A local group made it their mission last month to teach people in Zambia how to put on what many in this country grew up taking for granted: Vacation Bible School.

The team of 15 from the Coulee Dam/Almira Community Church left for Lusaka, Zambia June 13, led by Mike and Michele Dowlen and Danny Stone, and included Ethan and Rachel Harris, Derrick Johnson, Isaiah Marconi, Pepper Magoon, Kosumi Carson, Rachael Dowlen, Billie Wheeler, Megan Dowlen, Shawna Dowlen, Cassy Douglas and Kenia Orth.

They'd led a VBS on past trips to the country, but after talking with local missionaries there decided that training other adults in how to plan and implement one would "allow for more long-term growth of their children's programs."

They put on a full-day seminar, training 35 children ministry leaders.

By the end of the seminar, the participants could participate in skits, crafts, songs and games. Over the next few days, the group led four VBSs at four different churches, with the seminar trainees working with them.

One of those four churches they'd visited in 2019 and had a large turnout for the VBS, with 520 attending.

Other newer churches also had good turnouts. "Harvest" church, where 102 children in attended, was just started eight months earlier. "Transformation," started over two years ago, had 86 children attend and has a regular Saturday children ministry. "Destiny" was started three months ago, where 58 children attended on day one, and about 75 the next day.

The group also:

The group in one of the classrooms they painted in a school in the Missio Dei church compound.

• preached at four churches: Livingstone, Missio, Dei, Transformation, and Destiny,

• led four adult bible studies,

• taught six children's Sunday school classes, 

• one session of children's church,

• Danny Stone spent four days teaching at the Bible college,

• eight team members spoke at Chapel giving their testimonies, and

• they painted three rooms in Hope school in the Missio Dei church compound.

"We would like to thank everyone in our local communities that have supported us through prayers, donated supplies, and support of our fundraising efforts," read a statement from the group. "This opportunity would not have been possible without our community supporting us."

The group in one of the classrooms they painted in a school in the Missio Dei church compound.