Vacation Bible School in El Salvador
By Donna Kemper, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Salinas, CA
During our stay in El Salvador, one day in particular was set aside to bring VBS type activities to the children. We planned two sessions with about two hours of activities, including music, a skit and a craft. We were able to find Spanish CD's with children's praise songs as well as a bilingual Bible at the bilingual Christian Bible bookstore here in Salinas. We chose several songs, made extra CD's so we could all practice. We also chose a beaded cross for the craft project (no glue this year). For our skit, we decided on the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32. (It was a tough decision. We could only choose one story to share, and with limited language skills. The story of the prodigal son seemed the best choice.)
We spent the better part of two evenings counting out beads, practicing our skit (in Spanish!), and learning the songs we were to present (in Spanish!). We were lucky that our VBS activities were scheduled later in the week, because many of the supplies we brought were in the luggage that was “delayed” for two and a half days. The night before, we all made the beaded cross so that we could teach it to the children and have some examples of finished projects. It's a good thing we did too. Those crosses turned out to be a little harder than they looked. It's official; Mike Cruddas hates beads.
On Wednesday morning we hiked 30 minutes or so to the community of Montepeque, carrying everything we would need, including craft supplies, CD player, CD's, crayons, paper, posters, masking tape, etc. The people were expecting us. We were able to use a large open air kindergarten classroom that had some child sized tables and benches. There were lots of curious eyes watching us as we prepared, moving tables around and making sure we were ready. We were able to break the ice with the Spanish version of the Mt. Cross favorite “Halleluh, Halleluh, Halleluh, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord” -you remember--the one where you sit down and stand up depending whether you are on the “Halleluh” or “Praise Ye” side. Then we sang one or two other songs with a lot of help from the cheerful children's voices on the CD. (One of songs called “Demos Gracias” (Give Thanks) became a table grace song for our delegation.) The Salvadoran children as well as the adults enjoyed the music and sang along enthusiastically.
Then we did our skit. Chuck Barrett was perfectly cast as the prodigal son, Kent Madsen was the father, Steve Barrett was the older son, Kristy Kemper was the narrator, and the other youth gave inspiring performances as prostitutes, pigs, and party goers. Despite a few linguistic flubs, we were rewarded with appreciative applause from our Salvadoran audience.
After the skit we divided the group into younger and older children. The younger children strung beads and a cross to make a necklace, while the older children (and any adults that wanted to give it a try) made the beaded cross. Lots of willing helpers and patient children made everything go smoothly. Children who finished early were able to color. After everybody was finished Chuck and the other youth played soccer with the children. It's a good thing the Salvadoran children were younger and smaller; Chuck and the youth could almost keep up.
Around noon we had a wonderful lunch at the nearby home of Juan Santos Molina Gonzalez. Then we packed up and returned to Guillermo Ungo to rest a while and do the same thing all over again in the afternoon in the school for children who live in Guillermo Ungo, El Sitio, and Monseñor Romero. We had more than a few repeat customers too. Overall it was a wonderful, exhausting day. We came away reassured that smiles and a kind and patient attitude transcends any barrier, and that God's love is truly the universal language.
Added by Kent September 4, 2007 (10:45PM)
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