Foxridge Park

Yesterday we went back to Foxridge Park at about dusk. There weren't too many people there, but Frank and I got to talk to a few people. Alex and Sabrina also had several kids to play with. One of the kids asked if we could come back on Thursday because they have baseball practice then. Maybe we will.

Marie-Anne

Sleepover with Jordan

Alex was excited to have Jordan over for a sleepover. They played really well together and had a lot of fun. Sabrina felt a bit left out at times, but she got to play on the computer and spend some time with me.

Jordan's dad forgot to tell us that Jordan doesn't sleep. The boys were told to go to bed at midnight. At 1:40 am Alex and Jordan came to our room because Alex had a bad headache. About an hour later I heard one of the kids moving around in the living room. Alex was sound asleep on one couch and Jordan was wide awake reading a book. Yet all three kids were awake before 8 am!

Marie-Anne

Chloe

Chloe conquered the alligator.

Marie-Anne

Outreach at Foxridge Park

We had an outreach at Foxridge Park. Frank got to talk to several people about Jesus.

I took the kids to the playground. They were having a blast playing together. We were really enjoying ourselves until...

The teens took over. It is an absolute shame that these kids have nothing intelligent to say and think that they are so cool and grown-up based on how foul and profane they can be. They were simply trying to be more profane than their friends. It was the girls, not the guys. They were so foul that they made the military barracks seem tame. Needless to say I took the kids away from that environment.

When Frank finished talking to the man he was witnessing to. He asked why we left the playground. I told him how foul those girls were; so he went and preached to them. They fled! They literally ran away pulling their friends along by the arm. Some of the guys stayed and listened to Frank. The playground was once more a place where little kids could play and several families came up at that point. Even when those girls came back they were much more subdued.

Marie-Anne

Church Service at Sunset Park

The kids got to play at the playground while we set up and waited for people to show up. We had had several people promise to come, but truthfully, you never know how many will actually keep their word.

When we first started singing there were several families who spread their blankets nearby, but when Frank started preaching they left. One kid joined us for part of the service. We could tell that several people at the playground were listening and every driver that passed by slowed down, rolled down the window, and stared. Yet, nobody even talked with us. That's how it goes sometimes. After we were done, we simply packed up and left.

Marie-Anne

Outreach at Sunset Park

The Saturday before our service at Sunset Park we went to the area with fliers about our service. First we visited a parking lot across the street from the park, then we went to the park itself.

The kids got to play at the playground while Frank and I passed out fliers and talked to people. Since it was very hot I let the kids play in the splash pad in their clothes, (I didn't think to bring them a change of clothes).

The kids were quite happy that we visited both playgrounds. We try to make our outreaches as fun for the kids as we can.

Later that afternoon we went to an apartment complex near the park and back to the park. Our neighbor went with us and was very excited to help pass out fliers.

Sabrina wanted to go to the door by herself and asked me to take her picture. She didn't even want me on the steps, but I didn't think it would be wise to let her go to a door by herself with no grown-up in sight. The kids help pass out fliers when they want to, but we don't force them.

Once again I talked with people at the playgrounds so the kids could play, while Frank and Kenya went to the people farther away.

Frank got a chance to present the Gospel as well as invite many to the service.

Marie-Anne

Movie Night- Worm

We invited some of Frank's coworkers and some young people from our neighborhood for a movie night at our house. Most of those who showed up were Alex's friends, though we also had a teenager and one of Frank's coworkers brought her boyfriend.

Worm is a short Christian movie that portrays the life of a high school student who rejects God again and again throughout the movie. The movie also shows him in Hell remembering each and every time he had the gospel presented to him and how he turned away. It is based on the following verse describing Hell:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:44

In the movie the worm was his memories that he could not escape.

After the movie Frank gave a short exhortation and one of the boys prayed for salvation. He also got into a discussion with his coworker that left her with a lot to think about.

Marie-Anne

Sunset Park

We visited Sunset Park to see if it would be a good location for our first service. (We don't have a building yet.)

I had thought that this playground had been removed when the new playground was built. The kids were thrilled that it is in fact still there.

After they played for a little bit, it was hot, we walked over to the pond. The kids liked seeing the geese and ducks.

Marie-Anne

Chuck E Cheese

Since we live directly behind Chuck E Cheese and since I can get coupons on their string cheese, the kids get to go quite often. They love going there and I usually end up having fun too, as long as we go during the off hours. An afternoon of fun for twenty bucks is not a bad deal.

Marie-Anne

Dress-up

Sabrina's friend and next-door neighbor, Danielle has a ton of really nice dress-up clothes. The girls have so much fun playing together every chance they get.

Marie-Anne

Wetlands Park

We took Chloe to the wetlands park for the first time. It would have been a very fun walk if the dog trail had shade. As it was it was much too hot to go for a long hike.

Despite the heat we did enjoy our time together. Chloe absolutely loves going for walks and when the weather cools down a bit we'll take her on more.

Marie-Anne

Farewell Service

Our farewell service was on August 31. Frank preached a wonderful message on waiting on God. Pastor Jones had us come to the front for the congregation to pray over us. Some of the ladies gave me flowers, a card, and a huge bar of chocolate. Afterwards we had a yummy potluck.

We are excited about starting a new church in Henderson. It will be amazing to see how God uses us in the lives of those around us. Please pray for us.

(I requested copies of pictures from someone who took some, but they never gave me any.)

Marie-Anne

Camping at Lake Mead

This was our second year to camp at Lake Mead. We just spent one night, but we packed a lot of memories into that short amount of time!

Setting up was a team building event and everyone played a vital role. Alex set up the smaller tent with minimal help.

We were startled by Sabrina's sudden scream and dash. She saw this red racer go into a hole at the base of a stump right beside our picnic table and fire ring. Scary. We didn't know what kind of snake it was or if it was dangerous. A very kind park volunteer answered our questions. After the wind storm the snake took off and we didn't see it again.

Frank and Alex braved the wind storm to add extra stakes to our tents and to tie them down. Alex is a man in training and he certainly acted like one.

During the wind storm we thought it was going to be a downpour, but thankfully it wasn't. We stayed in the tents and played games, acted silly, and played with the toys the kids brought.

Frank is our expert camp chef and we greatly appreciate his expertise.

We all played Frisbee. Sabrina has decided that Frisbee is her new favorite game. She was getting pretty good at close range and as long as we threw it slow. At one point Alex and I reached for the Frisbee at the same time and I caught his hand. At another point Sabrina got beamed in the face and now has another loose tooth.

Our camp site didn't have a climbing tree, but the kids found one they could use.

The next morning we went to the lake. While the kids were splashing about in the water I took a short walk along the shoreline.

A swimmer left his flip-flops near us to go swim, which gave me an idea for a practical joke. During my walk I saw lots of lone flip-flops, so we gathered them up and placed them near his. He did come back while we were still there, but between his exhaustion and his buddy who came up when he got out of the water, he didn't even notice!

When the kids got out of the water I grabbed a couple of bags that were provided for trash. We collected two bags. We were very careful about what we picked up, since we did not have gloves.

Back at our campsite we played games, Frisbee, and relaxed.

After packing up, we stopped at the visitor's center. The kids explored the hands-on aspects and we watched the movie.

Both kids participated in the Jr. Ranger Program. Sabrina was particularly proud of her badge and of being a Jr. Ranger. (She wore her badge for days.)

We took the short hike around the visitor's center. After that we headed home tired, but happy.

Marie-Anne