This week Community of Hope has 12 missionaries up for a week to help us with our summer push - the “Campaign of Kindness”.  We have a fully staffed park program running in one of the major parks in our area, and we also have four or five teams who went out last night to other parks, giving out water and cookies to thirsty Surreyites and Deltans.

Last night was the first night.  Cheryl and I were paired up with Philip, and we hit five parks.  Two of them had beer league slowpitch games going on, which was interesting.  The first lady to explain this to us almost seemed to stumble over the word “beer” - as if it was some sort of embarrassment.  We had baby with us so many of the ladies not playing fawned over Dannan’s baby blues.  Babies are wonderful icebreakers.

At the second ball game, one woman exclaimed, “Only God would do something like this!”  Kind of cool.  Another one said the cookies “answered the prayers” of their children who were bored watching the game.  Kind of funny, we never really made a big deal that we were from a church, but somehow they knew.

A big God thing happened at the last park.  Philip had been taking his girls to swimming lessons the last few months and had connected with a lady there who grew up in the area, but moved away and has just returned.  She hadn’t been to church in ten years.  It just so happened that she was in this final park with her kids, and we had a good time of reconnecting with them!  What were the odds?  Who needs odds when God has an appointment for you?

Tonight we will be doing some kind of car wash, but it remains unclear where it will happen as there are a couple of last minute details Philip is working out.  But we’re looking forward to serving up another dose of kindness to unsuspecting Canadians tonight!

On another note, I continue to be amazed with Cheryl’s giftings.  She is much better at initiating and being friendly to strangers than I am.  Probably something to do with her acting and stage background (or maybe her gift is why she is good at acting and performing?!?)  I was stumbling over my words and feeling like an idiot, and she was making it happen.  Watching her in action gives me so much more confidence in our calling.

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