VBS - Very Busy Saturday

=)

VBS is actually Vacation Bible School. It's my first time being involved, so I am observing a lot.

I feel that much could be done to make it run more smoothly. Am also just wondering how Uncle Richard managed to entertain 50+ children for 7 days with Children's Holiday Club and how come we're just going to be so happy that it's over tomorrow, day 2.

Helpers
I wasn't very much involved in CHC since I was allergic to kids and kept my distance from Sunday School and Children Ministry. But I do remember people like Fern, Daniel, Jia Huey, Agnes, David, Michael Phoon, helping out...committed to help out.

We have many youth helpers but many of them seem to think they are above the rest (since they are now youth) and don't want to be involved with these 'little kids'. Not only do they not help, but some of these are so busy entertaining themselves and being 'privileged' that they actually cause the disruption in the activities. If your helpers aren't listening to you talk, fat chance your participants will.

However, I think Mi Lin is amazing with the kids! Totally salute her!

Organization
I think communication is again the downfall of this. Just take the living skills session. The person in charge asks me last minute if I would mind taking the session. I do. And I question how things are done. I ask her who is supposed to be in charge. She says she is, but she cannot co-ordinate all three age groups at the same time. Understandable. But it's not like you just found out that there are 3 age groups. So, who did you assign in the first place? She said the team leader. But she doubts he actually read the material.

I tell her that she cannot just assume such. It is not fair for the team leader to assume that he has not taken into consideration his responsibility. Has she asked him? She said that he is too busy and doesn't want to impose on him. By now she can see that I am not willing. I could, but am not willing to be the scapegoat. Let's put it this way, if there is a first time, there will be a second. I'd rather postpone my first time.

Later in the day, I am asked if I would be willing to share the gospel message with the children using a certain diagram. I think I am very blunt and many people will begin to see that I am not really that obliging. I smiled and said 'Nope.' I think he didn't know what hit him. 'WHY?' he asks. I say that I have no idea how to use the material and was not prepared. Surprisingly, he doesn't ask again. Maybe I am very clear about certain things that I will do and will not do.

I think what upsets me the most is how things are unorganized. Even in registration, if we are supposed to be at the registration desk at 7.30am, then the people in charge should be there too to instruct. Instead, we don't know who they are and when they arrive, still do not brief us on anything! Perhaps telepathy is the way to go these days? =)

Communication
This is what I was trying to say earlier too. I suppose if you want people to be able to work independently, you have to tell them what they are supposed to do, and where to get the supplies. Because I have not been around the past few days, I assume that I am the one in the dark only. But...it seems...no loh...I'm not very far off from everyone else.

I think this lack of communication is the 'scapegoat' for all especially when they can honestly 'I have no idea'. It's amazing how the helpers are supposed to help facilitate craft without fore knowledge of what the craft is and how to go about it. Perhaps this WAS communicated (but I was not informed) and just that the infomation was not retained...yet I doubt so.

My great heartache
My great heartache was to see children missing the point of singing, doing actions together, and to see them not get the point of the object lessons. My great heartache is seeing facilitators reading from script, big words about yoghurt and recycling and fermentation without the kids responding at all.

I am not sure if it's just me who thinks this way. I feel that telling kids to pray when most of them are not believers is skipping a step if we do not tell them WHY we pray and WHAT is prayer. I think that talking about worshipping God falls on rocky pathway if they aren't listening and if we are using adult songs to tell them 'This is my desire'. What is a redeemer? What is our soul?

I disagree with MANY things. But I do not proclaim to be an expert. I don't think we should tell kids about worshipping God on the first time we meet them when we can't even get them to sing a fun song with actions.

But these are all methods. And so, I do not want to argue with methodology. However, it would be good to review what we are doing with our target group of children. I think it is unfair to spend 10 minutes giving instructions in Mandarin when there are Indian and Myanmarese children who don't know what is going on when we speak in Mandarin. Even the HELPERS don't know what is going on!

If the kids don't want to come again, I can't blame them. When Joel didn't want to sit down in a group to join the activities, I can't blame him. I didn't like it, but I just can't blame him. I, as a helper, didn't know what was going on, and there was no obviousity of who was in charge. Even as a helper, I don't know who is my head!

So, my heartache is that the message is lost. The deeper meaning of everything that was prepared is lost.

Will there be a next time?
I remember thinking to myself that that would be the first and last time I am involved with VBS. Do I find joy in being around the kids? I have to say yes. Though I feel out of place and takes me time to warm up, I do want them to have a good time and to want to come back again next year. But I don't know, I somehow don't think VBS is my choice of ministry. On top of that, the sactuary smells of shoe after lunch.

I do not agree that they should eat lunch in the sanctuary for the reason of convenience. We make it a rule not to eat in a place of worship, yet, we contradict ourselves. I find internal struggles with this as I see the rationale, and I know God is not angry with letting us eat in the sacntuary. But it just isn't right.

I don't want to be involved next time because it's just too disheartening. And there is a fear that if I helped out more, there wouldn't be much of a change either. So, all this is just talk...is it?

I decide that tomorrow, I will try harder to be a better helper. I will try harder to make a difference in one or two kids' lives. That's as much as I could possibly ask and hope for.