Mission trips are full of unexpected twist and turns. However, no matter what happens the ultimate goal is always the same: that all involved would be impacted by the love of Christ.
Scott Clark, one of the volunteers from Riverbend Baptist Church in Gainesville, Ga., initially did not know what to expect for their mission trip. It wasn’t until the day before they were scheduled to leave that he found out he was going to be helping to host a Vacation Bible School on Camp Pendleton. Nevertheless, he willingly came with his team striving to be a Christian model for the kids and share his joy with them.
The group of volunteers arrived on July 6 and jumped right into their activities on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. They teamed up with Capistrano Valley Church in San Juan Capistrano, Ca., to put on a VBS sports camp on the north side of the base in the morning, and with Generation Church in Oceanside, Ca., on the south side of the base in the afternoon.
After establishing a relationship with the chaplains, Generation Church was able to host their first VBS on Camp Pendleton since they began their military ministry two years ago. Without the cooperation with the chaplains, on-base ministry would not be possible. Another reason that it is so important to have events on Camp Pendleton is because it’s very difficult for many of the military families to drive off base to attend activities in the community. For some families, they have to share one vehicle, leaving the spouse and children to depend on neighbors for a ride or stay close to home. With Camp Pendleton covering over 250,000 acres of land, even some activities that are held on base are not easy to get to. Having one VBS at both the north and south ends of the base, really opens the opportunity for more families to be reached.
Throughout the week, the theme for devotional time was heroes. Bailey shared Bible stories with the kids that illustrated the importance of military heroes, different heroes in the Bible, and the fact that Jesus Christ is the greatest hero of them all. On Thursday afternoon, two of the kids were overflowing with questions about Jesus and how He relates to us in our everyday life. Later that afternoon they both accepted Christ. 
“What I want to know more about is God, Jesus, and the Trinity, and I also want to know how to communicate more to them,” said one of the campers who made a decision for Christ.
At the end of the week, the VBS team invited the local churches to come lead the last devotional. This provided an opportunity for the families to see someone from their community and to know a familiar face that is associated with the local church. Shawn Beaty from Generation Church spent the afternoon with the campers on the south side of the base. Beaty said that the best way the local church gets military families to come to church off base is through word of mouth; they get them one at a time.
The VBS not only impacted the lives of the children and helped build relationships between the military families and local churches in the area, but also made a lasting impression on Clark and the rest of the volunteer team.
“I really enjoyed being out there with the kids,” he said. “I’m going to miss them.”
Click here to find more information about getting involved with military ministry.
