VBS

Matt and Cheryl Tallman brought a group of students from George Fox University and Linfield College to the Open Arms village in Kenya during the month of May. The group provided Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the Remand Centre (juvenile detention facility), Kambi Teso slum in Eldoret, and Open Arms Academy (school at the OA Village). The African children were not familiar with VBS, but they really enjoyed the activities. 

The university/college group performed a skit depicting the story of David and Goliath as told through a pair of puppets. Children were recruited to be characters in the skit. They were provided with plastic capes, balloon helmets and swords, and paper shields for costumes. Goliath was created by putting a boy on Matt’s shoulders. It was reported that one of the OAA community children reproduced the play when he got home from school. He assigned characters to his family members and directed them in a reenactment of the story.

Other VBS activities included drawing and coloring crowns while they learned about Ruth. They dawned balloon crowns and played games as queens and kings. The Western game of Simon Says was transformed to The King/Queen Says.

group hug for Matt & Cheryl

The original plan was to only do the VBS for the preschool children at the Village. The class 1-3 children saw how much fun the “babies” were having in the morning session that they requested their own VBS. More balloons were pumped up and formed into helmets and swords during the lunch hour, and the group rallied to do another VBS session that afternoon.

I think some of the children went to bed with balloons 

on their heads that night.