{vbs} 

For the last two years, I have volunteered to help my aunt teach 1st grade VBS about an hour away from my home. Every year, I say to myself, “This is overwhelming and I cannot do it next year!” Getting all of the bible lessons planned,  copying and cutting out craft materials, making arrangements for someone to feed the farm, packing up clothes for a week for my daughter and I (including clothes to wear each morning and swimsuits to play on the lake in the afternoons), packing up supplies and decorations for our VBS room, and spending a week away is all a little chaotic for a homebody like me who likes everything organized and planned and hates to ask for help!

  
Each year I spend two or three weeks getting my lessons prepared, planning decor, and gathering all of the materials I need. I spend countless hours researching biblical history to make sure I can fully explain each lesson in a way those sweet kiddos can understand! Every time I begin to work on something VBS related, I always {always} ::always:: start with a prayer asking God to use my words and actions to show each child the love of ~JESUS~ and the importance of salvation! I plead with God to open the hearts and  minds of those young children to accept HIM as Savior! 

I am physicALLy and emotionaLLy exhausted at the end of each day during the week! Yet, I can’t wait to wake up and do it all again! 

Sitting in a close knit circle on the floor watching each child intently and eagerly hanging onto each word of the Bible story and ask questions about the Bible characters, the plot of the story, what It means to sin, or what it means to accept Jesus, is something you can only truly appreciate when you experience it first hand! 

Of course, we always have those few kiddos that test our patience and act silly! When they are “swimming” in our “waterfall”, crawling under the tables, throwing the stuffed snakes, or whatever else they can find to do to be a distraction, I often wonder why in the world am I doing this? I could be floating in the swimming pool soaking up some sun, relaxing in the recliner watching Netflix, or playing at the splash pad with my sweet girl! 

But, then, there’s that {precious}moment I wish I could freeze in time. That small little moment one child says, 

“Ms. Rachel, what do we do if we think there’s something wrong and we need Jesus?” 

And, there, in that short 30 second span built into the 72,000 seconds I spend with those kids during the week, is the EXACT reason I exhaust all of that energy into every small detail of my week! 

Often, we don’t understand why God places us in certain situations. However, I can attest to the idea that when you open your heart and time to Jesus and invite Him to work through you, He will do things beyond your realm of imagination! 

This sweet boy accepted Jesus this week! 💙💚

  

On another note, I got to spend some quality time with lots of family!! Here’s a sneak peek of some of our adventures! 

 
 Happy Trails my friends! 💛Rachel 

Let ALL that you do be done in {LOVE} I Cor. 16:14