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Day 2, The Story of Lazarus
Today was my day to tell a story!
Of course, once again, I am bound not to publish photos of the kids who were there, but I did crop them so you could see them working on the children's mission blankets.
In the first photo, I am in character. I told the kids about Lazarus, how he was my friend, and how he had gotten sick, and his sisters had sent for Jesus, but Jesus didn't come in time to heal Lazarus. I told them how Lazarus had died. And how I thought Jesus should have come to help his friend.
Then there was a knock at the door, and the voice on the other side of the door claimed he was Lazarus! Well, I didn't believe him... it was a sick joke, I told the kids. But the voice on the other side of the door recalled some of our childhood pranks, and soon I was convinced it must be Lazarus, and was stunned when he finally walked into the room, carrying a pile of his grave cloths.
He told me and the kids the amazing story of how he had died, and how he had heard Jesus call his name. Even he seemed surprised, but once I got my senses about me, I was able to hug my friend and tell him how glad I was that he was alive.
Soon Lazarus had to leave us, but he left behind his grave cloths. I told the kids how incredible Jesus must be to stand outside a tomb and call "Lazarus, come out!" and then for the dead Lazarus to actually come out... alive and well. Only He has the power over death. Jesus is our Life!
Then, so the kids would remember the story, we took strips of the grave cloths, I gave the kids pens, and we wrote on the strips "Jesus is _____'s life." The kids had to write their names in the blank. We said a prayer asking Jesus to help us make him number one in our lives. Finally, I told them I had to go to the party to celebrate Lazarus's new life, but they should take the grave cloth strips with them, use them as bookmarks, and as reminders that Jesus is our life!
VIVA!!
I must say here, before ending this entry, that the young man who agreed to play Lazarus is the son of my best friend, Alyson. He, his mother, and his sister had just returned from a week long vacation trip to visit family in New York. He had taken the script with him, and memorized all his lines while he was away. Neither of us practiced in each other's presence before we put on our little play. He showed up ten minutes early, I gave him his 'costume' and we discussed where he'd stand, where I'd stand, and how loud he'd have to talk through the almost closed door. That was all the rehearsal time we got.
He played his part quite well, not missing a beat, nor a line. Volunteers like this young man are what makes VBS so meaningful and exciting.
The kids were focused during the entire story... not one of them talked out... I saw it in their upturned faces.... they were listening. And it's not that I'm such a great storyteller, but that I had a great story to tell!
We had to pose for the picture after the story was told, though, because during the story, the lighting in the room was too dim for a good picture. But I'm sure I looked that happy when I hugged my friend Lazarus during the story.
After the kids left, they went into the crafts activity. During that time they learned about the blanket mission, where Group VBS and International Bible Society are working together to send one million blankets to kids in Spanish speaking countries. The blankets come in two parts, and need to be tied together. The kids tie them together. This takes awhile, as some of the younger kids are not as coordinated in this skill as others, which means the older kids have to help them. A perfect combination.
Snack time followed, and you can see what they made before they ate it. A story was told to go with the snack, but I missed it.
There were also fun games outside, and music, but my batteries ran out. No pictures. I will discuss these VBS activities in later entries, though, because there was a lot of good teaching and fun going on there too.
FYI, I didn't come up with all these story ideas by myself... I got them from Group Publishing. They send us a kit that basically tells us how to organize and have a successful VBS. We've been doing this one for four years now, and we love the program.
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Oh, Bea.. I wish I had been there to watch! I'm sure you guys did a wonderful job!
Loved the pictures!
Jackie
http://journals.aol.com/siennastarr/Hopefloats/ -
Bea - what fun! It sounds as though you are doing wonderful things with the children. As I read what you are doing with VBS, I am getting more excited for ours. We have orientation on Saturday and then I'll find out what I'm doing. I cannot wait!
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how wonderful this is! I love the bunny snacks...too cute.
It is so nice that you and others like you are sharing all of this with these children; they are learning things about Jesus and the bible and don't even realize it. How lucky they are to have this experience. and it sounds like you are having a great time too!!! ENJOY!!
Maria
http://journals.aol.com/bobbysgirl8584/thoughtsaboutmylifem yfamilymyfri/ -
BTW, I didn't mention in my entry that we had five more attend tonight than the first night!!
7/19/06 12:13 AM
very original and striking
natalie