Going to the Park

So we have kids club three days a week and between 60-90 kids come to Joy for that.
However, this week I had the opportunity to do something new and take myself and some of our volunteer group (a youth group from Arlington TX) to the community park.
DeZavala Community park is a community center and public pool and park where parents can leave their kids for free from 8:00 to 6:00. There are a few adults there and the USDA provides lunch to any kids who are there. In addition to kids, there are several teens and seniors hanging out there.
The park isn't far from Joy, so we walked there in about five minutes. I first went on Tuesday and my assignment was to sing songs about God with the kids and play a few games. Obviously, the kids at the park are rather unorganized and we can't force them to participate, like we can at kids club. Tuesday went okay, but put a big strain on my voice. I picked out "My God is so Big" because it specifically talks about God's power. We also sang some fun songs that the volunteer group knew and played a game.
We went back Wednesday morning and stayed for a longer time. This time I had the youth pastor and intern from our volunteer group with me and they hung out with the teens at the park. I recognize a few kids and teens who come to Joy, but most of the kids at the park were new to me. The kids kept asking to play games like Simon Says, but they often bend the rules. They like to slowly stand back up and keep playing after they've gotten out. We try to focus on songs, because that is the only way we're teaching them about God, but the kids always asked to play a game and our voices got very tired.
The third time we went was Wednesday afternoon. Then, I neglected to pray with the group before we went in, as we had the first times. That afternoon was completely chaotic. We had kids of different ages all in one room and they were completely reluctant to stop moving around or talking. I have learned that sometimes you just have to start singing and see who joins you. We only stayed 30 minutes because the kids were going swimming soon after and very excited about that.
Thursday morning was my final park trip for the week. This time, I remembered to pray with the group before we went in, and the power of prayer was clearly demonstrated. After only two days, many of the kids already know my name and ran up to hug me. I realized that like most kids, they are craving attention and affection. I felt bad that I didn't know many of their names. I had six volunteers with me and Eric, so we thought to split the kids up into groups by age. With the older kids we sang one song and played games. I am hoping that if they get to know us, they will be able to come to pre-teen or kids club. With the younger kids, we sang several songs, led by a few awesome volunteers. While I was leading one of the last songs, my voice got so tired that I stopped singing and found that a lot of the kids had learned the song and were singing with us. It was a beautiful moment.
We plan to go back next week. It's a tiring project but I have already learned about the power of prayer and the value of simply sharing love.