March Break Hoopla

March Break is a time for travel for many families. However, not all go away. Many simply stay at home. Kanata CRC's Youth Worker, Andrea, decided that it would be nice if something were offered in her church neighborhood for a couple of days during March Break. She asked if I'd help, and bring along a couple of young people as well. Since we had planned for something during March Break (we go on a mission trip every other year during this time), I accepted the invitation. This was going to be a bit different for me, since I'm used to being the one in charge of things, not the one doing the volunteering (and yes, the hands on work)! : ) On Monday - Wednesday of March Break myself, my son Christopher, and Hannah and Megan helped out at Kanata CRC's March Break Hoopla. A morning program featuring games, baking, woodworking and dance. I was in charge of the woodworking. Christopher and myself were to help kids make birdhouses. Simple enough, so I thought : ). Usually the first day is a bit chaotic because volunteers need to assess how to do things, get a system in place, etc. It was no different for Christopher and myself. It took us a bit of time to get a system in place to cut the roof, cut a hole for the birds to enter and exit, and hammer things together. (It turned out that gluing things together first was more workable, so we adopted that strategy for day 2 and 3). It was alot of fun doing this. Christopher did a great job of cutting and gluing and I made sure the houses stayed together. Some kids wanted to hammer and cut, others simply wanted to watch. See the pictures below to get a better idea of what we were doing. Hannah and Megan helped with the groups and dance class. All in all about 40 ish kids showed up for the three days. It was interesting to observe and learn from Andrea. Lots of food for thought when it comes to our church and how to engage the neighborhood around us in the future. Nothing preachy, but more of a practical nature. Build the relationships first, and let the Lord lead the conversations. Thanks for the opportunity for myself and several of our youth to help you out Andrea. A job well done.

Pastor Ron assisting a participant with nailing.

Hannah helping to sand birdhouses with her group.

Megan and Christopher gluing, gluing, and more gluing.

My daughter, Katrina, painting her birdhouse. (It now hangs in our tree awaiting tenants.)

The cooking class. They all made GREAT chocolate chip cookies.

Megan helping out to demonstrate some dance moves.