Something complete and great ~ VBS 2014 reflections

“That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great."
- Willa Cather

I love this quote!  It totally reflects who we were, the local body of Christ, as we worked hard together to follow Moses after he parted the Red Sea.  We even had to be careful to avoid getting wet or overwhelmed by the “flying fish” (sweet and sour candy….trust me, some kids weren’t trying so hard not to get hit by the fish, once they figured out it was candy!)  We wandered through the desert, carrying our life belongings with us from station to station in our tribes, which were named Judah, Esther, Boaz and Miriam….care to guess the name of the preschooler’s tribe?  And then when the Israelites deviated from what God had already instructed them about worshipping other gods, we all agreed that we would never bow down to a …..?

Moses got quite excited making little quail.
It's amazing what you can do with marshmallows and tortilla chips and a drop of food coloring!

The Red Sea, complete with a sandy floor ~ it really worked, and no one drowned in the water!

Real quail eggs anyone?  Actually, they were quite yummy,
 though some kids thought it was a bit weird!

Favorite moment of each day:  when the parents would drop off the kids a bit early, and we had the music video projecting in the room and the preschoolers were singing “I will, I will, I will trust You ‘cuz I know, I know, I know You’re gonna come through, Every step of the way, No matter what I face I’m gonna say I will trust You!”

When all was said and done, as we pulled apart our set (complete with a camel and several palm trees for that oasis that has to be a part of any wilderness experience), when you looked around the room, there was just so much joy.  We were tired, we were weary, but we were happy.  We had just been part of something that was completely great!  Cool, eh?!

False images.....Antwerp, Belgium style ~

My other favorite part of the day, when the tribe leaders
were given the opportunity to leave the kids who were singing
to pray for them and what we would all learn together ~ powerful!!

When we started our planning for this year’s program, we talked about how VBS gives us a chance to reach out to the community and how we are able to teach kids important lessons about God and his faithfulness. Yet I’m reminded again that most of ministry isn’t done for what it does for others.  The bigger change actually happens within myself.  I am blessed by our teenagers, our amazing snack crew, the craft leaders who gave sacrificially and made crafts work with only spending about $50 for a weeks worth of crafts for 20+ kids, and our kids and their families who together offered up more than 330euros to send to our missionary, Dr. Renee Valach, in Gabon Africa, to buy school supplies for the children that she works with in their local church ministry. 

I’m sure you’re all curious about why there were mousetraps in church….and they had nothing to do with mice!  Send me an email and I’ll let you in on the secret!  It was a scary experience, but God was faithful in protecting! Barb.swanson@covchurch.org

Oh yeah, and our preschoolers:  they were the tribe of Benjamin!