BC VBS, Day 3 - WINDSday!

by Sue Chan Acuna on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 9:16am

Thursday morning, 6:40 a.m.

One of the amazing things about this - and probably every - mission trip is watching how hard the kids can push themselves from their comfort zones.  Take Alex for example, who is very shy, very artistic - and very quiet.  So quiet, in fact, that at morning campfire on Tuesday another adult asked me if he was okay because he was keeping to himself.  Yesterday in our village, I saw him with one little boy on his back, and ANOTHER little boy up on his shoulders.  I called him "3-headed Alex."  At campfire last night he shared how the two boys had asked him to pick them both up at once, but he'd told them he didn't think he could.  They looked at each other, then at him, and said, "JESUS could do it!"  And, as it turned out, so could Alex.

Yesterday was another hot sticky afternoon - 26 degrees, but so humid it felt closer to 30.  (Are you looking the temps up yet?)  In the morning I'd given my team a pep talk, warning them that Wednesday is always a hard day, but if they kept saying positive things instead of mentioning how hot and tired they were, they'd feel better.  In the heat of the afternoon, Erika kept muttering one of our camp songs:  "I'm alive. . .awake. . .alert. . .enthusiastic. . ."  We were sitting on the bleachers in the hot sun watching soccer camp, and everyone was sticky and droopy.  But Erika - and the others - still hugged the kids or kicked the soccer ball around with no complaining.  I was so proud!

Sarah shared how she'd used an EvangiCube, which unfolds and refolds to show different pictures, to teach 6-year-old twins about Jesus.  One of them asked, "Does Jesus only love white people?"  "No," she said, "He loves everybody!"  "But I thought only white people went to Heaven," he said.  "Everybody who loves Jesus goes to Heaven," said Sarah.  And the little boy let out a cheer: "Woo-hoo!  I'M GOING TO HEAVEN!!"
Victoria spent time getting to know a local teen who was visiting our campsite.  After a game of Twenty Questions, the two girls - one from Northern BC and the other from Yuma - were surprised to see how much they had in common:  they both love Bruno Mars, Glee, and Ryan Reynolds, they both really like to sing, and they share a birthday!  Her new friend also thought she heard Victoria say she'd like to "buy" an Italian husband, which sent the two girls off into giggles.

Last night we thought we'd get rain, but the thunder showers went right around us (again).  However, the wind picked up, flattening a couple of tents and blowing over a few chairs.  It meant that even though we had a guest team from Oregon visiting us in the evening, we couldn't light the campfire.  Thankfully, the wind dropped by bedtime, so our rustling tarps didn't keep us awake.

I have to feel sorry for RV-ers who pull into this beautiful, remote campsite, only to see kids everywhere: playing soccer in the road and volleyball in the grass, playing cards and chatting at the picnic tables, sitting around the campfire singing and praying together.  They don't know that half of those kids will leave by 10 p.m. - and the rest of them are the cream of the crop of teenhood. I'd love to tell every one of them how these kids have given up ten days (or more) of their summer vacations in order to spend a week smelling like bug spray and woodsmoke, getting too little sleep, standing in line for meals, and scratching mosquito bites.  But each one of them is here because they have the heart to share their faith with others, in the hope of changing a life - and maybe someone's eternity.

Tonight we will host Family Night, which is when we invite people from all four villages to join us for dinner.  Please pray that our team members will make the guests feel welcome - and that the rain will go AROUND us again.

BC VBS, Day 4 - Thrillsday!

by Sue Chan Acuna on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 1:08pm

Friday, 8:45 a.m.

While there’s really no such thing as a “typical” day on this mission trip, yesterday stands out as a day of unusual events.

We awoke to a distinct threat of rain, but it didn’t really hit until after lunch, as teams headed out to their respective villages.  However, teams found that the farther out they went, the drier the roads were.  Everyone enjoyed a cooler-yet-rain-free day, especially on the soccer field.

Mid-afternoon, the team in Kitwanga learned that one of the higher chiefs had passed away.  They were told to wind things up and head out, and were warned they probably wouldn’t be able to return on Friday.  Tradition dictates that when an elder dies, everything in the village is promptly cancelled.  We were thankful that the villagers were still allowed to travel to our camp for Family Night, but they did arrive with confirmation that VBS was now officially ended.  The Kitwanga team said their good-byes last night and will spend today helping with some camp chores and planning a program for our closing campfire tonight.

Thursday night is traditionally Family Night.   Teams spend all week reminding VBS attendees to join us for a dinner of sloppy joes and hot dogs, accompanied by any potluck items that show up.  Last night was a challenge due to intermittent rain showers, but thankfully none were drenching enough to chase everyone under shelter.  The younger kids didn’t even seem to notice; jump ropes kept turning, and the volleyball, football, and soccer balls kept flying.  As we gathered at the campfire to sing God’s praises with our 200+ guests, the sun broke through and a rainbow arched over the campground.  Sometimes God speaks his approval very clearly!

Early in the week Derwin asked for 3 high school volunteers to give their testimonies at the Family Night campfire.  Each year this has a powerful impact on our guests, many of whom assume the Christian American kids lead charmed lives.  Last night three youth spoke about hardships in their lives - broken families, death of loved ones, and bad personal choices – and about how they saw God at work both during the tough times and in their lives today.  All three were in tears by the time they got to the end of their stories, as were many of us who heard them.

On a side note: in order to get from this area to the highway 5 kilometers away, we have to cross a one-lane bridge over Hagwilget Canyon (approx. 60 meters to the bottom).  All week, as we’ve traveled to and from our villages, we’ve passed a sign warning that the bridge would be closed daily beginning July 15 (Friday), from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with openings at the top of every hour.  As I pulled off the highway yesterday and headed for the bridge, I prayed, “O, Lord, please let their bridge repair be delayed.”  When we approached the sign, we saw it had been changed!  Work will now begin on Sunday morning, which will have a small impact on our departure, but nothing like it would have had on our daily trips to the villages.

So today we will close VBS and say our hard good-byes to our village friends.  While we all hope to return next year, we caution our teens NOT to make that promise, because we can’t predict the future.  There will be hugs and tears all around, and as we drive away, the tears will continue both inside and outside the vans.
Tomorrow about half the group will make a day trip to Hyder, Alaska, while the other half will hang out closer to camp (some will hike, some will go into town for a movie, some will just relax and nap).  Please pray for safe travel for the travelers and good rest for the stay-behinders.