Today was the last day of our first VBS, we were up bright and early to get ready, so when the kids arrived, we could make it the best day of the week yet. The VBS was started off with some worship and fun songs, and then led into our lesson of the day, delivered by Annika and Jackson Rice to teach the kids about the gospel story, specifically Jesus’ death on the cross and his Resurrection. Afterward, kids headed to their respective stations, craft, games, snack, and memory verse. It was really encouraging to see the kids progress throughout the week to this point, with many who were timid in the beginning, singing their heart out to the songs, or even saying the memory verse numerous times. Some kids even learned extra verses! We wrapped up the vbs with some worship and said good-bye to some of the kids we wouldn’t see at football later. Later, we headed over to the beach where we were able to cool off a little before our last day of football camp later. Soccer camp this last day was especially impactful in that the behavior of the kids was much more cooperative, and many asked to pray to accept Jesus into their heart during our breakout time. We even were able to play a full-scale game with the kids. After packing up and heading home, we had dinner and cake to celebrate Sara’s birthday and heard the testimonies of Emilie and Aidan.
Saturday morning came, marking our first week at camp completed. The plan for the day was to rest and prepare our hearts and minds for the next week, by going on a tour of the island. We got up early and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. We then left to begin our tour of the island. Our first stop was outside the governor’s mansion to see the old architecture and enjoy the view over the capital city of Saint Lucia. Our next stop was in the main market of the Capital, where many of us were able to meet new people and find some cool souvenirs. After about 2 hours or so, we left the market to head to our lunch reservation. Much of the trips to these different places was punctuated by periodic stops to enjoy the view over the mountains, or of different unique buildings. Finally, we arrived at the Seashell Beach Restaurant, where we were able to enjoy a beautiful view of the beach and huge plates of food simultaneously. After finishing our food, we started to explore the beach we were on. After swimming in the amazingly clear water, we packed up and left to go to the Sulphur Hot Spring Baths. Once we arrived, we all covered ourselves in a Sulphur paste, and let it dry. Then we all got in the black volcanically heated water. The hot water felt amazing and was very refreshing. Once we were all finished, we showered off all the residue and started on our way home. After a brief stop at the convenience store, we arrived back at home to a delicious dinner of Domino’s Pizza we picked up on the way. We then proceeded to do our team debrief of the day and heard the testimonies of Annika and Chandler. It was truly amazing to see God’s creation on this island today, and we were very blessed to be able to see so much in so little time.
As we wrapped up our first week, and start to prepare for our second, prayers for our team to have strength and energy, and to stay focused on the task at hand would be appreciated. We ask for prayers for all the kids we interact with, that the holy spirit would move in their hearts and that we would be good stewards with our faith to bring even more people closer to you.
- David Berkey
Saturday morning came, marking our first week at camp completed. The plan for the day was to rest and prepare our hearts and minds for the next week, by going on a tour of the island. We got up early and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. We then left to begin our tour of the island. Our first stop was outside the governor’s mansion to see the old architecture and enjoy the view over the capital city of Saint Lucia. Our next stop was in the main market of the Capital, where many of us were able to meet new people and find some cool souvenirs. After about 2 hours or so, we left the market to head to our lunch reservation. Much of the trips to these different places was punctuated by periodic stops to enjoy the view over the mountains, or of different unique buildings. Finally, we arrived at the Seashell Beach Restaurant, where we were able to enjoy a beautiful view of the beach and huge plates of food simultaneously. After finishing our food, we started to explore the beach we were on. After swimming in the amazingly clear water, we packed up and left to go to the Sulphur Hot Spring Baths. Once we arrived, we all covered ourselves in a Sulphur paste, and let it dry. Then we all got in the black volcanically heated water. The hot water felt amazing and was very refreshing. Once we were all finished, we showered off all the residue and started on our way home. After a brief stop at the convenience store, we arrived back at home to a delicious dinner of Domino’s Pizza we picked up on the way. We then proceeded to do our team debrief of the day and heard the testimonies of Annika and Chandler. It was truly amazing to see God’s creation on this island today, and we were very blessed to be able to see so much in so little time.
As we wrapped up our first week, and start to prepare for our second, prayers for our team to have strength and energy, and to stay focused on the task at hand would be appreciated. We ask for prayers for all the kids we interact with, that the holy spirit would move in their hearts and that we would be good stewards with our faith to bring even more people closer to you.
- David Berkey