Crush

During the last week of April, I had the truly delightful opportunity to teach First, Second and Third Graders during Vacation Bible School at our church. VBS has a special place in my heart, beginning when I was four years old and gave my life to Jesus in Mrs. Townsend's art office along with four other children.  I have attended, assisted, led music, taught or completely organized at least 20 VBS in my 36 years of life.   Therefore, when the chance to teach at this summertime favorite after a ten-year hiatus came, I quickly raised an enthusiastic hand to volunteer.

The diversity of students in my classroom was outrageous.   I chose the "Primary" class (Grades 1-3) primarily because Clark and Claire would be in that class and I could therefore keep an eye on them and prevent them from causing too much trouble or fleeing the confines of the classroom altogether.  It was my joy, however, to welcome a variety of other children into the class as well. Here is a sampling of the aforementioned diversity:

• Renita - from middle class 'partner org' family... known her since she was born... a fully fashionable young girl... extremely smart and articulate... one of Claire's friends.
  
• Balaswamy - an orphan who lives in the 'Pipe Village' slum and fits the profile of 'troublemaker' to a tee...had to be sent out of the class one day... but then rallied to say his memory verses on Day 5 without any assistance.
  
• M. Daniel - third grade boy from the slums... typical 'hot shot', bully type boy, but with a soft heart that produced tears after he was scolded for hitting another boy in class.
  
• Nesha - an orphan whose parents died of AIDS and who herself is HIV+... wore the brightest smile in class and, despite her lack of English language skills, learned every memory verse, every Bible story, and colored every picture with the brightest of enthusiasm.
  

Despite the diversity in their faces, in their backgrounds, and in their attitudes, I was struck starkly one day when they all returned from the mid-morning snack break.  One by one, they returned to the classroom refreshed after a bit of nourishment, and all with one thing in common....

A bright orange 'mustache' staining their upper lip.

I chuckled to myself as I can remember my own orange 'kool aid' mustache year after year in snack time after snack time in Vacation Bible Schools all around the USA.  It is almost a summertime hallmark.  When you attend VBS, you must drink Orange Kool Aid.  It can't be cherry; it can't be grape.  It must be orange.  It's almost as if the 'global VBS organizers' send packs of Orange Kool Aid with the curriculum guides and student workbooks.  

What a genuine sense of delight and memory of times past came to me on that pleasant Monday morning.  Despite the differences that presented themselves to me on that day, one thing was common - Orange Kool Aid.  And to me, the Orange Kool Aid represents the spirit of childhood that brings innocence and understanding... and a desire to know true, eternal love.  The love that only the Eternal One can bring.

Bring on the orange..

~lk