Blog

Three years ago, I met cousins Robert (8)* and Phillip (5)* while participating in the Juntos tutoring program.  Robert and Phillip had a special relationship, relying on each other for support and encouragement.  Over the course of time, I would learn why. 

During the “get-acquainted” portion of the program, Robert told me that he lived with his mom and some men whose names he didn't know.  At this time, Robert was very much on edge and obviously nervous about almost everything.  My heart broke for him.

Over the next several months, during weekly study-halls, I found that simply keeping Robert's focus on anything nondestructive was a success.  He was constantly acting up, misbehaving, and being destructive. Eventually, I learned that both boys were routinely pulled out of their home in the middle of the night by child protective services.  Yet, I would see them the next day and they would act as if nothing had happened.  One foster family told me how the boys would sleep with the lights on, their dog at their sides, their lives filled with fear and uncertainty.

But my time with them was special.  I would play ball with them, read to them, and help out with Phillip’s art interests.  Tutoring of school subjects became secondary to building a trusting, healthy relationship.  In reality, I may have been the only adult male they knew who treated them with respect, love, and encouragement.

Eventually, we began to discuss things of significance: like what they might do with their lives and how to deal with hard times, like when an older school friend was killed on the street.  The weight of the issues these children deal with is staggering!  Robert, though, still had challenges.  He was kicked out of one school for fighting.  Still, I always tried to let them know they were loved. 

It was often with the simplest gestures that real relationship was formed. When I brought his favorite pineapple-and-bacon pizza to our meeting, Phillip was amazed that I had listened to what he told me.

Fast forward three years.  Robert and Phillip are still involved with Juntos.  There have been some improvements in their family life, but times are still tough.  After a recent meeting, though, I reflected on the remarkable transformation in their lives.  Robert is more controlled, shows less anger, and seems like a genuinely happy soul.  Phillip, always a smiler, now has a focus to his activities and is excited to be learning and growing.  I believe the love and care these boys received at Juntos changed the paths of their lives.  They still have hard times ahead (as do we all), but they can take heart in the promise of Jesus: that through Him we can overcome this world.

How can you be part of this miracle-making program?   You can volunteer your time and show a child he or she really is loved.   And, after 12 years of stories like this, Juntos is finally able to work toward purchasing a permanent facility in the target neighborhood!  With suitable buildings becoming available, the funding needs are significant, but certainly achievable.  A new facility negates costly van transportation and increases access.  Click here to donate to the building fund.

(Individual photo taken by Jasmine Mostrom)

Nicole Barker has been a part of MCC's Vacation Bible School for 10 years. She's seen the best of VBS and been challenged by VBS. She's seen awesome teachers, awesome children and an awesome God who always provides and who is constantly reaching out and drawing near to those who love Him, seek Him and many times to those who are hearing His name for the very first time! This is her end of year review after VBS 2013.  

The theme of VBS 2013 for me personally has been GOD’s Provision. God has been providing every step of the way. In the beginning we needed to put a team of VBS workers together, and God kept bringing people to us wanting to help with VBS. Our biggest ‘hole’ was a Preschool Leader – a very BIG job!

I was ready to take Preschool out of VBS, but Val suggested we wait to see what God would do. Sure enough, a perfect Preschool Leader volunteered, and worked hard to get her plans together in a week.

GOD gave our workers fabulous ideas! Registration became a ‘Ticket Counter’ to ‘purchase’ tickets for “Joe’s Time Travel Adventures”! A ‘silly idea’ about drawing pictures became a week long art class creating a Keepsake book that shares the Gospel for each child to take home.

We needed a helper to ‘shadow’ a specific child. We had a young lady attend MCC the morning that we announced the need for VBS workers, and she volunteered.

At one of our meetings, we shared the need for a ‘shadow’ helper. She called me a couple of days later saying that she could not stop thinking about the little boy. She talked with the mother, and a Match was made! The little boy related to her in a very special way. They will continue their friendship even after VBS is over.

The week leading up to VBS we had a guest at our planning meeting, and she said, “I can do that!” to all of our last minute needs! What a burden she took off of us!

The day before VBS started our last ‘holes’ were filled: a couple of Tour Guide Assistants and other helpers. Every day we had a small ‘hole’, but I was never worried; I just waited to see who God would bring. On Thursday a dad came to VBS. He had taken the day off of work to be at VBS to observe and to fill in wherever he was needed. We needed some awnings put up quickly because it looked like rain; he was there to get them up. Then a Tour Guide Leader had to leave early because her child became ill. The dad took her group and carried on beautifully! WHY would a dad be at VBS ‘just because’? Because GOD was providing!

I needed a substitute for the Tour Guide Leader for Friday. I asked someone and she was unavailable, but she suggested someone else. That person agreed – and is the mother of the Tour Guide Assistant for that group – one of my last minute Assistants! GOD put mother and son into the same group from the very beginning.

We had a last minute idea to purchase t-shirts for all of the children. GOD provided the screen-printer AND volunteers to coordinate the tie-dying. The bill for the shirts was over $800, and only half of the money had come in. The t-shirt coordinator was worried about the difference. What do you suppose God did? Yep, He brought in all but $40 to cover the bill. The t-shirt coordinator was ready to write a check for the difference, but I challenged her to wait and see what God would do.

