Oh the Joys!

Today was such a great day! There were so many things that just made my heart smile. This post is a little wordy with not as many pictures, but I hope you take the time to read it - every single second of the day seemed to be God bringing me more and more joy!

We had learning time this morning for the third day this week. On Tuesday we went to a story time at the library and the kids started the reading program at the library. We would have liked to have done this sooner, but we haven't had class for two weeks because of the heat (the church has no A/C.) The kids loved it and each picked out a book they got to bring with them! 

Wednesday we went to a Bible story time at the Methodist church. It was adorable! They learned about how God created the world, then made a picture of some flowers and a sun with cutouts of their hands. They even got a little snack! 

Today was a little more laid-back. We got some donations of books, so we read those for a while, and then we went outside and drew with chalk. Here's where the little extra bit of joy came in. One little boy refused to go with us Tuesday or Wednesday because he was afraid to leave his mother. In fact, he hasn't been willing to go anywhere with us at all. I realized I hadn't spent very much time with him before, so we read and played together before it was time to go outside, and I tried to just focus on giving him love. Then, his mom walked him outside with the group and then told him she was leaving, and he stayed with us! (And I think he he had fun!) This is a mother who is with her busy boys all day with no breaks. To see this little one grow in his trust of us really helped me to see God's love and grace  - and now hopefully Mom can be able to begin to find rest and peace a little more often.

After learning time I went to the trailer park for a day camp the Presbyterian church is putting on. The youth leader there put together a program and curriculum, and kids from both neighborhood centers have been going each day. They have music time, share a kid-friendly meal together, hear a Bible story, play games, and do a craft each day. It's super laid-back, which I love because it gives us an opportunity to talk and build our relationships with the kids.

They played a game of tag where they wore nylons on their heads and the person who was "it" had to try to grab them all. They all looked pretty funny with those socks on their heads!

 The Bible story today was about Saul and how his heart was changed from being mean to being nice. Of course the descriptions of his "meanness" were tamed down for the kids, but it's a good thing to learn either way!

The kids have been talking about how to share love with others. Today, they shared love by making a nice card for someone they love and appreciate. 

After the camp was over, I went over to Seneca, ran a few errands, then spent time with the kids. Someone had put a broken "drum set" from guitar hero by the dumpster, and we used that and a pop-can-and-pea-rock-maraca to form a band. We sang, danced, and played together for over an hour! The kids performed a few songs in groups, which was fun to watch them coordinate, but my favorite part was when it was just one of the girls and I together. She wanted to sing a song I didn't know, and I'm so glad I didn't because she did a solo performance. She had been a little shy during previous songs, but she sang her heart out for this one, playing the drums as she went. I was so proud of her! I was her only audience, but it was so refreshing to see her be able to get rid of the tough act she puts on so often and be the beautiful little girl God made her to be. 

Oh what a wonderful day it was!