LINDY AND RENATO'S CLASS

The kids really love making these faces that are representative of themselves.  Lindy and Renato had a VERY big group to work with.  Lindy did a great job and Renato was terrific as a translator.  This was the first time we worked with him, and we hope to see him again next year for VBS.

 The kids made these crosses that have strips of paper woven through them.  They also made friendship bracelets and worked on coloring cards.

GET READY FOR 2012!

Can it really be time to get ready for our Nov., 2012 Guatemala VBS trip?! Wait - I haven't posted pictures from last year's trip yet! And what a great team it was. Carol Jessen, Karen Pautsch, Dolores Brei, Lindy Neukukatz, Nancy Blase (all experienced mission "trippers"), and Sharolyn Sander (our "newbie" for 2011) gave it their all to provide a great week of activities and a variety of learning experiences to share the love of Jesus.  In 2011 we asked Dolores to be our official photographer and to focus on taking a lot of pictures of the kids with their projects, and here are some of those fun things! Thank you Dolores for your expert picture taking! And here is the group on its last day - exhausted, dirty, and tired but very happy.  Our translators Renato, Mafer, and Jenny are with us too.  All in all, a great week!  (Left to right - Renato, Carol, Lindy, Karen, Nancy, Mafer, Sharolyn, Jenny, and Dolores)

TIME TO BRAINSTORM!

The blog ticker just keeps on going, so it's time for some brainstorming. What a team we have this year! From left to right - Dolores Brei, Sharolyn Sander, Carol Jessen, Karen Pautsch, and Lindy Neukuckatz. I'm taking the picture (Nancy Blase). There's so much to think about and so much work to do, but what fun work it is!

While we're talking, Sharolyn is getting ready to show us how you cut paper and make a tree.

We're not sure if we really believe her - but we'll see!

Hey wait a minute! It's for real! We think the kids will get such a kick out of this. What a great opportunity to share God's love with kids who have so little. When we were told to "teach all nations", I'm sure this is what God meant!

Oh yes, and I forgot another group member. One of this year's stories is the "Wayward Woman", so we have our very own wayward woman! (Just kidding, but we did get a laugh out of her!)

Our first VBS with the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Gualan took place in 2008. I don't think we ever realized that it would become an annual thing that we do with them, but we are very happy to have this opportunity to work with them. We are so fortunate that they have invited us back every year since! Bible stories, crowns, sticker sheets, crosses, songs, crafts, skits, puppets -- such fun! May we use it all to God's glory! Amen!

ONE OF MY DREAMS FOR LOS LIMONES

Couldn't resist posting these cute little dresses. There's an organization called Little Dresses for Africa. These dresses are made out of about a yard of fabric, and there's another version called a Pillowcase Dress made out of (you guessed it!) pillowcases.
Right away the wheels started turning in my head -- "Ok, if these are good dresses for Africa, wouldn't these be good for the little girls at Los Limones?" Some of them come to VBS in very tacky or ill-fitting dresses.
These were made by my friend Denise. Didn't they turn out great?! I feel a "dressathon" coming up some time in the future!

OPERACION RESCATE

Well, the blog ticker says 260 more days 'til VBS as of today. Time to start thinking about the November 2011 trip. This year's VBS is entitled Operation Rescue (Operacion Rescate). There is an emphasis on taking care of our planet, and I think the kids will really enjoy it. I prepared this display board for Missions Weekend at church and included a few photos of last year.

THIS YEAR'S GUESSING GAME WINNERS

Every year we do a "Guess the _____" contest. This year it was Guess the Animal Crackers, and we chose a boy and a girl winner. They both came pretty close to the correct number which was 264. The winners get a bag full of prizes. This year they received frosted animal crackers, a wooden cross craft, a rubber bracelet, and a few other things. The kids seem to really enjoy this. The boy (David) was from my class, and the girl was from the little guys class.

GOD SMILING ON US AT LOS LIMONES

Photo album made with Smilebox