VBS Reaches Kids...Here and in Kenya

By Lauria Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry 

At the end of June we invited our kids to come to VBS and travel to Athens, where they would learn about Paul’s dangerous journey to share the truth. I am so pleased to share with you that the kids definitely said yes to the invite and brought their friends too! This year we had 180 kids join us for a powerful week. They went to Paul’s theater and learned about his story of sharing Jesus with others. They participated in arena games as though they where in the Olympics. They made crafts, enjoyed food, had small group discussions, and celebrated Jesus through worship. It truly was an amazing time, proved by the smiles on their faces.

As fun as VBS was, it was also a time where 20 children made the decision to receive Christ for the first time. We also raised money for Empowering Lives International (ELI), an organization that supports children’s homes for the orphans in Kenya. ELI said that if we could raise $2,300, they would be able to purchase shoes for all of the 103 children in the village. So we set the goal before our kids and asked them to collect change and bring it back each night. And every night was truly a blessing. I am excited to share with you that they raised $5,005.07! God provided all that through the parents and children that partnered with us that week.

Through all of the wonderful things that happened during VBS, I owe all the volunteers a great big thank you! We had more than 60 people that got involved and helped throughout the week and this event could not have happened without all of their time, energy, patience, and excitement to be with the kids and share the love of Jesus.