Day 1 - Monday
Check out some of the fun from the first day of Midnight Museum 2009 in our photo gallery. Also, check out the preschool program photos here.
Our first day of VBS “The Midnight Museum” opened with beautiful sunny weather and a campus filled with over 1,900 kids and 940+ volunteers and a vibe that shouted “This week is going to be a BLAST!”. From being introduced to all the lively museum characters that “come to life at midnight” in our opening drama, to learning about Paul having an extraordinary encounter with Jesus during the Bible drama, to learning about how kids in Peru live, and coming home and trying to wash their VBS t-shirts in a bucket or bathtub in our Missions center, to playing field hockey with swim noodles and beach balls, all morning long we saw huge smiles on kids as they made new friends and got to experience VBS, Mariners- style!
The theme verse that sets the tone for our week is from Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of GOD is alive and powerful”, and that is what we hope your kids come away with this week… that the Bible is true, inspired by God and can change our lives in a powerful way.
Here are some of the stories we heard today:
In Missions, each child was asked to go home and try washing their VBS shirt the Peruvian way in a bucket or tub, using a bar of soap or laundry detergent and SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB. Kids are supposed to air dry their t-shirt. Within hours, we received many photos of kids going right home and immediately doing this, getting an idea of the contrast with the big o’ machine that we Americans always use! It is amazing to see how God places compassion and a desire to know how other cultures live in the hearts of our kids.
A mom told the story that her daughters said immediately upon pick up that they needed toothbrushes and toothpaste to bring to VBS… before even saying hello! They are really committed to the cause and ready to serve the Peruvians!
Another guide asked our Missions volunteers how many toothbrushes we wanted. They said “as many as we can get!”. He then asked, “so what if I brought 1000?” to which they responded, “GREAT!”. God’s going to work in a big way this week… he is already starting to speak to the kids, volunteers, and moving their hearts!
One mom shared that upon coming home, her 4-year-old daughter went directly to the TV, using it as a mirror, and started practicing all the new hand motions and dance moves they learned from worship leader Tim Timmons and the Groove Team, using her Tinkerbell umbrella as a prop.
One of the Mariners pastors, Eric Heard had a role as Janitor Joe in the museum for this morning’s opening drama. Since he was Pastor of the Day, he later went to the new Chapel to be there for whoever came in for prayer. A mother and young child went in, and Eric noticed they had their VBS t-shirts on. With a big smile on his face, Eric asked the little girl what her favorite part of VBS was, and she promptly said “Janitor Joe!”, not at all recognizing Eric “out of costume”. That big smile on his face went even wider!!
In Bible, there was a part where Paul, prior to his conversion, is angrily out to find Christians and throw them into jail. In the drama, Paul asks the other cast members, where are all the Christians, so he can throw them into jail. To the surprise and blessing of the cast, an entire group of 3rd graders sitting near the front proudly raised their hands in identity with Christ, indicating their willingness to experience hardship, even jail, for Jesus.
These are just some of the stories we heard today. Tune in tomorrow for more neat stories as we see how God is impacting these young lives for Him this week!
June 22, 2009 7:30 pm