one boy who had been the biggest handful during the earlier events. Jeff led them through a prayer, and all the other kids joined in. That’s a still-frame memory I’ll hold on to for a while – sitting on a table at the front, guitar in my lap, watching Jeff stand in front of these boys and pray with them as they bow their heads in reverence to God.

They focused on prayer and worship for a solid half hour or more as we ended that day, not even hurrying away to the snacks and juice they had waiting for them. It was a blessing to see the impact the Holy Spirit can have when we invite Him to move.