So a good portion of my time in the Philippines was spent in my room on the computer planning a week long Vacation Bible school for the kids that attend the christian school. I planned for about 200 kids and spend hours and hours working alone while others went and did prison ministry, worked with street kids, did ministry with a street magazine, worked in a dump, even did some construction work. Every day when the others came home I felt like I had wasted my day while they did ministry.
The Sunday before VBS began I worked all day setting up the stage and getting all the last minute details put together. Our theme was Galactic blast. It was about how God was creator of the entire universe and still loves us. We had a cardboard rocket-ship on stage with a black background covered in stars and planets. It looked really good. It was the first time I thought maybe all my planning was paying off.
The next morning we had about 75-80 kids show up, 15 late of course, we were in the Philippines. The kids were rowdy and hard to control but seemed to be having a good time. At the end of each day the people helping me and myself were so tired. I felt a time or two about asking if it was worth it. Maybe we should have just played dodge ball with the kids. Then at the end of one session I asked the kids what they learned and if they could recite the memory verse for the day. It was day 4. ” The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” Psalm 29:4
The voice of the Lord is powerful and full of majesty and I realized that through VBS the Lord was speaking not only to the kids but to us.
We only had about 4 days in Manilla after VBS was over but all the kids in the orphanage and on the street were asking me why we weren’t having VBS this week and dancing and sing the songs. Songs that were proclaiming that God is love and that He will always love them.
The ministry God gave me last month wasn’t glamorous and was much more behind the scenes than I am use to but He taught me a lot about what it means to serve and to look for God to move in ways that aren’t always the biggest.
I couldn’t have said this 30 days ago but, Thank God for VBS!
