Thanks to VBS

We start Vacation Bible School tomorrow night. It's a big deal. Maybe it's just a big deal in the south, but since that's all I've ever known, it's a BIG deal. I'm teaching the 4,5, and 6 year olds. I'm positive that they are going to have questions that stump me. I'm sure that they're probably going to teach me a lot more than I can teach them. They're still in that innocent, almost untouched, child of God stage. They're sweet but they are extremely curious.

Bible schools, like just about everything else, have gotten much more extravagant than they used to be. It's all fun. It brings in more kids. The more extravagant that your VBS is the more children that will attend. "Did you hear that (fill in the blank) Church is having a bouncy slide on Tuesday? Did you hear that every kid gets a free toy and a t-shirt?" 

Some of the bigger churches are even more extravagant... if that's possible. And that's fine. If it brings children to God I am all for it. I can't help but worry that the message of God gets lost in all of the extravagance. Are the children really seeing the saving grace of God beneath the Bouncy House and the Pizza Hut nights? I truly pray that they are.

We didn't have anything like that when I was little. I guess it doesn't matter if it's extravagant or simple. If the church members that lead it are like minded in the teachings of Christ then God is going to show up and He will move those children in the way He wants them to be. 

I was pondering all of this tonight. I was hanging my paper parrots and lanterns and stapling palm trees to the wall tonight and I couldn't help but to reflect back to the Bible schools of my youth. They were simple but they were effective. We had fun and we learned about Jesus.

We didn't go on many big trips when I was little. We had a big family and vacations were expensive. Most of my summer days were spent outside. It was hot outside. We rode bikes, built forts, worked in the gardens. Two or three days a week (on a good week) we drove 20 minutes to the pool that we were members at and we swam. Vacation Bible School was a break in the summer monotony. I looked forward to it. It was always in the morning, 8 or 8:30. It lasted until just before lunch. It was the break in my summer where I saw a lot of my school friends. It was exciting.

The schedule was always the same for all the years I was a part of Bible School. We had group assembly. We lined up outside the church. If you were lucky you got picked to hold one of the flags or the Bible. If not, you followed behind the lucky ones and marched into your class's designated pew. We pledged the American Flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. We prayed together. We sang songs. We had a mission story. We prayed again. We were dismissed to our classrooms. 

Our teachers taught us memory verses, gave us gold stars for bringing our bibles, taught us bible stories, and let us do crafts. We went to the fellowship hall for cheap cream filled cookies and red or purple kool-aid. The older ladies of the church always served the snack and you could always convince one of them to give you extra cookies or Cheetos. We had outside time and, there, we played "Duck Duck Goose" and "Drop the Handkerchief" and the ever popular "Red Rover". It was simple, but it was fun (it was also insanely competitive).

When our parents picked us up we were hot, tired, and hungry. We had to practice our memory verses so that we could get a star the next day for reciting it back to our teacher. Five stars meant we got a prize on Friday. Friday was our fun day, we had games and usually balloons, sometimes water guns. It was fun. It wasn't fancy or high tech. It was full of love and dedicated Christian adults (mostly women) who gave up their time and money to teach children about Jesus.

The VBS that I'm privileged to teach this year is also simple. It's just like the ones I grew up going to. There are a few dedicated teachers that put time and effort into teaching children about the love of Jesus. We don't have huge light and sound shows, we don't have bouncy house fun night. We have fun, fellowship, and we will teach your child about Jesus. 

I was saved at Vacation Bible School when I was 9 years old. I will never forget how happy I was that day. Those wonderful teachers and the pastor at Beulah Baptist Church led me to Christ. Bible school is important. As I prayed for our week with other workers tonight I couldn't help but remember that day that I walked down to my pastor at Bible school. I was so excited to tell my parents when they picked me up. I wanted to tell the world about my new salvation. I was a new person, a saved person, thanks to Bible School.

Now, as I strive to teach the children that are in my class this week, I will remember every sweet lady that taught me as a child. I appreciate your sacrifice now. I know you had a hundred things to do, but, you put it all aside to come to the church and teach me about Jesus. Thank you. Thank you.... And thank God for Vacation Bible School.

