VBS in Natonin

Well, another VBS successful in Natonin! Although it rained everyday this year and was much cooler the VBS was a great success. There was a concern that I would not be able to withstand the travel and the week of climbing up and down the mountain to get to the school where the VBS was held each day because the cancer has progressed, but God held my hand every step. The travel there is very hard, it takes about 15 hours to get there and two days, because we stop at Bontoc for the night and get up early and continue on to Natonin and arrive there about 5 hours later.

When we go to hold a VBS in the mountain villiages we take all supplies and lessons for the whole week and also our living supplies (bedding, clothes, food etc.). Kinda like camping with a twist. We have a house we stay at when we go there, three rooms total and the cr (comfort room - bathroom) is out back - out house - and that is the shower also. Oh, no hot water unless you heat it, and the mountain spring water is very cold so I heat mine but Duane is very brave and he just takes it cold, burrrrr! I look forward to the time we spend there, I love it so much. The people make the place - it is all about the people. I think my compassion for them grows more and more every day. My heart leaps when I get out of the van and see the faces that are waiting for us when we arrive. The relationship we have with the people there makes the trip down the 500 plus step mountain trail to the valley where the village is a great time of fellowship; but finally getting to the bottom - well, need I say more than just "praise the Lord". Then you look up where you have just come from and say "stairway to Heaven".

This year our theme was "F.R.O.G." Fully Rely On God - and the children had great fun with this. We taught about Jonah; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; Daniel and the Lions Den; and David and Goliath. All these men fully relied on God. Life is hard in this mountain villiage of Natonin and teaching them about these men in the Bible and also life lessons on having faith and fully relying on God, we pray that their faith will grow and they will learn to rely on God in any circumtance of their life. Pray for the people of Natonin and our mission there "Indenpendent Bible Baptist Mission" and Pastor Ambrocio Simeon and his family. And always pray for us!