Bilingual Vacation Bible Schools
by Pam Bridgehouse
An average of 89 children a day hear the Gospel of Christ at the bilingual Vacation Bible School at Hope Lutheran Church in Woodburn, OR. Volunteers drive the van from Trinity Lutheran, Mt. Angel and make two or three routes in Woodburn. Missionary Marta Luna personally contacts every family and arranges the van routes. She also makes two routes daily collecting children. If all of the enrolled students come every day attendance would be near 100.
The Bible School is sponsored by Trinity, Mt. Angel, with support from Hope. A number of local youth recruited by Missionary Marta assisted the teachers.Teaching staff has included volunteers from:
Trinity, Mt. Angel,
Calvary, Stayton,
Memorial, Vancouver WA,
Beautiful Savior, Portland,
Trinity, Oregon City
St. Paul, Portland
The kitchen crew, 12-15 volunteers from Hope, keeps the multitudes fed with a breakfast snack, mid-morning snack, and noon-waiting-for-the-bus snack.
The 2006 Bible School at Trinity, Mt. Angel, OR, was also bilingual, thanks to the work of Missionaries Marta and Miguel Luna. Director Paulette Stahlecker had planned for a group of 16-20 English speaking children. We were very grateful that the Holy Spirit prompted her to plan the school using left-over materials from last year’s bilingual school at Hope because we had 59 children registered, and average daily attendance of 48, 32 of whom were Spanish-speaking!
Peace Lutheran, West Salem, OR, presented their Bible School, “Christmas in August” with invitations in both Spanish and English.
. . . we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. Psalm 78: 4
