VBS Children

VBS

We are in the middle of our after-school "Vacation" Bible School. In July we received an e-mail from a pastor friend in Missouri who brought a team up last year to do VBS and cut firewood. He e-mailed to say that they had just been given the funding to do VBS in Fort Yukon again this year, and they wanted to bring up six people to help. Of course, we were excited about the opportunity to have them back. Since it was so late in the summer already, we decided that they would have to do an after-school event. They are doing the "Serengetti Trek" VBS curriculum.

They arrived on Sunday evening and prepared on Monday. They put a hand-painted backdrop up across the stage in the auditorium that transformed our sanctuary into the Serengetti complete with sunset and a huge elephant. Then they added a "watering hole" with real dried grasses and rocks, blow-up animals, and a 6-foot cardboard giraffe. On Tuesday we had the first session with 14 kids, which was the average last summer. On Wednesday, I arrived late after school, and Bryan said, "We have 29 kids here today!" I was so surprised! Today we had 27 very energetic children ages 4-12. They are loving it. They go through several stations that involve video/discussion, dramatized Bible stories, theme-based snacks, crafts, and games. They do songs that involve lots of motions that the kids really enjoy. Whenever it's time to sing, the kids run to the front of the sanctuary to sing and dance in a big group. It's pretty awesome to see almost 30 kids singing praises to God with their whole bodies, especially when you know these kids like I do. Many of them have rough home lives, and they just cling to the VBS leaders. We have to go out of the church and lock the doors at the end just to get them out and on their way home.

I am trying to download photos right now of the kids at VBS, but if it doesn't work, I will try something different later. It is late, and after 6 hours of preschool and 3 hours of VBS, I am ready to go to bed. We have two more days of VBS and then on Sunday morning we will be doing a VBS theme. We told the children that if they come to church on Sunday, they can perform the songs for their parents and the church. We hope they invite their parents to come. We are also planning on having an elder's breakfast Sunday morning before church.