By Matt Grant

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:6-11

Praise Jesus for humbling Himself, coming to earth as the God-man, and dying on the cross for our wretched sins. Praise Jesus for rising from the grave in triumphant victory over Satan, sin, and death. Praise Jesus that through Him we are brought back into relationship with God. Praise Jesus that He is transforming His people into His likeness, so that Christians together may worship God and live out the gospel as salt and light in a dark, brutal world.

It is with great humility that I report to you that Jesus was lifted up high and exalted as King at Upward Bound VBS 2009.  The gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed to over 90 children each day at the Lakeside Apartments in Mountlake Terrace.  Monday through Friday the children entered into a camp-hike-trail setting where they learned about Jesus’ journey from heaven to earth and back again for His glory and our salvation. The munchkins were visited each day at Base Camp by a hiker who used his journey on the trail to share the gospel with the kids.

Moreover, the children were taught to use their Trail Guide (the Bible) and Trail Journal (homework booklets) to aid them in what is hopefully their upward bound (vs. earthly bound) journey towards heaven. A handful of characters ranging from Simon of Cyrene to Mary Magdalene visited the children each day to share their personal encounters with Jesus! The children together donated over $200 towards Living Water International and worked hard to learn scripture memory and more about what it looks like to follow Jesus. They enjoyed music, crafts, games, and snacks every day.

Close to 15 kids joined us during the week from the Lakeside Apartments—many of whom don’t regularly attend church, but were able to hear the gospel of Jesus. Some of the kids from the apartments had memorized scripture on their first day and were excited to hear more. We were also able to give away about 20 Jesus Storybook Bibles to kids without Bibles. The Storybook Bibles had been donated to MH for this very purpose. That’s about 20 kids who are now able to read about God’s redemptive plan through Jesus in a way that is concrete and reaches them at their age level.

One of the greatest blessings surrounding VBS was the volunteers. MH Shoreline has the greatest Children’s Ministry volunteers. They endured three 2 hour VBS planning meetings and sacrificed so much to study, plan, prepare, and execute VBS. Many volunteers showed up at 7:15am to help with set up and stayed until 1pm to make sure everything was stored in our VBS truck.

Even though the volunteers had Honey Buckets for bathrooms, goose poop on the ground, and it was cloudy and wet—every volunteer always had a big smile on their face. The joy in their hearts from serving and sharing Jesus with the kids was manifested in their great attitudes, big smiles, and loving kindness. One of our leads sprained her ankle mid-week and wasn’t able to make the last two days. The other volunteers stepped up to fill the gaps and came unannounced on days they weren’t scheduled to serve—all for Jesus’ glory and the children’s joy! It gave me so much joy to see their hearts for Jesus and the kids!

The kids were treated to pizza and a bouncy house on the last day. Parents from the apartments were able to attend this event and fellowship with the teachers, volunteers, and families.

Overall, Jesus was lifted up high and exalted at VBS. Many kids from the apartments were invited to MH Shoreline. We are working on taking them to/from the Shoreline Campus on Sundays. I’m so grateful to Jesus that we were able to be used by Him for His glory and children and families’ joy through VBS. What a huge blessing it is to serve in His name.

Below is some parental feedback on the impact VBS had on their children and families. Enjoy!

• “My 4 year old has been talking about Jesus a lot more, it seems like she is more aware that He connects to everything in her life.”

• “My son still recites the verses he learned and seems to be much more Christ focused during the day. Normally any spiritual discussion is prompted from us, the parents, but ever since VBS he’s been asking more questions and talking about Jesus a lot more.”

• “My daughter was very eager to be more helpful (and has continued to be so) and is still out of the blue telling me her bible verses.”

• “My son isn’t old enough to know much about Jesus, but the 1st 2 days he did NOT want me 2 leave him there and by the 3rd he was excited and ready 2 get going every morning. I used this opportunity to get some Bible stories to read to him at night instead of regular stories.”

• “Both of my kids are talking about Jesus between themselves more; we always have Bible time and pray together, but the impact of learning about Jesus from other believers (their teachers and guides) was a huge impact for them! Yeah!!!”

• “When memorizing the verses, it was a great teaching opportunity and my son was asking a lot of questions.”