VBS
The Stories: Seeing the joy in the kids’ eyes was fantastic. My own kids really enjoyed being a part of it. The kids here soak up all the attention. Its our hope that we have shown them a glimpse of God’s love and what it means to be a part of his family. Also, my son really came out of his shell during VBS and totally embraced it. –Joseph Paulson, Dalton, Ga.
In Brief: We do not provide your group with materials for VBS. You are responsible for bringing any supplies you would like to have to teach your lesson. The ministry blocks are 2 ½ hours each, but don’t feel like you have to plan to fill that much time. You will probably spend half an hour gathering the local children. Once you get through with whatever you plan for them, you can just play with the kids. Ages and group sizes are hard to guess until we start working in the colonias. Your project facilitator will call you at least a week prior to the trip and should be able to give you a better idea at that point as they will have already begun working in the colonia. For now, plan for 30.
The Vision: Vacation Bible School is your team’s opportunity to follow Jesus’ example of saying, “Let the children come unto me.” And if you invite them, they will come. The children of Matamoros will eat up all the attention you can spare! They are one of the forms in which “the least of these” come to us: insignificant and unimportant to the world—but oh so significant and important to the heart of God. He has a vision, a specific purpose, for the life of each of the children you will meet. They are created in His image. Let us pray that our ministry to them imparts a sense of significance and purpose over their lives. Let us pray they come away with a sense that God’s eye is on them, that He cares about the choices they are making and what they do with their lives—even when our world overlooks them. Let us pray that our ministry reveals to them the reality of God’s character—that He is a good and loving Father who is Present, not a distant, impartial reality or an uncaring master.
The Guidelines: On the practical end, you should have all received your VBS curriculum at this point. The number of days worth of material you received corresponds to the number of times that you will teach VBS. The curriculum does not build on itself. Each day can stand alone, so it will not really matter what day you are assigned to teach it. VBS will probably be held in the second ministry block, 3:30-6 pm, based on the school schedules in the colonias. Another American church will lead VBS in your colonia on the days of ministry that your group does not cover. Because the curriculum does not build on itself, you are free to use as much or as little of it as you like. If you have a curriculum that you like better, feel free to scrap what we sent and use your own. Feel free to adapt the curriculum to your group as you see fit. You will have one interpreter for VBS.
On teams that are asked to divide into multiple ministry groups, each group will only lead VBS once and some of the groups on your team may not get to lead VBS at all. For example, if your team is asked to divide into four ministry groups but you were only sent three days of VBS curriculum, then one of your ministry groups will not participate in VBS at all, while the other three should each be prepared to lead a separate day of VBS. If your team is divided into three ministry groups and you received three days of VBS, then each group leads VBS one time. For example, one of your groups could lead VBS Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday, teaching a different day of the curriculum each day. You also have the option of assigning one adult from your team to be a permanent overseer of VBS. This adult would work with VBS every time you have a group leading it and would then forfeit some other ministry opportunities.
Keep give-a-ways to a minimum. They can easily become a distraction from the Gospel or a substitute for relationship. Most of the time the best gift you can give these kids is your attention. Play games with them, hold them, laugh with them, pray with them, sing with them, kick a soccer ball with them, etc. Learn their names, remember them, call them by name through the week, and take their names home to pray for them. Let them know that they have an identity—that God knows them by name. Don’t just tell them about yourself, or about the Bible, but find out who they are—let them know that you are interested in their life. If you choose to give things away, hold it until the end of the day or the end of the week. And try to be creative with what you give. Yes, kids love candy. But we are ministering in an area where the diabetes rate is astronomical due to poverty, lack of education, and poor diets. Do we really want to keep supplying them with empty calories—teaching them to crave the thing on which they might waste their money and harm their well-being—and attach Jesus to something that is sweet to the taste but not really fulfilling? Or do we want to give them something lasting, like the One who says that those who come to Him will never be thirsty or go hungry? Having said that, we won’t prohibit you from giving away candy, or give you dirty looks if you do. We just ask you to put some thought and prayer into what you choose to give away—to exercise consideration and good conscience—to look beyond the afternoon that you will spend with these children into their future. And if you still feel like a sweet treat is the way to go, distribute it with wisdom, joy, and above all love—for love covers a multitude of sins!
Lord, I pray that all we give this summer will be motivated by love and that we will prayerfully consider how to best communicate your love to those we minister to. Amen.
