One More Piece Of Normal // VBS 2021

I'm so excited that we got to have VBS this year!!! I was really concerned we might not, since I wasn't hearing anything about it and it seemed like announcements should have started being made. But we did and it went VERY well (at least I think so). Stay tuned for a couple of funny stories :)

Ever since I stopped being a student at VBS, I have led a group. My first group was two girls who weren't all that much younger than me :) The last few years, the coordinator gives me large groups of 7-9 kids to lead by myself because she knows I can handle it, I guess. It's still a lot, even with really well-behaved kids.

This year, they asked me to be the photographer. I don't know where our normal photographer is this year, but I like to serve my church with the gifts I have been given so photographer it is! I was a little bummed to not be leading, but I still get to interact with the kids and I had a group to tag along with when I wasn't photographing. With something like VBS, you don't have to be taking photos constantly.

Shooting events like this is a different mindset. For one thing, I shot in JPG format so that they could have the photos that day for use on social media. No editing or anything. Another difference is that these are not portraits so they can't be and aren't supposed to be perfectly staged with composition and background and lighting etc. When that is something I do regularly, it can take a conscious effort to switch my thinking around.

Here is a small sampling of what our week was like!

Funny Story #1

A little boy comes up to our pastor's wife during Bible Challenge and says, all serious, "I know who's hacking your computers." She, of course, didn't know what he was talking about so he goes on. "I see her, back behind the computers. She keeps poking her head up and I know she's hacking your computers."

What he is referring to is our girl who was running sound and video for VBS! I want to know what this kid watches that his first thought is "someone is hacking your computers".

Along those same lines, a little girl came up to our A/V volunteer and told her, "I've seen you before. You're in the back of the big room when we start and finish." She said it so conspiratorially too :)

Funny Story #2

I helped with a certain group when I wasn't taking photos and the last day, one of the girls asked me, "what's you're name?", so I told her but then another girl said, "no, her name is 500." When I asked why my name was 500, she replied, "because you're 500 years old." Guys, I'm looking pretty good if I do say so myself! Then she said, "And today is your birthday. You're 506." Kids!!! Too funny.


Did your church do a VBS this year? Did your kids attend one somewhere?