YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- Vacation Bible School kicked off here at the South Post Chapel, July 23. Children from U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan flocked to the chapel to attend the week-long summer program, which taught them about God through exciting songs, games, skits, videos and activities.
This year, the theme for VBS was "Sky: everything is possible with God," which focused on teaching children to trust in God through the difficult times, and challenged them to continue pursuing their dreams regardless of what circumstances they were going through.
Each day, activities lasted from morning until noon, with children traveling in their age groups to the various stations to learn lessons that taught them how to become resilient through a trust in God.
"We learned that no matter what happens we must trust God," Emonne Nesha Williams, a fourth grader in Seoul American Elementary School said. "Even when you get bullied or something big happens like a family member leaving, we must trust God."
In addition to teaching children to stay strong through difficult times, VBS also taught them that everything could be accomplished through a trust in God. This gave children courage to keep pursuing their dreams and passions regardless of what peers or family members said to them and what the current situations were.
"I know that growing up, they taught me a lot about God which helped me to stay strong even through tough situations," Sgt. 1st Class Terry Williams, a volunteer at VBS said. "This is a beautiful opportunity for me to give back to the kids."
Williams stated that the value of having VBS was that it taught priceless life lessons in a way that children would find enjoyable. Consequently, such a program would not only be appealing to children but also raise the spiritual health of the Community by increasing the resiliency of the youngest members of the garrison.
This year, however, the benefits of VBS were extended not only to the garrison Community, but also to Communities living abroad.
"This year, we're supporting mosquito nets for people in West Africa," Williams said. "This is to prevent kids there from getting bitten by mosquitoes, catching malaria and possibly dying."
As a result, children were given an opportunity to not only have a fun time and learn valuable lessons, but to also be able to give back to another Community living abroad.
After a busy week of activities, VBS ended on Friday, July 27. As an annual event, the next VBS is scheduled to be hosted during the summer of 2013.
"I had a lot of fun at VBS," Giannie Ruth, a fourth grader in SAES said. "If there was anyone who couldn't come this year, I would tell them not to miss it next year, because it's a really fun place to learn about God"
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