And that does not include the small things: someone had acetaminophen for a worker who was getting a migraine; someone else had a thermometer to check the temperature of a little one; teens cleaned up trash after a bear visited the dumpster – more than once! (and I didn’t hear a single complaint!) Tour-Guides were patient and flexible when things didn’t go exactly as planned; Children attended who had never heard the name Jesus except as a curse word; they had never heard of Noah’s ark or Moses! These children heard that Jesus died for their sins!

What a pleasure it was to watch GOD provide for the little ones to hear HIS GOOD NEWS!

To GOD be the Glory!

How have you every experienced God stepping up to meet you, moment after moment, day after day? Have you seen and recognized His hand in your life today? How he provided when you least expected? Be watching, He does it ALL the time and we get to see it if only we have the eyes to see!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been involved in VBS in some way. I have been in VBS since preschool but the earliest thing I can remember is going to the market during the Jerusalem themed week.

Every year, the theme changed and that’s part of what made it so exciting. It was like every VBS was completely different each season and it made the experience better overall.

As I went from a participant to a volunteer, the role was different but I still felt very much a part of VBS because I was involved in the day to day activities.

The experience was something that reinforced what I had already learned at Sunday school and other church-related activities I participated in.

VBS is something that I’ve looked forward to each year as a child and it’s something that I still feel is important to me since I get to spend time with children and grow as a leader.

It's cool to grow relationships with kids on a personal level and watch them become more confident. They begin asking and answering questions and as a leader, it's extremely rewarding to watch them mature and transform.

One of the greatest privileges in this life is watching God’s pursuit of someone.

Mandy seemed too cool for VBS.  She was just visiting for the summer, living with her grandma who happened to be the neighbor of a family that attend Mountain Christian Church.  The kids in the family had spent quite a bit of time with Mandy and had invited her to join them for Mountain’s VBS. 

Things didn’t exactly go off without a hitch.  On Day 1, Mandy seemed overwhelmed by all the music and dancing (and possibly, all the adults pretending to be spies), preferring to stand in the back and watch. 

On Day 2, she wouldn’t even participate in the games. 

On Day 3, I asked all the volunteers to pray for her; and on that day, she participated only in the craft time…and loved it.  While creating something, Mandy opened up to me about her love for art.  Suddenly, she couldn’t stop talking. 

On Day 4, I caught Mandy dancing and singing along during music time. 

And on Day 5….

On Day 5, we had an excellent Bible teaching about how the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and fill our lives.  We’d spent the previous 4 days walking through the gospel, step by step.  The teaching for Day 5 was the culmination of it all.  Afterward, while we were walking down to game time at the basketball court, Mandy asked about the lyrics to a song we’d been singing all week:

“God is the real deal…not a figure on the wall”

“What does that mean?” she asked.  “How is God different from Buddha or saints or anything else?”

I about jumped out of my skin, I was so excited.  We spend so much time telling kids stuff. She was asking.

What ensued was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with anyone about who God really is, why He is different from all other gods, and how having a relationship with Him is possible.  Yeah—I told her how much He loved her too.

During snack time, I asked Mandy if she’d ever read anything out of the Bible.  She said she didn’t own one, as she’d only been to church a few times.  She was pretty thrilled as I set out a number of Bibles for her to choose from to take home for her very own. 

We talked over the importance of seeking God in His word, as He has revealed so much of Himself on those pages.  I wrote a little note on the inside cover and gave her a few suggestions on where to start.  Her ride arrived shortly after, but when she was almost out the door, she turned back around and ran to give me a huge bear hug.

The woman who drove Mandy home that day said that she’d spent her time in the car asking the other kids about their favorite Bible verses so that she could look them up and mark them in her Bible.

I don’t know where Mandy is now or what she is doing; but I do know that God was after her that week. 

It struck me that every piece of the VBS program…the music, the crafts, the teaching, the games, the snacks, the donated Bibles, those who invited her, and those who drove her, were all used by God to draw her heart to His own.  Every single volunteer had a hand in God’s pursuit of Mandy and 80 other kids that year. 

Could there be a greater privilege than to be used by our heavenly Father to open a child’s eyes to the truth?

Now, I must fully disclose all the facts: VBS is work.  VBS costs.  If you are to lend a hand in any capacity for VBS, you will sacrifice time or money or energy or sanity all of these and more. 

However, the transformation that is wrought during that week (and don’t think that I’m just referring to the kids) is so much greater than the cost that it is not worthy of comparison with it. 

And I’ve said nothing of the parents we serve and the ways in which entire families are impacted that week.  Have I told you about my friend who only started coming to Mountain Christian Church because her son attended VBS? 

How we had the privilege of witnessing her coming to accept Jesus as her savior months before she passed away?  Well…a story for another time. 

Would you prayerfully consider being a part of VBS this July?  Come experience the privilege of being a part of God’s pursuit of these precious kids in our community! 

I can say this with confidence: you’ll never be the same!

Visit our VBS page to learn about how you can get involved!