FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The Religious Support Office hosted a “Stellar” weeklong journey through the galaxy during this year’s Vacation Bible School and treated kids to an out-of-this-world experience June 12-16.
Each day had a spirit theme, like crazy hair day or mismatched sock day, but the enduring daily theme children learned was how to spread love and be a good friend.
“This year we had over 60 kids register, and 15 or 16 teenage volunteers,” said Roxanne Martinez, director of religious education. “We haven’t seen this much response in a few years, because of COVID, and it has been great.”
One of the teen volunteers, Caleb Curtis, agreed, but admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect when he was signed up to help.
“I was kind of ‘voluntold’ [by my parents] to come,” Curtis said, “and I wasn’t sure how fun it would be. But it’s been fun, and now, these guys are my buddies.”
Helping at a water relay game, Curtis got utterly soaked, but he laughed it off and said, “It’s worth it. I would do anything for these kids. I would jump in the ocean just to make these guys smile!”
That was a common sentiment among the people who organized and worked the event.
“Everyone here has a passion for God and a passion for kids,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Brandon Johnson, family life chaplain.
The children were broken up into groups according to age, and each group rotated through four activities every day: Imagination Station, All-star Games, KidVid Cinema and Stellar Bible Adventures. The children were reminded throughout each activity to “Shine Jesus’ light” and the space theme was woven into every activity.
During “Imagination Station,” the kids learned about science and conducted hands-on experiments. The kids even got to sample “astronaut ice cream.” Izaak Bonde said the ice cream was his favorite part of the week, but his friend Jonathon Fritz made a face and said he thought the ice cream was “not good at all.”
When asked what his favorite part about VBS was, Fritz said, “Learning! Because we are learning so much!”
Kate Moreland took it even a step further, saying her favorite part was, “Learning all about Jesus.”
Piper Nolan, when asked what her favorite part of the week was, threw her hands in the air, and gave a very enthusiastic yell, saying “Everything!”
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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