Rodeo Park

We visited a new to us park. The kids loved Rodeo park. They did not want to leave.

Frank got a chance to share the Gospel with several people there. He also played some hoops.

Marie-Anne

Barnes and Noble Story-time

I took the Cowgirl and her brother to Barnes and Noble for story-time. We go to that most weeks. Sabrina loves the stories and the coloring. Alex enjoys looking at new books.

I was a bit surprised to see Alex playing with the Thomas train. It brought back memories of how much he used to love Thomas.

Marie-Anne

Whitney Ranch Mesa

YIPPEE!!! The weather is finally cool enough to go hiking and be outdoors more. I have been longing for this weather.

For family time we went on a short hike at Whitney Ranch Mesa. It was still a bit warm, but it felt so good to be outside.

Frank and Alex climbed a steep hill. At first I said no, but when Sabrina scrambled up I decided not to let a five year old hike more than me. I'm glad I did. It was a very nice view and I found a piece of quartz.

After the hike the kids got to play at the playground.

Marie-Anne

Baker Girls

Our neighbor, Kenya, invited Sabrina and me to bake cupcakes. Sabrina and Danielle were surprised that they had almost matching aprons; Sabrina's has a dragonfly and Danielle's has a ladybug. Both girls were ecstatic to make cupcakes together. While the cupcakes were baking the girls played dress-up.

Marie-Anne

Lego Night at the Library

 

Of course, Alex is still loving Lego Night at the library! A big crowd of kids meet once a month to build with Lego!

While Alex was in his class, Frank and I took turns reading to Sabrina.

Marie-Anne

Stephanie Lynn Craig Park

We brought Alex's bike and Sabrina's scooter to the park. They had a great time. I enjoyed sitting on a bench talking with my best friend.

Marie-Anne

Playing Games

Frank and the kids played Trouble one night when I was feeling lazy. The kids really enjoyed his attention.

Marie-Anne

Church Service in our Home

For the first few weeks we had church in our home, which was quite interesting. There's quite a bit of running around straightening up, setting up the laptop, putting the pets away, practicing music...

These are the pastor's kids before the Sunday morning service. So which one is the wild one? The answer may surprise you- though he definitely looks wilder, the award goes to his sister. For reasons I cannot fathom, Sabrina decided Mr. Cow should go on Alex's loft bed. So she put the cat on her face, that's right, on her face, to lift him up. Mr. Cow did not like that and if you look closely you'll see a small scratch on her left lower eyelid, (millimeters from her eye). Putting a band-aid on her eyelid would have been difficult and putting medicine on her eyelid without a Band-Aid  was not a consideration. I just stopped the bleeding and washed it well and spent a few minutes getting the cat hair off her face.  Of course this was minutes before service.

Frank and I also had to practice the music.

Despite the challenges, having church in our home has been a blessing. We have had a couple of neighbors come to worship with us. We also had a door-to-door salesman. The kids and I have been blessed by having tailored services. When it has been just us Frank is able to take the time to break things down so the kids can better understand.

We still have Wednesday service in our home.

Marie-Anne

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