The Close of Week #1

It has been a couple of days since I (Jill) posted, so I will bring everyone up to speed. I had hoped to have one of the girls post this blog but internet access for them is limited. Soon we will make that happen. The first week of Vacation Bible School has come to an end. Each of us really enjoyed getting to know our classes and are ready to keep going. We probably averaged around 40 kids each day and are curious to see how next week's extended summer learning program will be attended. Each day that we went to Bible School it seemed like there were new kids there who hadn't ever been before.
Let me give a quick update of each day since the last post. On Wednesday, we spent the morning volunteering at Nearly New, the MCC thrift store in Reedley. We were give an area of the store to clean, reorganize and redecorate. The staff and volunteers were a lot of fun to get to know. In the afternoon we relaxed, napped, swam, etc. The evening was of course filled with Bible School. One thing we have been enjoying this week is making new friends and hanging out every day for awhile after Bible School with these friends from the church. On Thursday, we made a trip to Fresno for a couple of college visits. We first were given a tour of Fresno State University in the morning with an afternoon tour of Fresno Pacific University, a Mennonite Brethren university. It gave the girls a good sense of the differences between the state college versus private christian college atmosphere. We also indulged in a little In-N-Out, a west coast delicacy! In the evening, after VBS we attended a farewell party for one of the friends we've made. My host family has also been hosting Shoroq, an MCC IVEP volunteer from Jordan and she left this morning. Friday was spent back in Reedley. The morning involved some much needed sleeping and relaxation. In the afternoon we had a meeting and time to organize for the church summer learning program next week and then finished the last day of Bible School in the evening.
That is the end of the week in a nutshell. Today we are soon headed to a little town near Sequoia National Park. Several families from First Mennonite Church in Reedley have cabins in Cedarbrook and there is a tradition in Cedarbrook of a Fourth of July community picnic. We will get to be a part of those festivities today!
Thank you for following our activities and supporting us. It will be exciting to see what the second week will hold.