Kiddos in Koliganek

This week in Koliganek Heather and I were excited to welcome John and Carol to the team, since Randy and Twila had to say their goodbyes due to commitments back home. We averaged about 20 kids a day at Vacation Bible School, with a total of 26 different kids throughout the week.

Monday: We flew into Koliganek Monday morning. I was feeling pretty sick so I was excited to learn that we were able to stay in a "bed and breakfast" with beds and running water. Not your typical bed and breakfast, but I definitely wasn't complaining because we were originally going to stay in the church with the lovely outhouse and the water source a nice little walk down the road. A lady from the church, by the name of Francis, was extremely welcoming and very open to sharing about her life with us. She brought over tons of snacks throughout the week for the kids (including the kid's favorite, salmon spread and crackers). Heather shared the lesson about baby Moses, and how God is always with us. The kids absolutely loved the music, especially the songs they learned last year at VBS! Human battleship is their all-time favorite game chosen everyday without question. VBS went from 1-4pm each day, but the kids hung around until closer to 5:30 today. Around 7pm four of the young girls figured out where we were staying and came and visited us during supper. They made many reappearances at our door throughout the evening. You couldn't help but smile when you saw all those little grins eagerly waiting for you to let them come in and chat awhile.

Tuesday: The kids were excited for another day at VBS. There were almost always kids waiting in front of the church for us to get there, regardless of how early we showed up. The kids were more familiar with us today so their energy level was a bit higher, but they still listened amazingly well. My voice started to come back today, but my puppet still sounded a bit croaky. Carol shared the story of Israelite entering the Promised Land, and how God gives us life. The kids didn't hang around long after VBS because they were anxious to go swim in the very frigid river, though the temperature does not phase them. Heather and I went to the playground around 7pm and played basketball with some youth we met, and played "American Ninja Warrior" and tag with about 20 of the kids until about 9:30p. There were still quite a few kids playing even after we left.

Wednesday: It was another grand day of VBS. I shared with the kids the story of Naaman, and God's faithfulness to us. We of course played human battleship and sang many, many songs. I think Heather did music with the kids for about an hour before VBS even started! Who needs to exercise when you have VBS songs! We went and hung out with some of the kids down by the river for a short time in the evening, but the mosquitoes chased us back home sooner than we had hoped.

Thursday: Today was our last day of VBS this week because Heather needed to get to Arizona by Friday for the wedding of a close friend. We had VBS at noon instead of 1 today, but when we got there at 11:30 there were already 7 kids waiting at the church doors for us. John shared with the kids about how God saved Paul from the Sea, and how God gives us hope! We had a program for the parents at 2pm. A few of the parents and teenagers came to watch. One of the men from the church was kind enough to take us and all of our things over to the airport. I said goodbye to his kids and was just about to crawl into the airplane when I hear this little voice yell out, "I love you!". I look up to see Baby Doe, who is 4 years old, smiling and waving. I have yet to visit a village where I don't leave a little bit of my heart behind.