VBS 2015

It is Friday morning and our entire household is sleeping in after a fun and amazing week at VBS 2015.  

The theme this year was Thailand Trek and our two youngest have loved it so much.  I know VBS is exhausting for everyone but it. is. so. worth. it.  There is nothing like taking an entire week to focus on God and to fellowship with your church family.  VBS is time and money well spent!  One night Bryan, our worship minister, and David were in the sanctuary getting ready for opening and I heard my sweet boy belting out I Am by David Crower.  I then got this picture texted to me :) 

Hope and Sydney!  This girl is blessed with some sweet christian friends and that makes me so happy.  

This also makes me so happy.  They learned this week that God's love is real! It makes me so happy that our church values VBS - some church are getting away from doing it but blessedly FUMC has an army of volunteers that show up to make it happen each year.  

So, this year I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week with this huge and amazing group of mostly middle schoolers.  The youth Director's husband has been very ill in the hospital this week and so I have tried to fill her shoes.  The 6th and 7th graders for VBS were doing a love your neighbor study and focusing on local community mission projects.  We visited some church folks at their homes and in the nursing home, we volunteered at the food pantry at church, we made a meal for Jackie and her family, and last night we ended by volunteering at Sprouting Hope, our community garden.  

Here we are learning some cool stuff about gardening!  This community garden is amazing.  What a wonderful ministry and opportunity we have right here in Marion.  

Kyle harvesting tomatoes!  Some of our group harvested and some planted onions last night.  

Here are our youth visiting Mrs. Wampler, who is 104, in the nursing home.  We baked cookies and made cards to share with those that we went to visit.  Jackie's original plan for these sixth and seventh graders was to introduce them to youth and get them comfortable with each other, and to learn the importance of loving their neighbor.  I think her vision was a success!  

On Wednesday of this week Mike took Hope to her splash bash for her swim program that she has been in this summer.  She has loved it so much and her times really improved over the summer! We are so proud of our little swimmer girl. 

Thanks to sweet swim Mom friends I got this picture texted to me as well.  Here are our little girls lining up to dive off of the block!  Thanks Meg and Margie for a wonderful summer of swim. 

This week has been full, but the awesome kind of full.  There is nothing like being in God's house night after night, learning about Him and spending time with our church family.  I have loved every minute of spending time with these youth and seeing my youngest two learn about our God makes me so happy.  VBS is exhausting, but my heart has been full watching these youth love their neighbor and serve the one that loves us all so much.