"Then Jesus said, "Leave the children alone and don't keep them from coming to Me, because the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of people like this."

Matthew 19:14 HCSB 

 

Til August, Peanut Place.

We went shopping yesterday. My mother, my sister, and I have been making these shopping trips for about 7 years now. We always shop a little bit, eat lunch together, shop a little bit more and then we go home. We've always had at least one child with us. 

Yesterday was bitter sweet. It was the last trip that we'll have til probably next summer with a kid in tow. My sister's youngest starts school this year and she was the last one. But yesterday we had three, because it's summertime. It was our first trip with more than one child in several months. My mother made several comments about how sad it was that all of our kids would be in school next year.

See the Halos?

It started out great. The kids were so happy to see each other. They all went to the playground in the mall and I got a lot of shopping done. Then as I'm checking out my phone starts ringing. Not wanting to be rude I silence it and carry on my conversation with the clerk that's checking my purchases. It rings again. It's my mother. I apologize and answer and before I can get a hello out I hear..."Nikki get her!!! Heather?! Where are you??" It was a panic filled question like I had dropped my daughter off with her and high tailed it to another state. I reassured her I was almost finished and that I would meet her at the car. 

Bags in hand, I got to the car and the kids are all strapped in. They're playing gadgets and watching a cartoon...you can almost see their halos. My sister and mother looked a little worn around the edges. They had survived. At this point I kinda hate I missed all of the fun. We discuss our lunch choices and majority wins so we go to "The Peanut Restaurant."

The Peanut Restaurant has been a popular choice with the youngest females in our party for a couple of years now. My nephew has been in school so he didn't grow to love it as the younger two have. We pull into the parking lot and a look of panic hits his face. "I hate this place. I hate peanuts. I hate country!" It was the worst thing that has happened to him in a while. The girls try to persuade him but he has none of it. Finally with a stern threat from his mother he gets out of the car, but he's not happy.... and he definitely isn't eating a peanut.

We get them all pinned one of those big long booths. Drinks and menus and crayons are distributed. We're just about settled when the one on the very back (mine of course) has to go to the bathroom. Of course she does. What is it about kids and public restrooms? My sweet daughter always has to see every bathroom in every restaurant we patron. She's also a stiff critic. I swear she's gonna be a health inspector one day. She walks in and says "Oooh this one's nice." Or "ewww they need to clean this one." So I should expect this sudden urge to go but it sneaks up on me every time. 

My wonderful sister volunteers to go, so we all get up, let them out and then back in and finally we get settled to eat. The waitress brings our food, she forgets my mother's honey mustard (which also happens every single time... she needs a bottle for her purse). The kids are sucking down sprites like they haven't had drinks in months. My sister and mother and I eat as fast as we can, like animals at a feeding trough because we know that one of the children is going to lose it eventually and we want to at least eat half of the meal that we have to pay for. 

We get done. We get boxes for the chicken strips that none of the children ate and we wait patiently for our check. Patiently we wait for a minute. Then we panic. Where is she? Why hasn't she brought our check? These kids aren't going to make it much longer. What in the world is she doing?? My mother gives her the stare. It's an old teacher look. I honestly don't even think that my mother realizes that she's doing it. It is highly effective though. Server sees the stare and hurries back with the tickets. We pay and we get the heck out of dodge. 

We try a couple more stores but at this point we have lost all control of the children. They're climbing on clothes racks; Making faces in the dressing room mirrors; Bouncing on the little couches that they put out in front of the dressing rooms. We have three choices: punish them and risk being reported to DCS, ignore them and let them run wild and risk getting asked to leave the store, or call it a day and herd them all back to the car. We go with option 3 and pack them in for the last time.

On the way back to my car, (as one kid screams because her shoe fell off) my sister looks at me and I know exactly what she's thinking. This is our last trip with kids. Only it's not bittersweet anymore. It's hard earned and well fought for. We have earned this. See you in August shopping mall!!!