NBC in the Park: Day 2

July 3rd

A day in the life of a GraceWorks volunteer goes something like this...
Breakfast and making sack lunch at 8 AM.
Leave for morning prayer hike for Anchorage, prep work for ministry at the park, or assist in making the    kids' lunches that you hand out in the parks after breakfast.
Chapel
Lunch
Kids' lunch & park ministry 1:30-4 PM
Dinner
Return to park for prayer walking, evening clinics on various topics, and/or park parties.
Free after evening activities.

Another great day!

Tuesday saw some of the team off on the prayer hike with Scott Kirby and the rest of the team staying back helping with lunches and myself working on some behind the scenes GraceWorks tasks.  It is a wonderful challenge to work with Traci on staff and be on a ministry team as well...late last evening I was working on the "war board" in the fellowship hall in my pj's as Traci texted me from her house.  We work well together. :)  I worked on staff stuff after everyone else was asleep...it was a good way to be serving in the two capacities during the same week.
Park time was awesome again today.  I was able to sit in on Bible time today and saw just how engaged the kids were with the felt board pieces that helped re-cap and carry on the story of the true Christmas.  Even our little mischievous one of the park was less demanding of attention during Bible time today.  We learned from yesterday and made a few tweaks to the schedule and they were blessed by God!
The lunches we serve each day in the park are going over so well with the kids.  Each lunch has an item from the 5 food groups in order to promote healthy eating habits.  We put the food items that the kids do not want out on the table as sharing items, so that others may take and enjoy them if they so desire.  There are rarely any items left on the share table by the end of our park time...someone will come and take them, even the celery and carrots. :)  At our park, we do not find food on the ground on a regular basis, either...it's good to see the lunches being utilized.
Our kids love group games at our park.  The more crazy and loud, the better.  They love our games and they are also teaching us some of their favorites...bounce and bounce dodge ball.  It's fun to be on the learning end of things some, too.  The kids enjoy laughing at our efforts on their games. :)  Frisbee, wiffle ball, jump rope, swinging, and piggyback rides are also high on the list of favorites among the kids.
I and a team member went down again to visit the mom from yesterday.  We were able to share some diapers and formula with her provided by our team host's church back home.  She was so grateful for the baby things!  We chatted with her awhile and acquired info so that we could send people in on Thursday for a community service project in her yard.  She expressed interest in joining in on a Bible study in the park on Thursdays.  We are continuing to pray with and for her.
At dinner we had a surprise for the boys where an APO came and they got to see his car and he gave them some badge stickers and other stuff.  He's been on Alaska State Troopers show, too, so they thought that was pretty awesome to meet someone who had been on the show.  That little surprise on top of the amazing Alaskan seafood dinner made mealtime especially memorable today.
After dinner we were to host a clinic on first aid in the park.  We arrived and had wanted to draw kids in with our balloons, but had forgotten them.  I was very concerned at how this was going to go, but the team was amazing at gathering the kids in, beginning with the few that were already together on the tennis courts.  I went over the items in our first aid kit and list of "what to do when..." things like nosebleeds, burns, and cuts/scrapes happen.  One of our team had a life story for each and every item we covered.  It was so fun to see how God made a rather ordinary topic come to life through her stories!

After our clinic, we set out to become "moosenaries"...missionaries who hunt for moose (armed with only our cameras).  I led them down Northern Lights to Earthquake Park, past Airport Park (aka Atheist Park from 2008), and Point Woronzof where the planes fly over your heads as you enjoy the beach and sunset over the water.  We enjoyed all of these wonderful places, but never saw a moose.  It was still relatively early, so we headed the van down toward Kincaid Park.  Just at the Raspberry Rd sign, there it was!  A male moose just off the right side of the road.  I saw it at the same as one of the boys in the back, and like last year, I couldn't get the words out at the second I saw it.  It was soon seen by all in the van.  I was so excited for my family and team to get to see a moose in the "wild"...seems strange to call Anchorage the wild, but it truly is.
Cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!