Vacation Bible School

I never thought I would get so involved in a children's ministry because I do not consider myself a kid-person whatsoever.  My college degree is for working with teens so I was somewhat surprised to have been asked to pray about working with the VBS.

We had settled on a new church home in 2004 after attending another church since we moved to Wichita in 2001.  We fell in love with the people and felt more welcomed into their family than any other church we had attended.  Just several months after officially making it our home church, I was asked to consider being involved in their VBS program.

I had never done anything like a VBS before.  I was not a fan of dealing with other people's children.  I hated being a leader in the AWANA program while in college.  What on earth would I do at a VBS?  I reluctantly agreed to at least pray about it.

I remember attending my first VBS planning meeting, having no idea how anything worked.  Everyone seemed to know their jobs and came up with ideas to tie the theme together.  Then the woman who had first approached me turned to me and asked if I could write skit on that theme.  Hmmm, a skit.  Well, I've written skits for fun but never really one to be performed by real people.  I suppose I could try to put something together.  This way, I would get to work with the teens and young adults in the church and not worry about the kids.  Sure, I agreed.

That was 2005.  This year I wrote my 7th VBS skit.  My skits have become longer and more challenging.  My cast has grown in numbers and as actors.  And my writing has improved with each year.  But, I know that I would not be able to throw these skits together without God.

The last 2 skits, I felt lost.  The 2010 theme was heroes and I had a very difficult time coming up with a good plot.  In fact, my original thought got completely tossed out the window and I started all over with something new.  Seth helped me quite a bit last year, giving me plot ideas, character ideas, among other things.  This year, I felt even more lost.  In fact, I about backed out completely because I knew nothing about the chosen theme: Pilgrim's Progress.  I asked God to just help me.  And, what do you know, He did.  :)  All of a sudden, this flood of ideas came rushing into my head and I could hardly contain them!  I did research on the book, the characters, the places.  I talked to the man who would do the speaking for the week and got his outline and theme verses.  I skimmed the book and watched a movie based on the book.  Once I got approval to move forward with my idea - which took some things from the book but also added my own flavor - I typed out the 5-day skit within 3 days.  Yep, only God could have made that happen.

Last week was our VBS.  We did not have a single practice with everyone there except on the nights of the performance (and sometimes not even then!).  We did not always have all of our props until the performance itself.  One set was not even completely ready until the day we needed it.  But God worked it all out in His timing.  He used each of us to share the message that He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross and take away our burden of sin forever and anyone who chooses not to believe in His Son as Savior will be thrown into hell.  It was a strong message given in the skits.  I was even moved by it as I watched my cast bring the skit to life.  Although several people have told me what an amazing job I did on the skit this year, I cannot take any credit.  It was all God.  Every year, it comes from God.

2009, Pirate Theme

 All of my cast members as pirates or parrots.

Me with my own 2 little pirates.

The villains of VBS 2010.

 And the heroes.

I was Daniella Vince.

VBS 2008 theme: Trains

 VBS 2007 theme: Titanic

VBS 2006 theme: Western

 Unfortunetely, I have no photos of my first VBS in 2005.  The theme was Deserted Island Treasure or something like that.  lol

VBS 2011: Pilgrim's Progress.  This is the City of Destruction.

The Celestial City

 The countryside as Christian and his friends traveled to the Celestial City.

 The cross where Christian was released of his burden.

The tomb where Christian's burden was taken.

So, I thank each and every one of my cast members for doing such a great job every night.  I thank all of the talented artists who created our sets.  And I thank God for bringing such an amazing church family together to create an awesome VBS to share God's Word with kids.  What an awesome God we serve!!!  All glory to Him.

The Other Side of the Bed

No, I don't mean the wrong side...just the other side.

I have been in a hospital bed a few times with my husband by my side.  Of course, these were because of childbirth.  Our first was born naturally, then we had a miscarriage, and our last 2 were born via c-section.  I was in the bed with the gown and the IV's and in pain while Seth sat next to me wanting to help me somehow but couldn't.

Last Friday, the roles were switched.  My husband was in the hospital bed while I sat beside him.  I was on the other side of the bed and I hated it.  I felt so helpless.  Seth was doing fine before he went in for the surgery on his ankle.  In February, a ladder slipped out from under him and he fell 6-7 feet badly spraining his ankle.  After a few months of physical therapy, they decided they needed to do surgery.  The surgery went well and he's recovering ok.  But sitting there next to his bed before and after surgery was the worst feeling.

