The difference one week can make

Many churches seek to impact their community over the July/August holiday by hosting a week of Vacation Bible School. It is free of charge for those who attend, and takes many hours of planning the lessons, preparing the materials, recruiting the teachers, inviting the children, preparing the craft, providing the refreshments - it is a lot of work. But is it worth it? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

Over 80 children attended VBS at our church this year

Our church's VBS was scheduled for the week immediately following ISCF camp. When I attended a meeting for VBS teachers in July and I shared with them what my schedule would be like due to camp, someone asked if I would have time to prepare for VBS and I answered as honestly as I could - no. One of the challenges was that we were not using a conventional theme where there was a bible story for each day. We were taking the children on a journey to Philippi - spending one week studying the book of Philippians. As if this was not challenging enough, I volunteered to teach the babies - those 4 years old and under! The advantage was that I would only have to teach one basic truth everyday, but it would still take time to decide how to present this truth in a way that they could grasp, and what to do with them for the remainder of the 2 hours I had them for!

Jael on a life-size map tracing Paul's journey to Philippi

Although the truths to be taught were simple, I still had to spend a lot of time studying the book of Philippians to get the full picture and also figure out what was the main idea for each of the chapters. I really relied heavily on the Holy Spirit's leading as to which bible stories could be used to communicate the truths for each lesson, and for ideas on activities that would be able to reinforce those truths. In our class we had video clips, drama, games, singing, dancing and coloring pages. I was literally preparing each lesson "today for tomorrow" and it is only by God's grace that I was able to complete them in time.

Sabali illustrating Paul in chains

Many of the children who attended VBS came from the community right around the church. There are some who come every year, and we don't see them again until the following year's VBS. We therefore use every opportunity we get to present the gospel message to them and invite a response, because we don't know when next we would see them. One of the young men who, at the beginning of the week, was not being very co-operative, has started attending our Sunday morning services and Friday evening youth group meetings and for this we give God all the glory. We were also encouraged by the huge turnout of parents and relatives to the Closing Program on the Sunday evening to see what their children had learnt.

6 and under class practising their song for Closing Program

Two weeks after our church's VBS, we had a VBS for the children from Dow Village who attend our Bible Club. Once again, we went out into the community to invite children. God provided sufficient manpower so that each class was able to have 2 teachers and 1 assistant; they came from as far east as Toco to as far south as Cap-de-ville. In addition to preparing for their class lessons, they also had to prepare dramatic presentations which representated real life applications of the spiritual truths that were being taught at each lesson, and this was one highlight that the students looked forward to every day.

Paying close attention to the dramatic presentation

Many of the teachers and assistants were meeting each other for the first time, as there were 6 different churches represented by the teachers and assistants. However as the week progressed, so did the bonds between those who served. We prayed for those who had to deal with family crises during the week, we shared meals together, watched movies and even had a beach lime. This was a classic example of the unity of believers where persons who were previously strangers can become so connected because of the bond we have in Christ.

Sunset stroll along the beach

The theme for this week's VBS was "The countdown is on". The children were challenged to give their lives to Christ while they still had time on earth. We give God praise for the 2 children who did this on the first day of VBS, especially since one of them lived outside of Dow Village and had to return home the next day. We also challenged them about what they placed the confidence in, since the material possessions that the world runs after does not last forever. This lesson was very applicable as it was presented on Tuesday, the day of the big earthquake. We were able to draw applications to the children the next day, in light of all the property which had been damaged. The lesson for the last day focused on the value of not procrastinating - a lesson which some of us had to apply to our own lives first before we presented it to the children.

The teens class was the biggest, with numbers as high as
16 on one of the days

It was very encouraging to see how the numbers of students increased during the course of the week. Every day we had new students, even on the last day, and by the end of the week, we had to cater for 90 persons for the Closing Program. Some of the children came early to help set up the chairs outside, and they also helped to pack them up afterwards. Children who were not willing to take instructions at the beginning of the week and being disruptive were much more compliant by the end of the week. Those who refused to participate in the Closing Program item were very much involved when the time actually came.

One teenager wasn't interested in making a basket with rolled
newspapers so she used her creativity to make this instead

Over the course of the week, students opened up to their teachers and shared with them the struggles they were experiencing in living the Christian life, and about their commitment to Christ. One student spent 15 minutes learning a particularly long memory verse and was so excited when he finally got it right. Teenagers who have not attended Bible Club in years came out to VBS. These are just some of the reasons why we continue to invest the time and energy needed to pull off VBS every year. We may not be able to see all the effects immediately, but we are convinced that God who began the good work in these children during this week will be faithful to complete it.

Showing off their prizes that they
bought with their Bible Bucks

Cross Culture

A few weeks before ISCF camp started, a frustrated mother walked into an institution and indicated that she needed an intervention for her teenage daughter whom she said was out of control. The person whom she spoke with was well aware of the reputation of ISCF camp, and suggested that her daughter would benefit from attending. Sponsorship was provided, and the young lady came to camp. By the end of the week, the young lady wrote "For a long time I never liked any camp, but this one was the best!" Although she did not make a decision to follow Christ as yet, after hearing the Word of God at camp she is reconsidering where she had initially planned to place her confidence and faith in.

