Friday, Jul. 04, 2008

God and friendship were topics at camp

Vacation Bible School will wrap up its eighth year today after a week of fun and learning

Children gathered at United Methodist Church to discover Jesus' miraculous power and to have a maddening good time at the annual Vacation Bible School

The church will wrap up the camp today after a week's worth of activities, lessons, giving and friendship.

"It's so wonderful," said Fay Davis who reads Bible stories to campers. "It's great to see them grow up with it."

Many of the campers have been attending Vacation Bible School for years often becoming counselors when they age out.

Davis said this year's theme "Power Lab: Discovering Jesus' Miraculous Power" has given counselors and volunteers a lot freedom to be creative with the camp.

Every day children are taught a new art and craft, game, or story having that coincides with a Bible point during the five-day camp.

Campers made puzzle games to coincide with Wednesday's Bible point: God gives us the power to be brave.

In its eighth year at the United Methodist Church, Vacation Bible School has been something local children and their parents look forward to every year, organizers said.

Tai Latu, this year's camp director, said in a previous interview that volunteers had been working hard to set up an elaborate a mad scientist lab inside the parish hall.

The mad scientist lab is one of the more elaborate productions created for Vacation Bible School boasting a cardboard replica of a blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, a double-helix DNA strand made of balloons and a floor to ceiling-sized working volcano science project.

Davis said the decorations and the water day are fun activities but what matters is that children get message. The camp is non-denominational and many volunteers come from other Los Baños churches not just the Methodist church.

"These kids are pretty sharp, they learn things quickly," she said.

The camp isn't all about fun but also giving.

Vacation Bible School students compete against each other to see who can bring in more change for the end of the day offering which will be benefit the church's youth ministry so that teens who want to go on missions are able to.

Savannah Valenzuela, 8, said she has been bringing in pennies every day and as of Wednesday the girls were winning.

"I don't know how its going to end but it's fun," camper Valenzuela said.

Enterprise reporter Minerva Perez can be reached by phone at (209)388-6565 or by e-mail at mperez@losbanosenterprise.com

Enterprise reporter Minerva Perez can be reached by phone at (209)388-6565 or by e-mail at mperez@losbanosenterprise.com