This semester a lot of students at Korean Advanced Preparatory Academy (KAPA) have been participating in multiple community service projects. Some of the projects include Pathfinders, Vacation Bible School (VBS) and an afternoon English program at the Yongmun Library.
All volunteer services have been off to a really good start. The VBS group was able to go to their first meeting this past Saturday (September 27, 2014). The VBS group has been preparing a lot for their first meeting, and anticipated meeting the children. Although they were nervous for their first meeting, it was said by the sponsors to be a huge success!
The theme for VBS is based off the weekly American Sabbath school quarterlies. The theme for this past week was Joseph and his coat of many colors. The KAPA students prepared small booths such as a story booth, a craft booth, and a game booth for the kids to rotate through. They also prepared “family group leaders” and mascots. At one o’clock on Saturday afternoon, the KAPA students were ready to take off to the church for their first VBS experience.
As any volunteer knows, sometimes things don’t always go as planned. When the VBS group arrived there was no one at the VBS building, and no way to even get in! After a few phone calls, and several minutes, the children and parents arrived ready to participate. Five to six children arrived and the VBS group was quite surprised at the small number of children, for they were expecting at least twenty! Although it was a drastic change in their plans, the VBS group changed the schedule and combined groups to the appropriate sizes.
Despite the smaller numbers, the VBS program was a huge success! The children loved the students, and even followed them to the car to wave goodbye. Many of the KAPA students shared their experience. Greg, a junior at KAPA, said, “I was expecting more children but I still enjoyed telling the story to the small group.” Another volunteer mentioned, “It was hard to leave because the children become close so fast.”
Zoe, who is also a junior at KAPA, added, “I actually had fun playing with the kids. They were so sweet and I hope my experience is just as good every time!”
A lot of people were very pleased with the outcome of VBS, and they hope there will be many more good memories and fun times to come!
Article by Elisabeth Unsworth