VBS WEEK

YAY! It's VBS week and at L church we are running about 24 kids. M church has 117 kids and I help prepare snacks for them all, run the dishwasher to clean the cups. So I am doubly blessed with VBS this week. Two mornings a week and 5 evenings. I was going to take an evening off (i'm part-time you know - 2 days a week and Sat/Sun worship services, Ha!) However, since L church has one shepherd out tonight and probably one out Thurs. evening, I will step in and shepherd the two different groups. I've taken photos, floated around, put fresh bandages on a girl who really skinned her knees raw earlier at that day at home, I've supplied extra juice, items for snacks and need to pick up Gold Fish crackers today for a sugar sensitive child. Plus Taco Bell gift cards for the youth who
are helping - one a friend of a parishioner who has been very patient with restless child.
I'm also needing to put the bags of take home goodies together for Friday evening as well as teacher/helper thank you's. (Don't know if my on-line order will get here in time!Crap!)
   This year at L church, we decorated better, for the In The Wild theme. We also added an offering to purchase a flock of chicks through Heifer International. I figured Heifer was non-denominational whereas ELCA Good Gifts is Lutheran. We would get a bigger bang for our buck through ELCA than with Heifer. I had someone make a big egg out of poster board, I cut in a crack and photocopied a
chick image on yellow paper and fastened a brass brad on the bottom. As we collect our offering each evening in our little chicken feed pail, the egg cracks open more and more, revealing the chick.
Well surprise! Surprise! We hit our goal of  $20.00 last night (day 2!). I will just say we're making
it to our goal, and crack the egg some more - hard to break the tension after just 2 days! Perhaps,
we'll  buy a flock and a half or it would be simply amazing if we bought 2 flocks!
   I spent all of Monday morning helping the Bible Lesson Teacher with prek, 1 & 2 lessons, by finding a children's story Bible to use, then making the story interactive - 1) Searching for Jesus
(Jesus in temple as boy and lost to parents)
 2) Jesus baptism (blue tablecloth - river, 2 kids lift up
and one crosses underneath, with another kid holding a dove on a stick over their head, that tells
them they are beloved of God - each kid gets  turn)
 3) Jesus calms the storm - blue tarp- kids at
either end lift up & down for stormy sea, 2-3 kids sit on tarp - disciples on boat, pillow for Jesus
to sit on, and aluminum foil pie tins and plastic spoons for kids to make storm noise
 4) Jesus raises Lazarus - toilet paper & kid volunteer, other kids wrap volunteer in TP mummy
     style. I think the teacher will do this with all age groups - 'cause it's fun!
5) Jesus on the Emmaus Road - we made over the nose/eye masks (the Incredibles kind) with
straws to hold them up over one's face - how do we recognize Jesus, how do we recognize
the presence of Christ in each other, the masks are plain and they can decorate their own at home
   I am grateful for the Spirit that lead me and rolled with me through each story, coming up with
something interactive to do. I was so energized and full of joy afterwards. Sometimes, I just
don't have enough time to be creative, but somehow Monday morning it all happened in one full swoop! It would have been nice to have had more time, but maybe the Spirit just flowed with
the time constraint!
   I heard that at least 1 or 2 children went through this curriculum before but hopefully, with the
interactive part, plus I know our crafts were different, they will enjoy it. They certainly haven't
seemed to be bored with it so that's good.
   As long as they have a safe, fun, loving, caring space and time to learn of God's love for them and learn how to live that love - that's all I pray for and ask.
   I am glad for a few new volunteers this year and for the family that helps every year - kitchen and snacks and crafts!
  Thank you, Lord! Day 3 and counting and praying all will be well!