BC VBS, Day 2 - Tooooooooooosday!

by Sue Chan Acuna on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 11:11pm

Tuesday, 8:40 p.m.

Sue and kids in their community

This morning I learned that one can UNzip a tent more quietly than one can zip it back up.  Driven from my sleeping bag by Mother Nature at 4:30, I stepped out of my tent - and had to stop to catch my breath.  The clouds above the eastern mountains were glowing a beautiful shade of pre-dawn pink.  A few birds sang, the river rushed and gurgled below the bank, and the temperature was surprisingly mild.  Tempted as I was to linger and wait for sunrise, I knew I couldn't function on only 5 hours of sleep, so I headed back to my very cozy bed (my air mattress is covered with a fleece mattress pad, a flannel sheet, an unzipped flannel sleeping bag, and a down throw) and managed to sleep for another 90 minutes.
I'd forgotten that a couple of the kids in our village gave me a new nickname last year: 

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue!"  This year it's followed by, "You belong in the zooooooooooooooooo!"  Today it seemed like every time I sat still somebody stuck something on me.  By the end of the day I was wearing two strips of masking tape:  one said "lol" and had a smiley face, and the other said "Bob" (I have no idea why), and two adhesive gems (used for today's craft), one on my cheek and the other on my forehead.  At one point one of the boys said, "Hold my hat" and plopped his cap on my head.  It was all very amusing, especially when we returned to camp and I had to explain my tape and my gems.

Before dinner tonight Derwin asked for team members from each village to share how the day had gone.  Whereas yesterday's sharing had sounded mostly like, "I met a little girl named Anna; her favorite color is blue and her favorite animal is an eagle," today the stories were more about how the teens had found ways to discuss their faith.  Noah told about how he was giving a "shoulder back" (a ride on his shoulders, as opposed to a "piggy back"), when the little guy mentioned that his aunt had died.  He asked Noah if he'd ever known anyone who died, and Noah was able to share his own experience as well as his belief in Heaven.  I've asked everyone who has a good story to share it with me so I can share it with you.

The weather is still holding; today we had one short shower go through, but that was after a MUGGY day on the soccer field.  When the soccer players want to end camp early, you know it's pretty miserable.  Pastor Kahle's phone said it was only 22, but with the heat index it felt more like it was closer to 30.  (I've just discovered that my cell phone has a converter, so chatting in metric has gotten even easier!)

Derwin just took a large group of kids to the soccer field to practice for tomorrow night's annual Canada vs. U.S. match.  I believe the Americans have taken home the trophy the last 2 or 3 years, so the Canadians are out for revenge!  (Though most years the Canadian team ends up being a blend of both countries' players. . .)
The adult leaders who are new to this trip can't get over how energetic and enthusiastic our teens are, even after a busy day.  Their positive attitudes and willingness to help out with whatever, whenever, are inspiring to us all!

Please pray for stamina and patience tomorrow; Wednesday is usually the hardest day because the newness has worn off, and everyone is short on sleep.
Thanks for your prayers and your messages!