The first time I saw him in that bed, my stomach turned.  There my best friend, the love of my life, was in a hospital with an IV and moniters.  It wasn't anything serious, just a minor surgery, but I felt so sick seeing him there.  He did a good job at making me laugh though, like he always does.  Still, there were moments I thought the tears were going to flow.  Finally, it was time to wheel him back into surgery and I had to just wait.

A couple hours later, I was brought back in to see him.  This time he was very out of it.  He said a few things but couldn't remember it later.  It was a little better afterwards because then I felt like I had something to do, although I still didn't like seeing my husband of 13 years in that bed with the IV and gown.  I gave him water and asked the nurses for more when he ran out.  I helped him get dressed when he started to wake up a little more.  It was such a relief when the nurse finally took his IV out.  (The whole idea of the IV is what kept me from following my dream into the medical field).  His ankle was wrapped up and Seth was still a bit loopy.  After about 4 hours in the hospital, I was able to take him home.

I cannot imagine having to be on the other side of the bed as many times as Seth as been.  It is such a helpless feeling, seeing the one I love on the bed in a hospital.  I have a much higher respect for what he's been through as I labored and cried and birthed and recovered.  I thank the Lord for giving me such an amazing husband and that he has been pretty healthy all the years I've known him.

Friendship Bear

When I was little, my grandma made each of us grandkids a Care Bear.  We each got a different one.  I got Friendship Bear.  Friendship Bear is orange with 2 flowers on the belly.  I loved him.  I slept with him at night.  And one night, I was sick.  I had a throw-up bowl on the floor next to the bed.  I woke up in the middle of the night, leaned over the side of my bed and threw up, and then went back to sleep.

What I didn't know was that my Friendship Bear had fallen on the floor....and I missed the bowl.  Yep, my poor Care Bear caught it for me.

Well, my grandma got him cleaned up and I still have that bear today.  I let my kids play with him and sleep with him.  Last night, little A slept with him.

We had all gone to bed late, and I was having a hard time falling asleep.  Obviously, I did fall asleep because I woke up to a strange sound coming from A's room next door.  I wasn't sure if I really heard what I thought I heard so I layed in bed and listened.  Sure enough, I heard it again.

I whipped out of bed and went into A's room.  The tent that she likes to sleep in was tossed onto the floor.  A was sitting at the edge of the bed, still getting sick and crying.  She was throwing up into her dirty clothes basket.  Thankfully it was empty.  But, she didn't quite get everything in the basket.  There was some on her bed, pillow, herself, and the very same Friendship Bear that was on the floor next to the basket.  What are the chances of that same Care Bear getting thrown up on by me and then my daughter almost 30 years later?

Well, I got A all cleaned up.  New sheet, new blanket, new jammies.  She went back to sleep without a problem.  I, however, sat up and wondered what on earth made her sick.  She had no fever and this morning she is feeling just fine.  I finally got back in bed and after a few minutes I heard some more whimpering.  I got up again and got in bed with A.  She was still fast asleep but the whimpering stopped when I climbed in with her.  After a while, I moved back to my bed and fell asleep.

I must say, Friendship Bear lives up to his name.  What kind of friend would lay down on the floor and catch vomit - twice?  What a friend Friendship Bear truly is.

I'm proud to be American

Although I've been sick, fighting a horrible cold, I had to push through and enjoy Wichita's 4th of July celebrations on Saturday.  My family had gone to a Wichita Wingnuts baseball a couple of weeks ago for free.  The Wingnuts lost but we had fun as a family - well most of us did.  :)  Every year for the 4th, the Wingnuts play and then fireworks are shot just outside the stadium so everyone who went to the game has front row seats to the show.  Usually, we find a place high and watch them from a distance.  But not this year.

Even though both Seth and I are sick, we decided to go see the Wingnuts play and stay for fireworks.  In fact, we even decided to enjoy the food at the stadium.  It was a fun evening.  There were times I wished I was back on my couch because I was so dizzy, but the game got exciting.  We started out 3 runs behind.  Then we pulled in 2 runs.  The game continued like this for a few innings.  Then the Wingnuts made 3 more runs making the score 5 to 3.  But the Kansas City T-Bones caught up, scoring 3 more runs.  By the time we got to the 9th inning (nearly an hour after the game was supposed to end), the T-Bones were up 6 - 5.  The bottom of the 9th, we were up to bat.  One batter made it to base, stole 2nd and when the T-Bones over threw the ball, he went ahead and stole 3rd.  He eventually made it home, tying up the score.  Another batter made it on base.  So the T-Bones decided to walk our next 2 batters.  Bases are loaded, score is tied, and only 1 out.  Ball, strike, ball, ball.  One final pitch - another ball.  Yep, they walked another batter, giving us the winning run.  Wingnuts beat the T-Bones 7-6.  Baseball isn't usually that exciting to me, but I was on the edge of my seat (if not standing).

