Now, Summer Fun Week probably isn't like any Vacation Bible School that you've ever experienced. We had up to 640 kids from Brooklyn and beyond for five days. I'm not exactly sure how many leaders and staff we had, but most groups probably averaged up to ten or fifteen kids for one or two leaders. For many of these leaders, it's their first time at Summer Fun Week. Our director affectionately refers to the first day of Summer Fun Week as "Baptism by Fire;" I think that's a fair descriptor. I honestly can't remember much from the first day. My brain really only remembers things from Tuesday forward.
My role as a commander was different. I didn't have a crew of my own, but was set to oversee seven crews of kids from seven to eight years old. Nonetheless, I always have a couple of kids that I get to know pretty well over the week. As I'm overseeing my group, I like to go around to different groups and get to know the names of some of the kids, tap them on the head and ask if they're having fun, ask them if they're listening to their leaders, etc. Before I knew it, I had a couple of kids that wanted me to go everywhere with them. It's a special thing to see the positive impact you can have in someone's life, even for a short week.
One thing that I saw over the course of the week was how much the kids respected their leaders. By Thursday I could ask them to be quiet for one of my leaders who was losing her voice and they complied without issue. It was such a huge blessing to see that! The leaders loved their kids, and the kids really loved them back. At one point I had a line of kids waiting for me to pick them up during worship. It was really heartwarming to be able to see these kids having a good time, especially because it may be a stark contrast to their home. I've got a number of kids that I just fell in love with for the week, and the opportunity to show Christ's love to them was a real privilege.
We had the opportunity to be Christ's witness to these 600+ kids for a week, and it was a blessing. I can't wait to go back, and I'm praying that God continues to work into the lives of these kids. It's pretty special to be able to make that kind of an impact. I wouldn't give that week back for anything, and I'm already looking ahead to the trip next year! I pray for God's continued work in Brooklyn, NYC, and the world, and I'm glad to be a small part of it.
