Thank You to our VBS Volunteers
Wow! God is amazing! This past week was Rolling River Rampage Vacation Bible School at Abiding Presence and our theme verse was “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2). We opened our doors each day to 130 VBS participants, and over 65 adult and teen volunteers. The children rotated to six stations each day and learned through Rapid Reminders to find Adventure, Acceptance, Joy, Rest, and Peace on the river. To say it was a week filled with love, lots of laughter, fun, and GOD is an understatement! Though exhausted, I am filled with joy from the faces that I’ve seen, the testaments that I’ve heard, and the total and complete generosity of so many volunteers. It was our largest VBS to date, but it surpassed every expectation and hope that I had, and flowed seamlessly through the week. God was with us through the rapids this week for sure!
I am truly humbled by the volunteers both adults and teens. They made this week possible, and couldn’t have happened without them! If you see Michael Hulett, please express your gratitude to him. This is his second year as VBS Director, and he has been working around the clock these past weeks to put together the most amazing VBS program, arriving early, staying late, and rolling with the unexpected punches, all with his two girls along for the ride. Being a VBS Director is not for the faint of heart but Michael is a natural, and I cannot thank him enough for being the director of VBS this year. We are so blessed to have his gifts at Abiding Presence! Debbie Cockey also stepped up this year as the Assistant VBS Director, and with twin toddlers at her side, has put in an incredible amount of invaluable work and time to help make VBS such a huge success! I also cannot thank all of the station leaders, crew leaders, registration volunteers, “church grandmas”, setup and cleanup folks, and teen volunteers that donated so many hours of their time this week, and in preparation for this week. I am awed to see so many folks step up to the call of needing volunteers. Even going as far as taking a week of “vacation” from work during VBS so that they can help. Please thank all of the volunteers, both teens and adults, if you see them!! It is not the most restful of weeks, but I can only hope that they find it as rewarding as I do.
While Vacation Bible School may have come and gone for 2018, I am stopping to reflect on the amazing church that I am blessed to call home. This past week has just solidified for me what it means to be “the church” and how much of an impact we as adults and teens can make both in each other’s lives, but also in the lives of all the youth and children in our church and community. I am so thankful for everyone who helped to make VBS such a huge success!
In Christ,
Sara Dyson