(written by: Pastor Doug Sandy)
“But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”” Matthew 19:14 (New American Standard Bible)
There is no doubt about it. The final push for Vacation Bible School is upon us. The worship center is decorated to look like an undersea fantasy, hallways are covered with new artwork, and perhaps the biggest transformations are in the Crossways and Iron Men rooms where you feel like you are transported to a completely different world altogether. I love the creativity of all the volunteers who continue to tirelessly work toward the success of this ministry. This is our largest outreach of the year. We want to do it well. Our hope: God uses all the creativity and the craziness to introduce Christ to children who have never heard the gospel before.
In the midst of all the VBS chaos, there is a different set of frantic preparations going on. Today I had my last meeting between Josiah Venture and missionaries from all over the United States. Together, we are gearing up for three sets of camps all over the Czech Republic. My thoughts: “we are just a very small part in the work of God throughout Czechia”. These leaders, representing perhaps as many as ten different churches, have been training their teams for months. Soon we will ship off to Central Europe and into the craziness of youth ministry in a primarily atheist country. The first wave of missionaries leaves next week, and our time comes three weeks later.
What this means for me is final preparations: making sure everyone on our team is ready for their part, completing buy lists, finalizing schedules, purchasing insurance, encouraging the team, and a slew of other tiny details. It’s chaotic, but through it all I see how God builds his bigger plan through faithfulness with the small things. I’m proud of how each member of the Family Bible Church team has risen to the occasion. I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses each of them once we begin our journey.
In the Czech Republic, just like here, there will be hallways covered with artwork. There will be creativity bubbling over, and there will be countless volunteers from around the globe to help with the success of the camps. Our team will be serving in a different world altogether. For the Church that we are working with in Český Těšín, this is the largest outreach event of the year. Together, we want to do it well. Our hope, like that of the VBS team, is that God uses all the creativity and craziness to introduce Christ to a new generation of youth who have never heard the gospel before. Thank you for following along on this journey with us!
Prayer Requests:
- Health of the entire mission team (Czech and Americans).
- Outreach to new students for the camp – there are about 3 open spots left now.
- Financial provision for both American teams. God has been faithful, we expect to be fully supported soon.
- Preparation for the trip goes smoothly.