July 25th-August 1st, sixteen of us headed to Possum Trot, TX, to put on a surf-themed VBS at Pineywood Outreach Center. (You can read more about the center and the ministry of Bennett Chapel at
www.bcministry.org).
On Sunday, we attended church at Live Oak Baptist Church, who was celebrating their 135th anniversary. Bishop W.C. Martin gave a rousing sermon, and we enjoyed worshiping together with this vibrant community of believers. The special service included a mime, two youth choirs, and a praise dance team. At the end of the service, Bishop Martin anointed each member of the mission team. What a wonderful way to start the week!
On Monday morning, we kicked off VBS at Pineywood. The Bible lessons for the week centered around the Exodus, so the kids learned about the plagues and how God delivered the Israelites. One interactive lesson had them act out some of the plagues against Pharaoh (played by James). They threw cotton to symbolize hail, pinned clothes pins on him for locusts, and stuck red dot stickers on him for red boils.
The crafts coordinated with the beach theme, and included decorating mini surfboards and frisbees and creating sand art. In the preschool room, the kids had the same lessons tailored to their level. This included learning the song "Pharaoh, Pharaoh" which they later performed for everyone. In the game room, the kids got to play beach ball volleyball with an oversized beach ball, danced the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide, and got into playing Four Corners and other high energy games!
In the large group time, the kids learned Bible verses that centered around the theme "Fear not!" They also had a blast with the music DVD, along with music leaders from our group, that taught them songs and actions each day. "California Corey" and "Awesome Aaron" got us started off each day, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed their surfer accents, along with special visits from Bible Man.
Special highlights of the week included dinners with the Martins and their relatives. The youth group got to try lots of East Texas delicacies, including fried catfish that was caught locally and delicious ribs. The youth also went horseback riding and had fun with the many animals on the property.
At youth group the following Sunday, Aaron led a Bible study on
1 Corinthians 12 and 13, looking at the spiritual gifts and how God has created the body of Christ to function together. We were so blessed to experience the gifts of the body exhibited at Pineywood and the community of Possum Trot. God is using the Martin's, their church, and the staff of Pineywood to make a tremendous impact on their community.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers for us before and during the trip, for your generous support of the youth financially, and for your encouraging words. We praise God for the opportunity to serve Him in this way and minister alongside brothers and sisters in Christ!
