After a weekend full of company, Trent and I finally reviewed last night our Vacation Bible School material for today.  Again this year, Trent, who will be a sophomore in high school this fall, is assisting me as a helper in my classroom—except instead of a classroom, we are using an area in the back church yard as our pretend island.  I was concerned about the heat out there away from the inside AC.  When we arrived almost an hour early to set up this morning, it was cool and wet.  It had not rained, but dew had dampened the grass and also the items we had carried to the “island” yesterday.  I was glad we had left most stuff to be carried out this morning.  Fortunately, the dew soon dried up, and although the sun was hot, there were nice shady spots under the trees at the edge of the yard, so that is where our big spread was laid out on the ground for kids to sit on when they were not running and playing.As I understand our island games site, our responsibility is to encourage the kids to run and play as loud and hard as they can.  (I assume so they will be more able to be quiet, orderly, and in better learning shape at their other three inside sessions.) The games also try to teach the children the day’s Bible verse.  As I told some of the kids, since the Bible has been translated into many languages, the exact wording is not important—it is the message of the verse that we want them to store in their brains.  And what we wanted them to learn this day is that no matter where they go, they can count on God to take care of them.  God can go with them wherever they go.  I asked a couple of the older groups to imagine they were ten years older and in a strange city all alone and someone stole all their money.  Then if the knowledge that God is always with them is hidden in their hearts, they will have confidence as they get out of that fix.As always, our extended family is busy.  This year we only have three grandkids in VBS.  Two from away are staying with us, and Samuel is coming out from town each day.  Two more grandkids are coming down Friday from the other end of the state—too late for VBS—but their dad is taking a class next week at a nearby town and is coming down early to visit with college friends over in Carbondale this weekend.  So at least some of their visit will overlap with the cousins here this week, and they will have a day or two together.  They were hovered around someone’s speaker phone earlier this afternoon plotting plans. Gerry’s family is busy preparing for the move near Athens, Georgia, so Geri Ann is not here this year for VBS for the first time.  (If she had been, this would have been her first year as a worker since she is starting high school this fall.)  She was down Saturday, however, and Brianna spent Saturday night and yesterday up at Geri Ann’s house.  They may get to see each other in Georgia occasionally since Trent and Brianna have cousins from the other side of their family down there.As busy as Gerry is trying to tie things up here and get Geri Ann down for some softball practices at her new high school, Gerry had an interruption this morning.  Gerald has commented before how although he has never in his life come up on a wreck, for some reason Gerry has often experienced this.  And it happened to Gerry again this morning.  A big semi plowed into the back of a van and turned it over. He pitched in with others who stopped to help out.  Several children were rescued from the vehicle.  Grandmothers were hanging from the ceiling by the seat belts (something Geri Ann experienced a little girl).  I think they were all taken to a local hospital to be checked out.  When we are busiest, it often seems like we are often called upon to do one more thing.I observe this each year with fellow VBS workers.  With overfull schedules, someone unexpectedly ends up in the hospital or ER.  Extra company arrives.  Someone who really did not plan to work but graciously agrees to do so is then asked to go out of her way and pick up a couple kids needing a ride.  Something breaks down at home, and schedules are challenged even more.  Amazingly, if we can keep our cool and remember God is with us, we can not only survive, but sometimes even get our greatest blessings from the challenge.