FamilyFEST Day 3

Wow!

I have to admit, I started out the day a little discouraged, and tired. As I drove up to the Dells, it started to rain, and I wondered if everything would get canceled due to the weather.

We were to start an unscheduled block party at the Ho Chunk Wellness Center at 2:30, but finally made the call to cancel due to weather. A moment later we found out the the kids were on their way and we'd better get set up. So we did. About 100 Native Americans came out to the party. This was really big. There were behind the scenes circumstances and events, some very bad that God turned around and used to open a door. The party was still going strong when I needed to leave for a backyard Bible club in a different location, so unfortunately I missed the Ho Chunk drummers. From what I understand, their coming to play at this event was a very positive sign...though not an acceptance of our faith, an acceptance of us and our presence there.

One of the highlights of the day for me was facepainting! Several of the Native American kids asked for crosses to be painted on their faces. I asked them if they knew what the cross meant, and they told me they did not...an opportunity to share that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Another child asked why we were here...an opportunity to tell her because Jesus loves them and we want to share that with them. I loved listening to Pastor Bob tell the story of Jonah and the fish as he made animal balloons.

The backyard Bible club in the Hispanic neighborhood went very well tonight also. There were twice as many kids that came out tonight, and a number of adults. We had one gentleman with our group tonight that spoke Spanish very well, and he spent a bit of time visiting with the men. As a result, there were several men that came out tonight that wouldn't the night before...and their kids were able to join us as well. Overall, I think everyone felt much more comfortable than last night. I found out that one of the boys will have his 6th birthday tomorrow. Tomorrow night we'll come back with the block party trailer...how exciting to help this little boy celebrate his birthday with a block party!

God definitely did some amazing things today, breaking down barriers between cultures! Awesome!