Kenya 2012 or Bust!!!

   I am so excited to be preparing for the next VBS for our Kenya mission trip that will, Lord willing, happen in February 2012!

   Last time in 2009 was the first time I ever managed a VBS in any way, needless to say I was very inexperienced and thought I knew what to expect….boy, was I in for a real surprise! I can still remember the panicky feeling growing as I realized I had only a day to reconstruct my whole “program”!  But God took the material and my inexperience and made it work so well that over 12 children were brought into Heavens fold.

   Last year I was blessed to have several Lifeway programs given to me to assist me. But this year I find myself wanting to teach them more than the basics. The Lord has led me to construct my own curriculum with His help. I plan on using some Ken Ham material as well.

My basic outline is this:

   Days 1 and 2:  we’ll answer life’s questions: Who is God? Why was I created? Why am I here? I plan on letting them ask their own questions as well. I want to take their cultural and spiritual “pulse” to understand what they’re thinking, where they’re coming from and get their world view. We’ll then proceed to look at passages in the Bible and answer these questions and set the foundation for teaching them about whom Jesus is and His relevancy to our lives.

   Days 3 and 4 we’ll move on to:  Who is Jesus?  Why do we need Him as a sacrifice for our sins? What is sin?  Why Jesus’ resurrection is also vital to the Gospel, why Jesus needs to be Lord of our lives and why it’s not enough to just believe that God exists, we must surrender to Him. At this point we’ll present the Gospel and ask if anyone wants to ask God for forgiveness and commit their lives to Him. I also want to take the opportunity during this time to explain about prayer. I will not lead them through the common “ask Jesus into your heart” prayer but I will explain that through prayer we talk to God and Jesus just like we’re talking to each other now. It’s my hope that I’ll be able to talk to each child that wants to make a commitment; although I am open to flexibility, one on one time with a child for this type of decision is very important.

   Days 5 and 6 we’ll address: what happens next now that they’ve accepted Jesus as their Savior, abiding in Christ, the importance on standing firm in their Faith, showing Christ’s love to others and basic apologetics. It’s my goal for the children who are already saved that these days will help them to expound upon their spiritual knowledge and if all goes as I have been praying for, then maybe have them give testimonies to the new Christians in the class and give examples of what being a Christian means to them.

   The school system there meets 6 days a week from about 7am-5pm. I assume I’ll have about 1-2 hours to have classes. Also, each day we’ll have verses to learn and memorize. Depending on funding, I want to have coloring sheets and pictures for teaching aids. God has already blessed and provided plenty of crayons for the children, I just need to copy and laminate the coloring pages and teaching aids. Daily crafts would be beyond wonderful but I have already decided that no matter what the trip budget is, on day 3 and 4, we’re making bracelets for the kids to wear as a reminder of the Gospel and teach them to use it as an evangelistic tool.

   I have always had a heart for ministering to children. It’s is my endeavor to give them the tools necessary to grow in their faith and to teach them that the Bible isn’t just a book filled with nice stories but that it is the standard for all Truth and it’s a living and active sword.

   Please pray for me and for the children that God will use me and the material to have a lasting and changing impact on the hearers. When the classes are over and the children go back to their normal school routines, I want them to never forget what happened the previous week!