Picnic

Tonight was the last night of VBS.  It ended with a family picnic celebrating the week and sharing a meal together.  I stopped by the church this afternoon to take care of some things and ran into a friend of mine who took pictures during the week.  She was creating a bulletin board of pictures.  I watched as she put up picture after picture of kids, youth, and adults having fun sharing the message of the week- you are a friend of God and God is your friend.  As she put up the pictures, she told me stories about some of them- beautiful stories of the kids and of the adults working with the kids.  I am sad that I missed those moments.  But, I was happy to hear about them and to see them- even if it was just through pictures.  And, although I would have liked to be there for every moment, one of the most wonderful things that has happened the last 2 years is that it wasn't just an event run by the ones in charge of kids or youth.  It has become an all church event and an opportunity to have the kids and youth connect with the adults of the church. 
Another wonderful thing this year was that I saw my youth take it more seriously than last year.  Of course there were a few wanderers and a few times they were squirrely.  But, for the most part they were focused on their roles as leaders for the kids.  I'm not sure if it had to do with just coming back from camp and their excitement from that or if it had to do with the short training I did with them ahead of time.  But, whatever caused it, it was a blessing.
Tonight the church served 140 people at our picnic.  Some of them were members or helpers.  But, I'm pretty sure there were some new people or new families there.  Hopefully, we'll see more of them in the near future.
So, where was God today?  He was in the pictures of people sharing and hearing about God's love.  And, he was in the picnic tonight.
Blessings,
Jennifer