Counselors spending time in prayer before the start of camp

ISCF Camp brings together students from different schools across the nation. While it is targeted primarily at those who attend ISCF or RI, it is open to anyone who is interested in attending. As a result, we sometimes get students from diverse backgrounds, who have not all been exposed to the culture of the kingdom of God. This provided the perfect environment for this year's theme, which is also the theme for IS/IVCF in this academic year - Cross Culture. The campers learnt about what a culture is, the value of crossing over from the culture of darkness into the culture of light, the need to cross out the culture of the world and adopt the culture of the cross, and the importance of being willing to cross over into the culture of others.

Senior camp speaker "Burnt Offering" sharing at sunrise service

The Camps Committee had been working hard for months preparing for camp, recruiting workers, hosting training sessions and executing all the logistics that come with  hosting two weeks of camp. But when camp actually started, it felt as though things were falling apart, as some of the persons who we thought were confirmed for certain roles for one reason or the other were no longer available. Looking back at it afterwards, I felt like God allowed that to happen to show who was really in charge of camp. As always, He provided the persons we needed to fill the gaps, showing us once again that He is the all-knowing, ever present, faithful Provider! After the first day of camp, I felt compelled to send out praise and prayer updates to those who had committed to covering camp in prayer. It was such an encouragement to see items which were listed under prayer points one day, move to praise points on subsequent days because of how God answered prayer!

Praying for campers who wanted to be free from sins which
kept them in bondage

One of the privileges of being on camp is seeing campers transform literally before your eyes. There was a male camper who, at 13 years old, was spending the night away from his family for the first time in his life. At first he was very shy as he did not have any friends. As the week progressed and he participated in all aspects of camp life, he really came out of his shell and started forming friendships with many of the campers. One young lady came to camp very burdened, and this was evident in her body language and even her style of dress. After much prayer, she started opening up to various counselors and by the end of the week there was a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes that were not there when she first came.

Our newspaper-inspired fashion show helped some campers to
break out of their comfort zones

Apart from the devotions and chapel times, the camp program also included other sessions which helped make the camp theme relevant to the day to day life of the campers. There was a discussion based on case studies which showed them how to deal with their emotions, a session looking at God's view on sexuality, and one that examined what the Bible taught about various aspects of our culture. The content delivered in these sessions was excellent, and equipped the campers to engage with the culture of the world around them with a biblical mindset. There was also a session where the campers were taught how to share the gospel with someone else, and for many of them this was the first time they had an opportunity to do that.

Campers engaged in "Is ah Trini ting" session

ISCF Camp is a wonderful opportunity for campers to explore their creative side. From designing their outfits for Banquet night to composing a song for Talent night to coming up with a presentation for March Past, campers are encouraged to think outside of the box as they express the theme of camp in various ways. I am always amazed at the diversity of talents that emerge at camp, as we endeavor to help campers discover their various gifting and abilities. It is also a good opportunity for them to demonstrate what they have learnt from the various sessions at camp, as evidenced by this verse from one of the original compositions at Talent night:

I was lost but now I'm found

Jesus saved me, Jesus loved me

Trapped in darkness, full of sadness

Now I've crossed to the culture of love

A new culture to follow after

Renewed my mind, renewed my heart

My life crossed over, different purpose

Now I'm transformed by His love

Flag from the Cross Fire team

Our camps require a lot from our campworkers, who are all volunteers, many of whom take their vacation to come and serve at ISCF camp. Apart from attending the training sessions leading up to camp, and having the responsibilities of running the camp program on camp, they also have to lead morning devotions, be available when campers are in need of counsel, guide their teams in team activities, ensure that their dorms are managed well and that their campers are all accounted for. This year our team of campworkers was small compared to previous years, but they were so dedicated to the task and all were willing to go that extra mile to facilitate the smooth running of camp. We could not have done it all without them! There was one campworker who came all the way from ISCF Grenada to serve with us, and it was much a blessing for us to have him as it was for him to learn from us.

Counselors helping campers learn their memory verses

Apart from the campworkers who were resident at camp, there were others who came up to help as their schedules allowed. God truly showed us how He was able to provide what we needed before we even knew we needed it, as time and time again the right people showed up just at the right time. There was an incident among the male campers that needed intervention, and God ordained that one of the visiting campworkers had come up that same time so he was able to lend support to the counseling staff in dealing with that situation. Others made themselves available to help out during Sports Day and Banquet Night, where additional hands are always welcomed and very much appreciated.

Senior campers' dramatic march past display

Junior campers in their cultural wear for banquet night

Primary campers getting assistance
with their craft

The success of camp was not measured by the numbers who attended, but by the decisions the campers made to change their mindsets, to live according to the culture of the kingdom of God while existing in the culture of the world. On her evaluation form, one camper wrote "I learnt that when you are changing culture from darkness to light, you have to leave all the bad behaviours and focus more on God". There are so many persons who contributed to the success of camp this year - from those who prayed faithfully in the lead up to, and throughout the duration of camp, to those who spent months planning and preparing for camp, to those who sacrificed their time and resources to be at camp, to those who contributed financially to help defray the cost of camp, or to sponsor a camper who could not afford the fee - to these we pray that God will bless you abundantly for your labour of love. We pray that the seeds of God's Word which were planted during the two weeks at camp would find good soil to flourish in, and that the cares of this world would not stifle the great work that God has begun in the lives of these campers.

Hopefully she will keep helping with
the chores when she goes home!

We invented a new sport - Pool Basketball!

Water slide!

Primary/Junior Director "Sugar Mama"
with 2 primary campers on Sports Day