Thank you to everyone who

Summer Stretch

140 middle schoolers

20 high school leaders

nAudrey Nistle

Preschool Vacation Bible School (VBS)

140 preschoolers, 90 youth leaders

InternAnna Stenerson

Closing worship was my favorite!

On day one of elementary VBS, I heard meek voices attempt to learn songs and share the daily theme with still bodies nervous to “share the peace” with new peers. The final day, I heard a stellar choir with memorized lyrics, dancing, a roar of voices sharing the daily theme, and peace shared with as many new friends as they could find! Perhaps the most special part of worship was during calmer songs, when kids swayed in the pews, arms wrapped around each other in kindness and love. Seeing confidence and compassion grow within each child was an endearing indicator of success in the programs!

On the morning of the first day of the second week of Elementary VBS, it was a mix of previous volunteers & brand new ones—everyone was a little quiet. We played a few games together, had morning devotion, then on to a day of VBS fun. At the end-of-day meeting, a handful of students were excited to share highlights from the day and connect. As the next couple days passed and the volunteers did more activities together, they became more comfortable. Students’ connections grew as many were participating in morning devotions and leading prayers for the group to start the day! I saw volunteers leading games they had learned, working together in small groups. Closing meetings that once took a mere five minutes nearly tripled in length because every volunteer had a highlight & a story. You could truly see God’s presence working through them as they not only genuinely enjoyed volunteering with the elementary students but also enjoyed connecting with each other!