EBV (a.k.a., VBS)

I did not write last week because I was too tired. La Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones (Vacation Bible School) was last week. It was the first time Unidos por Cristo ever held their own escuela; usually they sent their kids to a nearby church’s VBS. There was no curriculum from Cokesbury, because Cokesbury doesn’t have any in Spanish. Yes, these kids are bilingual, but some of the mothers are not. However, the ladies decided that we have enough kids, we should do our own VBS, and they wrote their own curriculum for four days, two hours each day.

The Escuela was called “Niños y Niñas de Fe” (Boys and Girls of Faith). The Bible stories centered on those time when Jesus brought someone back from the dead, often because of the faith of their friends or loved ones.

Of course, we sang, because you can’t have VBS without music! Instead of figuring out how to burn music from YouTube onto CD, I hooked the church laptop up to the stereo system in the sanctuary. (Yes, the laptop is actually sitting on the altar.)


Out blasted “Levantate y Anda” (Get Up and Walk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAFMBinYnwI

and “El Siervo del Centurion” (The Centurion’s Servant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxvuFW5wTUA

The music director had the kids act out the scenes to “Levantate and Anda” – a mother who lost her son in the town of Nain, the man who lost his son, and the two sisters crying in Bethany over their brother, Lazarus. The refrain says (in my translation into English): “Get up and walk; I am the life. Get up and walk; you were born to live!”

A total of 24 different children attended, although never more than 21 on any given day. Eight mothers and five youth ran the show. Since they weren’t sure if I’d be there, I was only assigned to pray each day and to press the button for the music! The best VBS job ever! (My other job turned out to be giving rides when various family vans broke down; not a bad job, either, although a bit stressful when one van broke down on busy Greenville Blvd. God provided enough for the mom to turn the van into a parking lot before it gave out!)

On Friday, at the end of the week, we held a program in the evening for the parents and it was a smashing success! However, by Friday, I was worn out because I’d been at the church six days in a row, all day during the day each day. I was planning to stay at Joan’s parsonage Friday during the day, but workers came to install new fire/smoke alarms in the church building and unlike the workers installing the central a/c and heat, these guys didn’t have their own key. That meant I had to be there, too. The other reason I was worn out is that I take my strongest weekly rheumatoid arthritis medication on Saturday, in order to be at my best on Sunday. By the end of the week, my energy level is pretty low normally, and it was only lower because of being gone all week and VBS and no rest except in the evenings. I have still been recuperating this week.