Last week Mason, Hannah Kate and I attended Vacation Bible School at Grosse Tete Baptist Church in Louisiana. That small country church in the midst of a Catholic community draws over 100 children to VBS each year. I served there when I was a summer missionary in 1999, and I have had the privilege of going back most every summer since then for VBS. I always look forward to it, and this year was no exception. I had such a great time with the kids, and of course Mason and Hannah Kate loved staying at PawPaw and MawMaw's house. I led the Worship Rally and taught the music rotation (Music Falls). I also taught the youth girls' Bible study the last two days of VBS. We're already looking forward to next year!Creative and artistic I am not! So I have to admit that my least favorite part of VBS is always decorating! For Music Falls, I was determined to transform the sanctuary into a waterfall overlook. So after four hours of hanging paper, twisting vines, placing flowers and making the waterfall, I was pretty happy with the outcome. Okay, so I had a little help from a picture I found on the internet . . .
After I decorated Music Falls, I helped decorate the fellowship hall for the worship rally. It was a long day, but Hannah Kate was such a trooper. She was by my side the whole time. She loved scooting around in the walker. It was a new adventure for her because we don't have a walker with wheels, only a stationary exersaucer. But it finally got the best of her. She "crashed" and took a little nap in the walker.
Mason could hardly wait to get up each morning to go to Bible School and play with "the kids." And he was even more thrilled that cousin Abbie was there, too. She was a big helper each morning while I was getting ready for the worship rally. She's a great babysitter!
Mason and Hannah Kate enjoyed their class. Mrs. Freida, Mrs. Rhonda and Mrs. Judy (not my mother-in-law!) were their teachers. Mason had a great time playing with Bryant and Coy while Hannah Kate mostly played with Gavin. She was the only girl in the class, but that didn't bother her. She received plenty of extra attention.
We had Family Night on Thursday evening. All of the kids sat in the front and reviewed their Bible stories and memory verses for their parents. I stood on a platform in the middle of the aisle and led them in all of the new songs they had learned. Mason was sitting in the audience with Abbie and Aunt Ashley. I was so focused on the children that I was not paying attention to where they were sitting. I only knew that as long as I didn't hear either Mason or Hannah Kate, everything was fine. At the end of the program, Ashley's mom and sister asked me how Mason knew all of the sign language to the songs. They said he was standing up in a chair doing the motions with the kids while they sang. I told them that he actually practiced the songs with me while I was learning them, but I didn't realize he remembered them. My mother-in-law took several pictures of him while he was doing the sign language with us. I only wish I would've looked over at him to see him doing it!
The best thing about leading the music rotation is that I have the opportunity to interact with and teach all of the kids, ages kindergarten through 12th grade. All of these kids hold a really special place in my heart. On the last day of VBS, I took pictures of each class (except kindergarten) in front of my waterfall. I also wanted to get a picture of Mason and Hannah Kate in front of the waterfall, but . . . well . . . you can see how that one turned out.
And then Mason opened his presents. He received so many fun toys, most of which he specifically asked for and some of which were surprises to him.
