As I write this, I’m in the midst of preparing for our fourth night of this week’s Vacation Bible School, “Crocodile Dock”.  What an adventure this has been!  Already, we’ve had the opportunity to get to know more than sixty kids (more than half of whom don’t attend OBCC!), and share the love of Christ with them.  I’ve been blessed to see our team of volunteers work hard at preparing new lessons and activities each day this week.  Many of our dedicated kids workers have gotten involved, but I’ve been pleased to see a few new faces as well!  We’ve become a great team.

To be honest, organizing the “Crocodile Dock” had me more than just a little nervous over the past few weeks.  It’s been more than ten years since I was involved with a Vacation Bible School – and at that one, I only had to plan the music!  I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough supplies, then I was worried that we’d have too many.  I fretted about the slow sign-up, but then felt overwhelmed when more and more calls started coming in.  At first, I complained that there wasn’t enough material to keep the kids interested, but as time went on I began to wonder how I was going to fit everything in!  I’ll admit that I stressed over the “how to’s” of this event more than I’ve stressed over anything else in a long time!  Does that sound familiar?

You know what?  All my stress and worry was for naught.  It usually is!  On Monday night, when the kids began to arrive, our dedicated staff gathered them in small groups and began to get to know them better.  I watched as the music played for our first songs, and kids faces began to light up as they tried to learn all the words and motions.  I marveled at how they responded to the Bible stories, created wonderful crafts, competed in games, and ran to serve one another during the snack time.  Best of all was the closing of the first night, when I watched kids that we had only just met seek out a particular leader for a quick “goodbye” hug, and a promise to return tomorrow.

Since then, several parents have shared with me (sometimes through tears) about how thrilled they are to hear their kids sing our songs and recite their Bible verses throughout the day.  Many kids have returned for day two or three with their friends from the neighborhood.  Kids with no other exposure to the gospel message are learning the love of Christ.

I’m proud of the many workers who have taken a risk in dedicating their time and talent this week to invest in the next generation.  I’m especially proud of the ones who have never worked with kids before, but responded to the Holy Spirit’s call and joined our team.  I’m glad that I took the risk to get involved at a “hands-on” level, rather than just filling out the paperwork and approving the budget.  I look forward to our next opportunity to extend the Kingdom of God.

Pray for us tonight . . . we’ll be sharing the message of the cross.  God is doing a great thing in the lives of children in this generation!