Even though we walk through the Valley

Hello from Team BAAA 🐑! This past week we got the privilege of serving at Mountain Valley Church in Edgewood! We served multiple roles in their VBS, with some as group leaders, some as floaters, and all as decorators. This was the biggest VBS we've served at so far and it was awesome to see so many kids getting to hear the good news of Jesus! During the day, we also served at the Christian Challenge building in ABQ doing a whole bunch of miscellaneous tasks. We're definitely feeling the exhaustion of the summer but we are ready to finish strong! Our next church is First Baptist Silver City and we will once more be serving in their VBS!

Prayer Requests:

• Strength and healthiness for the team to finish strong
• For all the kids who came to VBS at Mountain Valley Church
• That we would serve the church in Silver City well
• That God would continue to work in our lives after the summer ends

Ashby:

This past week at Mountain Valley Church was a fun experience! I hopped around different roles, such as being a pre-k teacher to being a buddy to two girls who needed just a little extra attention. God taught me a lot throughout this week- like relying on His wisdom and guidance is much better than acting on my own impulses. For example, dealing with two lovable but chaotic girlies stretched my patience but also stretched my heart. It was a wonderful church and prayers for all the children that attended would be amazing!

Bryce:

This past week, we had the opportunity to serve at Vacation Bible School at Mountain Valley Church. Throughout the week, I served as a group leader, leading Bible studies, and building relationships with the students in my group. Spending several days with the same kids allowed me to get to know each of their personalities and encouraged them to become more engaged as the week went on. It was a blessing to watch them grow in both confidence and their understanding of God's Word.

One moment that especially stood out to me was with a young boy in my group. At the beginning of the week, he struggled to answer even simple questions about the Bible lesson and seemed unsure about many of the stories we talked about. By the end of the week, when I asked why Jesus came to earth, he confidently answered that Jesus died for his sins. Seeing that transformation over just a few days was an incredible reminder that God is constantly working, even when we cannot immediately see it.

Through this week, God reminded me that our responsibility is simply to be faithful in sharing His truth and loving others well. We may only plant or water the seed, but God is the One who changes hearts. Watching these students grow encouraged me to trust that He can use even small acts of obedience to make an eternal difference.

Asher:

This past week was a blast! We got to spend a little time back in Albuquerque serving in VBS for Mountain Valley Church and helping out around the Christian Challenge building. I was given the role of a group leader (Go Lightning Bugs!) and I had an awesome time getting to know the kids. There were times when VBS got a little crazy but I was able to keep my group under control and on track. I got to teach the main lesson for a few of the days and it was a blessing to get to pour into the kids and show them the truth of who Jesus is. It was also really cool to get to be a part of all the rotations each day, an opportunity I haven't really had yet this summer. I'm definitely feeling the exhaustion but I'm excited to see what Silver City has in store!

Angella:

This week we helped at Mountain Christian Church with their VBS. They put us to work right away decorating the church, they went all out with all their decorations. It reminded me of helping my mom growing up with VBS & what she would do. I got to run my own pre-k class for illumination station, which was so fun. This last week, I felt really disconnected from a lot of what was going on because I was feeling sick for a lot of the week but; I was very encouraged by a lot of the church volunteers who asked how I was doing and if there was anyway they could help me.

Yard Work!

Decorating!