Vacation Bible School 2008 started today. In previous years, I sent the kids and looked forward to the time to myself. Of course, in previous years, that meant tears for Jeremiah and him usually not making it past Wednesday.
This year I decided to volunteer to help in his class and what fun we had. The kids rotate to five different activities where they learn a Bible point for that day and hear the same story from the Bible five different times. It's a great way for Jeremiah to learn since repetition is so important to his retaining the information.
Day 1 was all about being thankful and the one leper out of the ten that Jesus healed thanking him. Jerry played games, ate snacks, took part in a science experiment about bubbles and learned how our joy and thankfulness can bubble over from our hearts. He acted out the Bible story as a leper with sticker dots on his arms, watched a movie, and learned great new songs with hand motions to drive the Bible point home.
When asked what he was thankful for, he replied, "My sister and brothers". Every year at VBS, a mission outreach goal is aimed for. This year's is Project Night Night. The kids watched a short video about homeless children living in shelters for various reasons and the kids were asked to bring in blankets, books, and stuffed animals for those children.
This evening, when John got home, Jeremiah told John about the movie and asked if he could get some books from the bookshelf to take with him tomorrow. He chose four, one a favorite of his about trucks and emergency vehicles. Then he chose a stuffed Pooh bear that sings when his tummy is squeezed. Jonathan said, "Are you sure Jerry? That bear sings." But Jeremiah just knew that he knew that these books and stuffed bear were what he wanted to give. It was very sweet to see this glimpse into his heart.
