When the news came, I was tired—Day 4 of VBS tired. Tired had been the theme of every drive home with my wife that week. Somewhere along the way I had finally asked the question only the overly weary ask: “How long are we going to keep this up?”
Months of planning had become weeks of preparation. Church halls were covered in painter’s tape posters, painted foam creations, and every color of light Hobby Lobby had to offer. We had prayed families would notice the sign in front of the church, heed the email invitations, and show up for the first night of Bible School.
My wife thought about my weary question and answered without hesitation:
“Every year. Our grandchildren—and every other child—deserve the opportunity to experience a VBS like we had tonight.”
God had already given us a few indications that he was working that week. Three of our grandchildren were gathered around the kitchen table practicing their VBS memory verse when our youngest granddaughter—just 14 months old—called out “Jesus” for the first time. I’ll be preaching on that in the future.
Mark’s granddaughter and VBS
I was outside preparing for recreation when Pastor Josh came with the news. On Day 4 of VBS, our pastor visits each grade school classroom and shares a simple, age-appropriate gospel presentation. The children had been learning about Jesus all week: that he is the Promised Savior, the Perfect Savior, and the Proven Savior. Each child was offered the opportunity to meet Jesus personally, without pressure or manipulation.
Pastor Josh came to tell me that my oldest granddaughter had indicated she wanted to talk with someone about accepting Jesus as her Savior. There on the rec field, my son-in-law and I wept, overwhelmed by the goodness of God.
About 9 p.m. that night, my wife and I received a FaceTime call from our granddaughter. She told us she had asked Jesus to be her Savior. Nonnie, Poppaw, and all the angels in heaven were rejoicing at that news.
The personal aspect of evangelism can sometimes get lost in the large numbers. We live in a state where 8 million people do not know the Lord, and 176 people will die today in Illinois without Jesus. Yet one-fourth of all SBC baptisms are directly related to Vacation Bible School. Somehow, as I anticipated Day 5 of VBS, I found new energy for the work.