Flame Flies to Farmington

Summer seems incomplete without a trip to Van Buren County, so I was glad to get to Farmington. Last year, scheduling conflicted with many different things going on in town, but this year we seemed to avoid most of that. We had nineteen kids on the first night and stayed fairly close to that throughout. A good group of volunteers helped get kids where they needed to go. 

We made the stained glass window craft this week (washable markers on rice paper, like coffee filters, then spray it with water to make the colors spread.) I was the Designated Sprayer, and it was a lot of fun to watch the kids as their creation turned into something different. One little girl had made designs on most of her paper and had written "I Love Jesus" in the top corner. My first instinct was “How sweet!” followed directly by “Oh, dear,” because even if I could avoid getting that section wet, it would be covered up by the frame we put on top. Luckily she was a flexible artist, so she didn’t mind if it got wet. We talked about how it’s kind of like when we love Jesus, we don’t just keep it to ourselves. Love doesn’t just stay in one spot- it spreads out everywhere. I sprayed. The words slowly disappeared. The beauty remained. 

After watching a couple of kids model Flame's cape, losing many hula hoop contests, and signing up one of hopefully several JOY campers, it was time to head out. I was fortunate enough to get to stay with friends David and Elizabeth at their B&B. They are amazing in their hospitality, and I loved being part of their community- and playing their piano! If you’re ever in the area or you need a getaway weekend, go check out Porch Time.