FUN FUN FUN.......LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH!!!!!!

Tonight was our JDC (Juvenile Detention Center) night. We have been doing a Halloween Party for several years....maybe every year since we started going there---2008. Well, tonight was our night to party :) :)

We started the evening with a Bible lesson like always. Julie did a wonderful job using the Wordless Book to share the Salvation Story with the group......which consisted of 4 girls and 4 boys. One gal had come in with red eyes.....we could see she had been crying. I think it might have been a phone call that went sour....because they have that time just before we come on Wednesdays. As we were singing some songs --- Julie went out with her to just see what she could do to help. I believe Julie has this gals little brother in one of her classes at school....so there is a connection there.

After we were done in the “Barney Room” ---where we meet for our Bible Lessons.....we all headed for the gym. We started with a group activity so we could be assured that everyone was involved. This was the Balloon Stomp....boy were those balloons hard to pop. Everyone got into it and once their balloon was popped – they still stood around and watched the rest of the “stompers”.

Every game was full of laughs!!!! Sometimes I laughed so hard it hurt. :) I think I don't have room in this blog --- or the time to write all the games' ins and outs.....so I might just let your imagination run wild here. But if you want to know more about one of them --- let me know and I will share all the “stuff” about them.

We played: Chariot races, Carrot Drop, Balloon Stomp, Beach Ball Volleyball (until the beach ball burst), Animal Bird Fish, Trash Can Game, and Table Top. EVERYONE had a blast. If you've never had Chariot races on carpet samples --- you've never had a real chariot race. Some drivers ended up OFF the chariot but hung on for dear life to the end.....others like Jymie (a girl we thought wouldn't probably participate) took off like a stallion and pulled her little driver to victory every time.

We ended our evening with Rootbeer Floats. One gal had been there on Halloween before when we made pizza – so “why aren't we making pizza, Barb?” These kids were wonderful and we told them so.....they were the BEST participating group we have EVER had. They said “please” and “thank you” and one asked if we had to take care of the chairs.....when I said “yes and they could hang them up”.....He and the other boys got right to it.

After they were done with the floats they wanted to sing some more. So we did. I said “we can't stay all night”....and one gal said “I wish you could”. Another comment was “this almost made me forget I was in JDC”. Even one of the officers came and grabbed a song sheet when we sang “Here I am to Worship”.

So if you don't think we came home smiling – you are wrong. We still start to smile and grin when we think of the night...... I think the kids are still thinking about it too as they lay on their beds.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing us this fun time with a great bunch of kids. Thank you, Lord, for Julie and Andee who come along side us and help. Thank you, Lord, for the Detention Center being so warm and friendly to us....allowing us the freedoms we have there to do an event like this. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunities you give us. Thank you, Lord, for your love for these young people. And thank you, Lord, for all the friends reading this and praying for us.

Gary and Barb