What we didn't know is that after the game, before the fireworks, they have a little reward program.  2 people were rewarded for helping out after the Joplin tornado.  A check was presented to help the people of Joplin and a town in Kansas that was also hit by a tornado.  And then a Kansan soldier had come home the day before from Afghanastan.  In April, he had stepped on a roadside bomb.  He lost both of his legs and his left arm.  He was not at the game as he was at another ceremony to honor him, but the crowd was on their feet.  Then they had all of the military men and women, past and present, stand.  I was surrounded by them.  So thankful for all of them, although I didn't know a single one of those who stood up around me.

Then the fireworks show began.  I had never felt more proud of my country than I was that night.  God has truly bless our nation.  The men and women who fought and are still fighting continue to make this country the great country that it is.  I am proud to be an American.  I am forever grateful to all of the soldiers who fight to keep this country free.  I wish I could name you all, but there's so many that I know personally to individually thank you.  I'm afraid I would forget someone.  But I will never forget what you have done.  Not only the soldiers, but also their families.  They sacrifice so much as well, so that their loved ones can go and fight for America.  And I thank God for America.  I thank God that this is my home.

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Don't give away all of your Kit Kat!

My daughter, K, is 8 years old.  She has always been boy crazy.  She gets that from her mother.  I had crushes on boys for as long as I can remember.  It was in 3rd grade when a boy actually liked me back.  K will be in 3rd grade this fall.  She has had several crushes and a few boys who have crushed on her.  It's cute and fun - as long as it stays that way.  But these kids like to act on these crushes.  Holding hands, cuddling, hugging, even kissing.  It was time to put a stop to it.

So, I took K out to lunch today.  Seth was home sick from work so I left J and A with him.  I asked K if she thought she would be married someday.  She was pretty positive that she would get married and even knew who she would marry.  For the last couple of weeks, she has claimed one of the neighbor boys as her boyfriend.  He initially had no feelings for K whatsoever but it was no secret that she liked him.  He refused to claim her as his girlfriend.  Until, he gave his life to Jesus.  Joy overflowed out of him.  I could see the change in his behavior.  And suddenly, he became very sweet to K.  9 years old or not, he is a very sweet "boyfriend."

I asked K how old she thought she would be when she got married.  Her answer:20.  I told her that was 12 years from now.  How could she possibly know that she would marry this neighbor boy in 12 years?  12 years is a LONG time and who knows what could happen between now, and when K turns 20.  We have been wanting to move out west - Wyoming or Idaho - but the Lord has not yet opened that door.  I told K that if we do move, how would she still stay with this boy.  She was pretty confident that no matter what happened, she was going to marry him.

Well, I couldn't convince her otherwise.  So, I pulled out a King size Kit Kat.  I layed out the 8 pieces and said, "This is you.  When you get married, whether it be this boy or not, you want to be able to give your husband all of you.  What you have is special and the more of yourself you can give to your husband, the more he would appreciate it."  I took a piece of Kit Kat and put it aside.  "This is every time you hold hands with a boy."  I took another piece away.  "This is every time you hug a boy."  I took another piece away.  "This is every time you kiss a boy.  Every time you do something with a boy, you give him part of yourself."  I got down to 3 pieces and handed them to her.  "Do you think your husband would want this?"  She looked down at the 3 pieces and shook her head.  As I took each piece away, I wanted to cry.  I know how so many people give away so much of themselves that they have nothing left for their own spouse.  I did not want my daughter to take these things lightly.  I wanted this conversation to make a lasting impression on her.

I gave her the rest of the pieces I had taken and asked her if she thought she still needed to have a boyfriend at this age.  "No, we can just be friends."  Praise the Lord!!  We enjoyed some Kit Kats and headed home.  This is just a reminder to pray for my children.  They are faced with pressures that I didn't face until I was much older.  And I should pray for their future spouses that they, too, would remain pure and be able to give all of themselves to my children when they get married.

So, save your Kit Kat.  Don't give away too many pieces too soon or your future spouse may get nothing.

A Decade

That's how long I've been a mother. Today, my son J is 10 years old!

