Whew!! An exhausting, yet exciting couple of days at the Root Cellar. We jumped right in on Monday morning with little prep time, but made the best of it. Though the story time ran a little long, "Farmer Dave" (our own David) added an interesting twist by exhibiting the opposite of the fruit of the spirit we were trying to convey. When we spoke of joy, he was grumpy. When we spoke of patience, he struggled with impatience. We learned a bit on Monday and today I told the first part of the prodigal son story then took a break to play a game, Fruit of the Spirit. The kids had a blast racing to get the "watermelon back to their team before being tagged. Then they broke up into three stations and rotated getting their faces painted, painting flower pots, and making fruit loop necklaces. They enjoyed all of it. The big hit was being painted in Celtics green. Emma and Kate painted basketballs, favorite Celtic players, and numbers on all, even the littlest girls.
One of the highlights was to see my kids alongside the neighborhood kids cleaning Bill's back yard. They cleared brush, weeds, and trash which had gathered over many years. Bill, a Christian, was so thankful and it was gratifying to see the children serve a neighbor so willingly.
I enjoyed spending time at the park with all the kids yesterday playing water balloon games and serving them dinner. It was chaotic and overwhelming at times, but it was wonderful to see even the girls in long dresses and burkhas running the relays and enjoying themselves, just being kids.
It has been a powerful experience, one I'm still digesting. I trust God is using me and my family to serve this community.
