“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Weary and faint. I don’t know about you, but those are two words that seem all too familiar to me during this uncertain time. The ever changing landscape of our day to day lives has left me feeling drained and more than a little hopeless at times. Thankfully, God knows me, God sees me and God has a wonderful way of reminding me of those simple things I so easily forget. In this season, He found a spectacularly simple way to remind me of an unchanging truth about hope, and it came in the shape of a box.

A few weeks ago, I shared that VBS would look very different this year, no big show on stage, no stations or grandparent guides, no slime. This year VBS would go home in a box and it would be for families and neighborhoods to adopt as their own. To say that we were a little leary of the outcome as we watched box after box find a new home, would be an understatement. However, it did not take long for the pictures, the stories and God’s beautiful, bold fingerprints to be seen in so many ways.

Here are just a few of the reports we received:

I had 5 in my neighborhood group, 2 were grandkids, and 1 participant accepted Jesus!
I really enjoyed being their coach (let’s say, assistant coach) guiding them through the activities and all that you’ve presented. Thank you so much! It was lively and creative but mostly pointed them to Jesus in a strong, effective way.

Thank you so much! My kids are having a blast with the VBS! It has been hard for them to stay home all the time during the summer and it really cheers them up to do VBS!

Thank you for bringing joy and a little normalcy for them. They had fun learning more about Jesus!

It felt like a real privilege to help one of our participants find a verse in the Bible for the first time and explain the creation and salvation story. She had definitely not heard them before! I’m going to get a Bible Storybook to give her. I don’t think I would have tried a backyard VBS before but now I’d do it again!

My daughter took the VBS boxes we got last week and has run an excellent VBS this week on our street. Went so well, the kids asked for two more days, so we are planning more activities to go through the end of the week.

My kids are only 3 and 5, but they still got so much out of it. You did a beautiful job educating and loving on my kids, even with just a take-home box.

See what I mean? God’s fingerprints! None of these compliments are about me or my team or how amazing we are, they are all about God and what HE can do when you put your hope in HIM and HIM alone. They are sweet reminders of what it feels like when we run in His strength, instead of our own. They are an illustration of how God can take something as simple as a box and transform it into a profound example of His love, grace, redemption and HOPE!

I am deeply grateful for everyone who made VBS In A Box happen this year, for the families who chose to jump in with excitement and enthusiasm and especially for God’s steadfast voice reminding us all, that in the race of life we are not just made to run, we are made to soar.

Nikki Bridgeford