Vacation Bible School, Tijuana style!

a glimpse of our week at VBS...

Before VBS had even started, we had our first injury...and realized that we didn't have so much as a bandaid with us!  So we loaded up our patient into the pickup and made the trek to my apartment, where I hastily threw together a first aid kit to bring along.  It received A LOT of use during the week.  I actually really enjoyed dealing with blood again...  This is B in our makeshift ambulance in my parking lot, after the lidocaine spray had numbed his wound and he had to fake his crying/screaming for the photo.  You might also note the arm of my assistant, Giovanni, and my eager on-looker, JL!

We had decided not to host a VBS this year, because of lack of funds and space at our own church.  But just a few weeks before the summer's end, we were invited to take part in this VBS which was being hosted by another church nearby.  We easily outnumbered the "locals" by bringing 30+ kids/youth/young adults/moms from Pedregal Santa Julia 3rd Seccion each day.  Check out our newest (and already well-used and loved) addition to our church's beloved vehicle: the cage!

The church where the VBS was held had previously been abandoned, vandalized and burned.  There is a new pastor now and they're starting to hold services twice a month.  Anyways, there are still no windows or doors, as you can see in this picture...so nothing could be left there at night.  So we spent a good part of each day transporting chairs and tables and supplies (and leaders and kids) back and forth.

Here's Pastor Giovanni leading a game of "follow the leader."  I believe this was the jumping jacks segment...  This is not the first time that our pastor has been known to do something a little on the crazy side.  For example...

Here are a few of our "cholos" - BA, C and J.  My mom thought they were signing "I love you," but I had to break it to her that they are really trying their best to look like gangsters.  They may look tough, but they're some of the sweetest 8 year-olds that I know!  The two on the left (in matching shirts) are twins known around the neighborhood as "El Flaco" and "El Gordo" (literally, The Thin One and The Fat One)...  These 3 have been begging me to start teaching an English class, so we're considering that possibility!

Some of my favorite girls - E, P, L and A.  This must have been post-piñata because they all have confetti in their hair!

JL, BA, C, J and I (with M in the background).  I can't think of anything else to say for this photo, except that I have no idea why C has a stuffed penguin on his shoulder.  Interesting...

On the last day, the host church brought a generator and we brought our instruments and worship band.  It was such a joy to see the youth/young adults from our church get involved in helping at VBS during the week.  Here's 16 year-old Jorge on drums with 12 year-old E (our usual drummer) looking on, Giovanni playing guitar, 15 year-old I and 18 year-old M singing back-up vocals...and C looking on...

Unlike VBS in the States (as I'm familiar with it at least), teenagers and young adults and moms (and babies) were also welcome to come.  We had our own adult class while the kids were in their classes.  It was a really nice change for Nereida and I not to have plan lessons, but instead to be on the receiving end.

Here's yet another of my patients - D with his buddy A.  I think this was the last injuries of the week.  These cuts and scrapes were mostly caused by falls onto the cement/rocky ground during wild and crazy games of tag and cops-and-robbers before and after the actual VBS.  If I were to guess, I would say that our group of children were the ones to instigate most of the craziness.

This is me breaking the piñata stick before any of the kids had even had a chance at it.  Thankfully we had a back-up stick...

And this is me demonstrating the unfortunate result of my excessive strength!

The piñata...a must-have for any mexican fiesta, including the last day of VBS...

...and the mad scramble for candy as the piñata breaks open!

Here we have a few more "cholos" - BG, O#1, O#2 and J.

Meet M and JL...  The first picture I took of the two of them, M looks really angry at me and JL looked really scared of me.  It was pretty funny, actually.  But here they look much more like their normal smiling selves.

And lastly, G with a bunch of girls - D, P, E, A and H.