After graduating from Emmaus  Bible College in 2000, Seth and I started working for Village Creek Bible Camp in NE Iowa. After a very busy summer, we moved into retreat mode. At that time, 5 couples served as full-time staff. 3 of us were expecting babies.

We told our families at Christmas. J would be the first grandbaby on my side and the 2nd great grandbaby on my mom's side. My cousin was also pregnant but due more than a month before I was.

I continued working at camp every weekend. The camp director's wife gave birth in March. I went to my 5-year high school class reunion in May where my home church threw me a baby shower. Then it was time to get ready for summer camps again. The camp directors moved us into a house in the near-by town. Seth and I had been looking to move. We both traveled to Wichita a couple of times for interviews and apartment searching.

The baby was due July 8, 2001. Seth got a job teaching at Sunrise Christian Academy and we would move in early August. The wrangler's wife  gave birth in June.

The church I attended while at camp along with the camp director's wife threw me a surprise baby shower. I had no idea - and I was being very stubborn to not attend this church activity as I had camp responsibilities. But the camp director's wife worked all that out, Seth even said he would be busy, and it seemed everyone really wanted me to go. So I went - having no idea it was a surprise for me. :)

Then the day came - 2 weeks early. I was up timing contractions during the night. Seth thought I was just being a bit anxious and told me to try to sleep. I fell asleep. Seth went on in to camp to work. I woke up, still having contractions, and feeling like my water was leaking. I called the Dr. and he said to come in. I called the camp. No one could get a hold of Seth. I waited for several minutes. Finally, Seth called back and I told him we needed to go to the hospital.

After we arrived, things were progressing slowly but with my water leaking, something had to be done. The Dr. put me on putocin (sp?) which certainly made my contractions more intense. The camp director's wife came and relieved Seth for a few hours. She walked with me up and down the hallways, rubbed my back, and just kept me company. Seth returned and the day was about to end.

I'm not sure of the order of events - it was 10 year ago - but at some point the Dr. broke my water. It was then that my contractions brought me to tears. I finally accepted some pain medication - but no epidural. I insisted on doing it as naturally as possible (besides the fact that I was terrified of the epidrual). I woke up several times during the night with contractions. The Dr. tried 3 different pain meds. He and Seth massaged and rubbed me to get me to relax.

Finally at around 6:45am, it was time to push. By then, all the pain medications had worn off and I was giving birth completely naturally, just as I had wanted. At 7:29am, J was born. "It's a boy!" the Dr. said and then placed him on my stomach.

I was a mom. I had a son. I have watched him grow and learn for the last 10 years. He has always been excited about learning new things. He gave his life to Jesus when he was 3 or 4 years old and was baptized when he was 8. He continues to love and serve the Lord.

Happy birthday, J!! I love you!!!

My Cinderella Sister

I was able to get away last weekend for a fun girls' weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.  I have 2 sisters who live in my hometown and 1 sister who lives in the Wichita area with me.  Every year, we plan a weekend together with my mom and grandma and usually we meet in Kansas City.  But this year is different.  This year is extra special.

I have 3 sisters and no brothers.  I am sister number 2.  Sister number 3 is Amanda.  She's always been known as the cute one.  She's the one who always had the dream of becoming a mom.  She's the one who was still single on her 30th birthday while the rest of us are all married with our own families, even the baby sister.

But, that's all about to change.  This last weekend we stayed in Des Moines for some wedding planning and dress shopping for Amanda's wedding!  Yes, it's happening and we are all excited.  In the past, our grandma made our wedding dresses, but she doesn't feel like she is able to make Amanda's this year so we went to a bridal shop and watched Amanda try on dress after dress after dress.  It was actually pretty fun since I had never gotten to do that myself or with anyone else's wedding.  We all gave our opinions about each dress.  What we liked, what we didn't.

And then the moment came.  You always hear how you'll just know when it's the right dress.  Amanda came out of the changing room, we all ooohed and awwwed.  That was the one.  We all agreed that this was the perfect dress and Amanda was moved to tears.  Just like you hear about happening or see on TV or in the movies.

What a fairytale moment.  Just like Amanda.  Her life is a fairytale.  Not that she was a slave to a wicked stepmother and stepsisters.  Not that she had to live with 7 little men (although she does run her own daycare in her home which of course includes at least 7 little children).  She is making her life her own fairytale.  She has found her prince charming whom we all love and she is watching her own fairytale unfold before her eyes.

It was such a fun weekend.  Such a special weekend.  And I'm proud to be Amanda's sister and to be a part of her real-life fairytale.