In this post, I will be sharing about our last few days in Kenya. On the last Sunday, our team split into two groups. One group stayed at DC (Deliverance Church) because Grace K. and Terrence spoke at the Sunday Service. They shared about the upcoming VBS (Vacation Bible School) program and had a panel of people varying from children to adults share their past experiences with VBS. It was a preview for the fun week to come!
The other half was the Eight Count team and Theresa. We drove to Mathare in the morning to attend service at MWC (Mathare Worship Center). Eight Count also performed our Bleeding Love piece for the congregation, which was well received again... whew! While in Mathare, Pastor Steve connected Eight Count with a local dance group called Xteez. This was a highlight for our team because we saw that the dancers in Xteez were using dance as a positive way to minister to youth. We had a chance to talk with some of the Xteez dancers, teach them part of our choreography, and we even learned some of their moves!
The rest of the day was spent helping DC prepare for their week-long VBS program! When Monday came, we were all excited to see how many kids would turn up for VBS. It was amazing seeing kids coming from all over (walking! and by themselves!) just to attend. The turnout was about 700-800 children!!! That meant about 150 children per station! Here's what the average VBS day looks like!
8:00-9:00am Registration and arrival
Kids come and get assigned to a team leader. Team leaders are usually high school students who volunteer for the week. The team leaders have up to 10 children each and they are responsible for keeping everyone together, and assisting their children as needed.
9:00am-10:00am Everyone does Sing & Play
As a large group, we learn different songs and dances that are part of the High Seas VBS Curriculum. We learn the verse of the day as well as the "phrase" for the day.
10:00am-12:30pm Rotations begin! There are 5 rotations/stations and each one is about 30 minutes long. Every half hour, the kids rotate to the next station. Here are the stations:
1) Crafts - Everyday there is a different art activity that students make. They get to take home their craft and keep it with them! For example: one day it was a stuffed pillow that was decorated, and another day was a toy "rocket" that shoots out a little paper mache ball.
2) Video - Everyday they watch a 15 minute video that teaches about the lesson of the day. The remainder of the time is used for comprehension by asking and answering questions about the video.
3) Games - The children learn different games that teach them about working in a team, and have fun too!
4) Bible Lesson - In this rotation, they learn a different story from the Bible that has to do with the theme of the day. The leaders also do some acting and role-playing to help students' understand the main ideas.
5) Snacks & Dance - The students get a snack to eat and some tea to drink. Afterwards, Eight Count taught the kids a fun dance to Wavin Flag!
12:30pm-1:00pm Floating Finale with everyone!
All the children, volunteers, and leaders return together to sing and dance at the conclusion of the day. This is also where the leaders really speak to the children about the main message of the day!
During the last few days, our team was able to say our goodbyes to the SOH (Sanctuary of Hope) orphans, as well as all the wonderful Deliverance Church volunteers that had been spending the past 2 weeks with us! We were so humbled by how much time and energy our new friends had given to make us feel welcome and safe in Kenya. We organized a goodbye tea party for our Kenyan friends, but it ended up with them giving us gifts and surprises! Where we all live... you know, it's hard to drop everything and just empty your schedule for some visitors. But in Kenya, that's what they do. They welcomed us, took care of us, and we are eternally grateful for their kindness and love. Even going to the airport, the pastor's kids all wanted to send us off (and it's not a short drive!). We are so thankful for our new family!
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