VBS-Very Blessed Service!

Hi!

This past week was our community VBS. Five years ago four of the churches in Red Cloud banded together to provide a VBS program for our community. Our church hosted the first one five years ago so it was our turn again to host it this year.

Steven Washburn our intern with Moody Bible Institute and VM (aka our spiritual son) needed to do an summer outreach in order to fulfill the requirements of his internship with us. So we assigned him to be the director of VBS this year. As we began the planning this summer Steven commented that VBS should stand for Very Busy Schedule, my thoughts were Very Blessed Service. You see I was saved at age 7 during the VBS that my home church sponsored for two weeks in June right before wheat harvest. Since serving with Village Missions a passion of mine has been to provide a quality VBS where kids come in contact with the Word of God, some for the first time in their lives. Seeds are planted that may come to fruition at a latter time when a kid remembers something they were taught at VBS. One of my passions is exposing kids to Gods word. That is why I help out in our Team Kids program during the school year. I'm not a teacher but I love being part of the support group that helps kids come to an understanding of what God's word says and how it can be applied to their lives.

This past week at VBS I took on a role that I hadn't done before. I was a group leader for Grades 1-3. I had prayed about my involvement and this is where the Lord was directing me to be. I knew going into the week that it would have its challenges. I knew many of the 13 kids I had charge over very well and knew just how they operated. I also knew that not too many people would probably volunteer to take this group because of many behavior issues. So even though I was tired going into the week, I stepped out and walked by faith into my role as their leader. You may ask me why I would even attempt to put myself in this position. Because I am concerned with their souls. I think if we would look at people in a new and different way we would see their lostness first and see what is really at stake. Eternity in Heaven or Hell.

Today in our church service we were sharing about VBS and I felt the Holy Spirit say "Ask them to pray about helping with the Team Kids program this fall." So I stepped out in faith and asked our church people to consider if the Lord may be calling them to help this fall. After church two men came up and said they wanted to be a part of our Team Kids program this fall. This has been a five year prayer of mine that we might have some willing men to step up and help the three women and several teens who have been leading this group for the past several years.
I have been asking the Lord to show himself to me and He really did this morning as I was blessed with these men volunteering for service.

Psalms 37:3-7 says "Trust in the LORD and do good;dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

That is what I have been doing in so many things, just waiting and praying that God would move. It isn't up to me to know when and how He will do it, but to wait patiently and watch where he is working. He was working this past week during VBS. What a joy to see a girl come to know Jesus as her personal Savior, To see kids excited about the Bible Teaching time and to see 25 adults working together in the unity that only Christ can bring. On the last night when I was tired and spent out and ready to come home, one little girl who challenged me each night with her behavior, wrapped her arms around my waist and told me thank you and that she loved me. Wow! Was that Jesus at his best speaking to me through her that it was worth it all.

So as I close this for this week, I would ask for your prayers as this next week is very busy with graduation plans as Hannah will be graduating from our homeschool next Saturday, August 1st. I sure don't know where these past 18 years have gone but I do know that I have a heart full of memories as the Lord has allowed me to train and build into her life over the years. I know I will shed an ocean of tears as this stage of our lives comes to a close. Happy tears of what the Lord has done as I have waited on Him to work!

Blessings,

Deb