When I think back to my experience with Champion’s mobile Vacation Bible School (VBS) I am filled with such joy and peace. I feel blessed to have such fond memories, and I am so excited to experience it all over again this year both as a participant and a host.

Champion truly creates such a wonderful and unique VBS experience that makes a great time for every child, no matter what age they are. If you are reading this and haven’t attended our mobile VBS you may be wondering what that even means. When I first heard of it I pictured a big bus full of people from the church driving down the road singing “Jesus Loves Me” out of the windows. While that would be fun, it is much more than that - it is actually bringing the whole VBS experience into a host’s backyard. All the fun, games, snacks, Bible lessons, crafts, and music are brought right to your neighborhood!

Picture this…

You hear the sound of the birds singing and children laughing, the feeling of the cool breeze and warm radiant sun beating on your skin. The sweet and sharp smell of fresh-cut grass is in the air and the overall feeling of peace and joy is around you as you take in all of God's creation. As you laugh, play games, do crafts, and worship Jesus with your children, you get the sense that you’ve come to the right place. When I remember last year’s experience with VBS, these are the things that are etched into my memory.

Aside from the setting, there are so many unique and special parts of the backyard VBS experience to rave about, however, one of my favorite parts from last year was when special guest Ollie the Owl and his friend Shark came onto the scene. Each child was allowed to take pictures and interact with them, which was especially exciting for our daughter. If you were at any session last year with my children, you probably heard and saw the excitement from her when she saw these characters. Hands down, this may be one of the most memorable moments of her life which she still talks about and remembers today. The complete and utter joy she had when she saw them will always bring a huge smile to my face. That loud and excited shrill she had and the way she would run to them at full speed was priceless.

The characters, who mind you probably felt like it was 1000 degrees wearing these costumes in the summer heat, would always welcome all the children with big open arms. They were very interactive as they danced and sang with us during praise and worship at every session. Truly, I tell you, the individuals in these costumes, along with every single person serving at VBS are God’s image bearers. The fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control were on full display in each and every single person on the VBS team. They were always full of the joy of the Lord and constantly had such huge smiles on their faces. The way they brought the Word of God to life and made each child feel special was such a difference-maker.

We were also blessed with the opportunity to host a session in our own backyard both this year and last year, and the time leading up to it was a great lesson to our children on how to be good stewards of what God has given us.  They learned about caring for God’s creation by doing yard work and began to understand what it means to sacrifice time as we put invitations in the mailboxes in our neighborhood. This was a great way to show them how we can glorify God in everything we do, no matter how simple a task it is.

For our family, VBS has taught us so much about God’s nature by being in nature. Being immersed in God’s creation has allowed us to reap the benefits of all He does for us. Champion’s mobile VBS puts us in nature— His creativity —so that we can experience His love in a way that’s unique from the walls of the church building. For an entire week, our children are able to be refined and grow closer to the One who created them all with the help of a truly anointed VBS team.

If you haven’t already, sign up for one of the VBS mobile sites today!