2015 English 2015 | Page 13

The whole Vacation Bible School (VBS) was planned around this theme: the songs were about going and sharing God’s love, the crafts were about making fires, the snacks were making goodie bags to give to friends who didn’t know Jesus, the games were about working together to spread this fire, and the Bible stories taught were about Elijah and Paul. The team prepared an elaborate, packed schedule to keep the children busy and active throughout the days. What the missionaries did not know though was that the children would already be spreading the fire. The first church that the team visited was called “Eternal Life” and was located in Lima. When the missionaries arrived, the children were all waiting outside, waving their Peruvian flags and singing songs of welcome. They all had big smiles on their faces and looked excited to see all the new faces. Then they all went inside and had a time of worship. This time of worship was truly an incredible sight to see. From the smallest child to the oldest adult in the room, everyone was so zealous for the Lord, and you could tell that they were yearning for His presence. For them, the sound or the quality of music did not matter; they just worshiped God and sought His face. After this amazing time, the missionaries were asked to line up at the front, and children brought gifts to give to each of the team members. This was something that had not been done in the past; it was the start of something new. Children who had been receiving support and help from sponsors in the United States were now convicted to share and give back from what they had received, and therefore had made small gifts by hand. This was a start of spreading the fire. The second church that was visited was a small church in the city of Ancuahuasi, which is about an hour and a half dr ]