On The Peak

As I stood surveying the empty sanctuary on Sunday, I marveled at how quickly our week of Vacation Bible School had went. Wasn't it just last week that we were frantically cutting out lily pads and searching for matzo crackers?!? It seemed to zoom by and I am left in a small debris field with a smile.
Our theme for the week was Crocodile Dock where fearless kids shine God's light. The setting was a bayou with lots of fishing equipment and, in a surprise appearance, a nine foot crocodile we named Ed. The volume for the week was very loud and the smiles were high voltage.
We were blessed with 36 kids last week - a record attendance in my ministry at Mandan UMC. I always plan for 40 and came pretty close to scrambling for supplies after the first night. No one is complaining -- it's wonderful to have a preschool class of ten children and have only three of them from Mandan UMC. At one point, I had about five of them lined up at my work table with their baby teeth grins telling me about Moses and the burning bush. Many of them had a firmer grasp of the story than some adults I know. This conversation declined into a jumping contest. "Look how high I can jump." "I can jump higher, see?" "Are you watching?" I am still smiling as I replay that moment in my mind.
Most of the adults worked a forty hour week in addition to the almost four hours of vacation bible school they led each night. By Thursday, my merry band of leaders were not so very merry. They were tired and looked a little rough around the edges. However, they did rebound during worship and did the actions to every song with enthusiasm that hid their fatigue. I have an amazing group of volunteers!! They do childrens' ministry because they love these children. Telling the story about Jesus' love for all of God's children is such a privilege; I often think if more people figured that out, I'd be out of a job!
We did experience some technical difficulty during the week, but our crack team of experts had it fixed in no time. I truly believe God wanted us to remember who was in charge ~ Him! The Thursday night story always includes the salvation message. This is probably one of the most important things I will ever do. I really prayed that I would get it right. Looking over my notes ten minutes before going into worship on Thursday night, I knew that something was lacking. Closing myself in the office for a bit of one-on-one with God, I asked for His words. Standing in front of the lit cross praying we wouldn't blow a curcuit or burn down the building, I knew that God would be honored that night, regardless of what I did. I wasn't disappointed.
Friday night finished with a flourish as we crossed the Red Sea and everyone hustled home for some well deserved sleep. Some of us went for a "DQ debriefing" and enjoyed a bit of ice cream while unwinding. I was sad. It had been a great week and I would miss it. When the DQ people started to lock up, we dispersed into the night, visions of sleeping late Saturday dancing in our heads.
Sunday morning, we celebrated our VBS closing worship. The little ones showed up in their pretty sundresses and sandals. The teenagers showed up sleep deprivated and a little giddy. I was, very surprisingly, cool, calm and collected. Very seldom do I ever hit any one of these on a given Sunday, but God was with me that day! We had a great attendance. As the kids rocked out to our new songs and the congregation caught glimpses of our week in the Power Point presentation, I gave thanks to God for using someone like me to do this amazing ministry. Who deserves this much? My cup runneth over!
As the last decorations were taken down and Ed was carried to his next destination, I stood on the summit, my heart took a picture and I started my climb back to reality and routine. After seeing the awesome sights that God had revealed to me, I know that I will soon be planning next years' journey. Destination: The High Seas. Guess I'll have to trade in my parka for some scuba gear. Does anyone have some adult-sized water wings?!?