VBS, Bishkek style: The art of jimmy rigging :)

Summer = VBS (Vacation Bible School). :)


And if you've ever helped out with VBS anywhere in the world, you know it's a lot of work! It's especially a lot of work if it is in a foreign country and the location (church grounds or whatever) are not your own, but someplace where you rent.








But we had our fearless leader, Tracy, and so our first day went great!

(Here she is with the "framework" of our make-shift tent...just wait to see how it was transformed!)





It was not without a few hiccups (and not because it was cold! ha! Sorry, local joke), but I'm so amazed at how much fun the kids had and how well it all really went! And that's the point, right? For the kids to hear about Jesus and HAVE FUN! :)


So when the borrowed tent didn't have all the pieces, David just hung it over the "jungle gym".




The theme of camp is the Old Testament Tabernacle, looking at the areas of worship there and corresponding with Jesus' fullfillment of them in the New Testament.



So, with a few scarves and benches inside, some major "jimmy-rigging" outside, 'voila'! Not exactly the tapestries of the original tabernacle, but we liked it! :)





We had our Bible lessons, singing and memory verse lessons here in the tent.

So even if we didn't have the snazziest set-up, we thought it was pretty cool. :)









(This is our "over-head projector" for the words of the songs! Way to go, Nadia!) :)


















We made papier mache "brazen lavers" that we will spray paint tomorrow and add our memory verses.












Then we "made" the altar for our "tabernacle" ...



















(amazing what gold wrapping paper on an old washing machine box will do!)













Of course there were lots of relay races and games...











waterballoon tossing


















and of course - SNACKS!

(David and Deborah cutting up watermellon!)

One big watermellon was devoured immediately and the water drank up quickly. Thankfully it wasn't as hot as it has been.

I doubt I'll be able to post photos every day, but just wanted to get some up of the first day to ask you all to be in prayer and thank you all for remembering us so far. Thanks!

"We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto"**

Wow, Kyrgistan.

I just got back from a trip to Kyrgistan with a team from our church here in Kyiv, and I am still thinking about things from there!


(This is the Kyrgiz flag on a hillside and some yurts selling honey and other things on the road between Bishkek and Issyk-Kul, Kyrgistan).

Our team from Kyiv included friends who have grown very dear to me over the years. Most of the Bishkek team I knew from their time in Ukraine, too, so it was a really great visit connecting with old friends and getting to know others more. Here we are with some of the Bishkek team.

The Kyiv team came to help the Bishkek team with their first church conference. If you would like to know more about what God is doing there through these great folks click on any of these names to check out their blogs: the Billings’, the Doubs, Tracey Groves and Michelle Drewe

We had a great time and there is a lot to tell so I’ll try to get more pictures posted here to tell the whole story eventually. But our connection is slow for some reason so it took so long to get these loaded already that this is gonna be it for now!




**(But Toto will be in concert in Kyiv soon...just a random trivia fact for ya. Man, is Eastern Europe THE tour location for used-to-be groups, or what?)