Day 1: (Sunday July 27th) Left San Bernardino around 8:45am. Had little ones with us and had a couple of vehicle mishaps but arrived safe and sound in Fallon around 8:15pm. Long trip, everyone is tired.
Day 2: (Monday July 28th) First day of the VBS. Decorating went well and had no problems securing the area of the park we were going to work at. Thought we were ready but God wanted to let us know He was in control, not us. A lot of the volunteers from the local church did not arrive to help us out. 40 children “signed in” that day but the physical count was 87 going through each section. Praise be to God.
Day 3: (Tuesday July 29th) Debriefed and changed plans to be a bit more organized. We were all prepared for a repeat of Monday but didn’t know we were competing against the local Farmer’s Market. Attendance was down to 16. We were able to give more one on one attention to those that did come.
Day 4: (Wednesday July 30th) Began to get into a rhythm and thanked God for all that He was doing in the children and us. Got a little insight into why the attendance dropped so dramatically. In years past, the church would have a block party in conjunction with their VBS and gave away prizes and this year they had to back away from it. A lot of the kids that showed up were asking us what they were going to get for being there. When they realized we weren’t doing the party, many didn’t come back. Should we try to draw a big crowd or draw those that we can sow the Word of God into? Question for all of us. Praise God we had 23 children attend.
Day 5: (Thursday July 31st) Last day. We rounded out the week with 27 children in attendance. The children that were there to the end sang the songs with enthusiasm and welcomed us to return next year. Their smiles warmed our hearts and we know that a piece of each of us will remain in Fallon. The families that welcomed us into their homes and took care of us while we were there may never know their impact in our lives.
Day 6: (Friday August 1st) On the road again. Left Fallon around 9:00am and arrived back in San Bernardino at 7:30pm. 8 people + 1045 miles + 1 city = 100+ children (ages 3 to 17) exposed to the love of Jesus. Amen.
Final note: Our team was invited to return next year to do another VBS. We discussed partnering with another church and are considering including a couple of days of prayer walking and flyer distribution prior to the VBS and concluding with a block party on Saturday. We also discussed including a small construction project with the next trip or even sending a second team at a different time to do a construction project. We are considering do next years VBS two weeks after IBC’s VBS to allow a week for rest and final preparation. Hopefully, with more time to plan, more of our class will be able to participate. Finally, Josh Shupe was invited to preach a three-night revival in conjunction with the VBS. Please continue to pray for him as decides whether or not to accept the invitation.
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