Be the Church

Yesterday was a special day for our church... we didn't have church.  Instead we went out into the community and did a bunch of work.  Well, most people worked.  I had a hard time with that since I had Noah strapped to me so I was the official photographer for my group.  We went to a local pioneer museum that was having a celebration with live people acting things out.  Our job was to escort some folks from a local assisted living home who wanted to visit and just be with them.
I had never actually been to this museum either and was pretty impressed by their Pioneer Village outside!

Panning for gold

There were a lot of old pieces of machinery and transportation vehicles

Learning how an old scythe actually worked from a man who used one!

Coffee break!

Every time I saw this guy he was talking to the couple with him.  I'm glad we had the chance to go and be friends with them even for a couple hours.

A very shiny old car.

After everyone completed their projects we all met back at church for hotdogs and a celebration - mostly for the kids!  Brian and Cory had been painting over graffiti (although Cory got more paint on himself than the walls...) and other groups were doing all kinds of things from sorting coats for donation to spreading new bark at elementary playgrounds.  Interestingly I had seen a HUGE pile of bark by a playground this week and didn't realize it was connected... until my friend Lindsay got back super late (they almost didn't get lunch) and said they had been working there... 80 yards of bark!

Face painting

Balloon clowns (who made over 1,000 for the kids!)

Ring toss

Boys who actually did some work!

My husband who is just a big goofy kid himself...

wanted the Linux penguin!

Best picture of the whole day!

It was a very fun day and many of us liked both working for others and the picnic afterwards where we had a lot more time to just be with friends.  We need more of these events!