Angels on the High Seas
By Brittany Black
ROCKWALL, Texas -- The Angels from Abroad went on a “High Seas” adventure with Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas on Aug. 5 and 6. The two-day Vacation Bible School focused on God’s love through singing, dancing and games that coordinated with stories from the Bible.
“Our most important goal is that we show them God’s love,” said Natalie Thomas, a leader of VBS and member of Lake Pointe Church.
This was the second year Lake Pointe Church hosted VBS for the Russian Angels.
“I saw how much the children enjoyed it last year,” said Mary Jo Marvin, VBS leader and participant in Lake Pointe’s Adoption and Foster Care ministry. “I thought, ‘What better way to share fun and faith with the Angels than to bring them here [Lake Pointe Church].’”
The Angels, along with many of their host siblings, sat on make-shift boats made of blankets while they listened to stories from the Bible translated into Russian. When it was time to sing and dance, the Angels sang along even though most didn’t know the English words.
During craft time, teenage Russian-speaking and English-speaking volunteers, many who were former Angels, helped the children create pillows, a snake and puppets. They also helped when it was time to play games.
“This is a great opportunity Buckner gives us,” Marvin said about hosting VBS at the church. “If I can get people to see these children, we can get families from here interested in hosting and adopting.”
Lake Pointe Church also donated 17 suitcases for the orphans. Each suitcase was filled with toiletries and a gift card for each host family. The church also helped recruit families by hosting the Angels from Abroad interest meeting in their facilities last year.
Volunteers from Lake Pointe helped during the Angels arrival and throughout the two weeks the angels are in the United States.
Angels from Abroad is an orphan host program that brings Russian orphans who are available for international adoption to the United States where they learn about American culture and experience what it’s like to be part of a family. They stay with a host family for two weeks and participate in many activities, including a day at the lake, makeovers the Mesquite rodeo and much more.
Learn more about their visit at www.angelsfromabroad.org.
Click here to see the Angels from Abroad VBS video.
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