Loving, Painting, and Playing with our Neighbors: Day 2
Our Ladies Painting Party event was finally here! We have prayed, planned, and prepared for this event to bless and connect with the ladies in the Allison Hill Community for a long time. Our morning had arrived. It was such a blessing to see ladies we met at The Hill Church festival last week, residents from the neighboring Shalom House, as well as welcome new faces. We were encouraged by a good attendance of enthusiastic women and we also enjoyed babysitting some of their wonderful children.
The painting of a dandelion in the wind was accompanied by a devotional reminding the women that we are all loved by our creator (Genesis 1:26-27, 31). It was a tremendous opportunity for our team to learn more about our neighbors while serving and painting beside them! The joy and laughter in the room was contagious.  You could see and feel the weight of their burdens being lifted with each paint stroke.
Meanwhile, in the babysitting room, we tapped into the children's energy playing Pictionary, dance parties, and good old Duck, Duck, Goose! The smiles, hugs, and laughter from these children will last far longer than this weekend.
In the evening, we donned our stylish black and white serving outfits for the dinner prepared by Pastor Ricardo's talented chef brother, Jude. We felt like we were sous chefs on a Food Network show! And we were able to practice some culinary skills like peeling and cutting 50 pounds of potatoes. Six  of our team members were able to share their testimonies throughout the dinner. It was amazing to see and hear how God used their stories to make connections. We enjoyed a scrumptious meal and conversations with members of The Hill Church and families from the Allison Hill community.
And now we look forward to being with our neighbors on the last day at The Hill Church. As their motto goes, " Life is better together." We agree!