What’s so special about a sheep? Every shepherd knows, and a good shepherd is one who would lay down his life for his sheep.

In Lodwar and Kapcherop, two arid pastoralist lands in Northern Kenya, communities rely heavily on their livestock. Both young and old spend countless hours tending their flocks and herds.

Children are raised with the knowledge on how to best care for their animals and walk long distances daily to find food and water for them, often risking their own safety to protect their animals from lurking predators.In Northern Kenya, every child knows what is so special about sheep.

This year, 2,491 children attended CMA sponsored Vacation Bible School (VBS) at 22 centers in Lodwar and 15 centers in Kapcherop. Imagine their surprise when they heard at VBS that they were like sheep, and that there was a good shepherd who had laid his life down for them so that they could live!

Over two hundred CMA trained camp teachers shared interactive and fun lessons from the Bible with the children who enthusiastically participated in discussions and activities. There were lots of songs, games, skits, memory verses, and the more the children heard about Jesus, the good shepherd, the more they wanted to know. They also could not wait to get home to tell the rest of their families about the special shepherd they had learned about at camp who loved them so much.

VBS has had a tremendous impact in the lives of children and communities as a whole. Where other Christian outreaches have often failed in areas with cultures that are hostile to outsiders and resistant to change, homes are being reached by simple messages of God’s love from the children to their parents.

Bright coloring pictures with Bible tracts and verses hang proudly on hut walls. In addition, CMA hosts a service at the end of each VBS for families where parents can see their children sing, perform plays, recite verses and display the handicrafts they made. Children are also inspired to excel in their verses and be on their best behavior during the week to receive exciting prizes at the event. Local pastors are invited to speak and share powerful messages to invite families to accept Christ.

 This year, many families were saved, and many parents from a neighboring refugee camp in Lodwar, Kakuma, filled with inhabitants from all over Africa, were reached with the message of the Gospel for the very first time.