During an early week in June, the kids came in droves running into a hot gym, anticipating the excitement of a summer VBS! Morning Star Ranch Kids Camp was the missions project at the Whitewater Community Vacation Bible School, a small town outside of Wichita, KS. Through the five days of the club, the kids were briefly challenged with the need for kids from urban poor neighborhoods getting a chance to spend five days at a peaceful camp, away from the chaos of the city, all with the purpose for them to feel, see, and hear about Christ’s love for them.
I used a simple flashlight to explain the importance of light in the darkness at a place like Morning Star Ranch at nighttime and related that to the opportunity the kids had to see the light of Christ amidst the fun and craziness that is kids camp. In order to maximize the giving power of these energetic kids, we had a giving competition between the boys and the girls.
At first, the offering from the kids came in slowly, but then $30 became $100 and $150 became $300. On the last day, the kids focused their full giving power in contributing over $1,500 to the missions giving project! This is significant because in order for an elementary or junior high age child to attend Morning Star Ranch, it costs $190. We only charge $75 and therefore need to raise $120 per child in order to get them to camp. This specific challenge was given to the kids at this VBS and they responded and because of their generous and enthusiastic giving, 12 more kids will be at Morning Star Ranch Camp this summer!
