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Febuary 1979 Newsletter
COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
In the jungle and prairie of Southeastern Colombia
Volume 6, Issue 2 February, 1979
IT'S VBS TIME!!
In Colombia the kids are out on vacation from December 1 until about the end of January. This is our "summer" or dry season. So as in the States, we take advantage of this time to have our Vacation Bible Schools. This may sound like a simple and routine thing, but due to the circumstances it is not. Let me take you to a VBS in one of the country churches.
The church has been established only a few years now. It has no mature Christian leaders and no trained teachers. To make matters worse, we have no publishing house here in Colombia where we can get VBS materials. So preparations must begin early. In past years we have used a combination of materials. This year will be no different. We start out with "leftovers" from Mexico. The Standard lessons are translated and printed for use there. Warren Sanders buys the books that are not used. We add teaching materials visual aids and crafts. We often have to mimeograph copies of the teacher’s books. We supplement this with pictures that we cut out of unused Sunday school material that is sent to us by several churches in the States. Plaster castings of miniature angels and wall plaques with Bible verses cast in advance by volunteers from the local congregations.
As the time approaches we hold a teacher training seminar here in Villavicencio. Sometimes we do the teaching. Other times, as in this past year we have a visiting teacher. The subjects deal with how to teach, the use of visual aids, and controlling the kids. We give them a preview of the materials that they will have available to them. They then go back to their home congregations and start the planning. We try to coordinate the VBS's so that no two are held the same week. This way we can send down a representative to help them get started. If possible this person spends a whole week with them at the church. This way they can help the new teachers and work as a director to keep the whole thing running rather smoothly. The congregation begins to publicize and tries to give us an idea how many students they are expecting. Due to a shortage of materials they get only what they think that they will need.
When the big day finally arrived, all is in the final stage of preparation. The person who is sent out from Villavicencio leaves a day or two early so as to take materials and prepare for the opening day. Things get started with a bang. Many kids from the jungle and prairie regions have attended very little school. This means that 10 year olds often have to be taught on a beginner’s level. Also due to lack of training in school, most kids don't know how to behave. (And you thought that was a problem only with your class.) This week passes in a flurry as the VBS progresses. Teachers gain experience, parents get a break from their kids, and some of the kids even learn something. Our director collapses from exhaustion and the whole process starts all over again in some other church the very next day.
(PHOTO)
VBS packet poster.