kingdom playgrounds: Harvest Carnival

I'm the first to admit that I do not love event planning or the tremendous amount of energy and effort that is required to pull something off like The GreenHouse's Annual Harvest Carnival at Ninos Park. But I cannot deny that the Carnival has burrowed its way into my heart over the years. Being at our 12th Annual Harvest Carnival on Saturday filled my heart with big scoops of satisfaction.

Three years ago, I was so "over" event planning that I tried to kill the Harvest Carnival altogether! I'm so glad that Monica (second from right below) raised her voice at a Board meeting when we were discussing the future of the Carnival and gave us the perspective that I needed to hear. As a parent of two GreenHouse youth and a long-time member of the community, she pleaded with us to keep the Carnival going. She reminded us that she and her family had been coming since the very beginning. Some of her favorite pictures of her daughters were taken at the Carnival when they were younger. She shared that the Carnival was one of the only traditions they had in their neighborhood and that it was the only time of the whole year when neighbors come outside and spend time together. Her perspective gave us the wind we needed in our sails to keep the Carnival going!

I love this family so much. Johanna (far left) and Lupita (third from left) have been coming to the Carnival since they were 4 and 3. They are now 16 and 15! Their mom, Monica, is a Parent Advisor to our Board of Directors. Also in the photo are Monica's sister Blanca and (most) of her family and Monica and Blanca's mother. They are Harvest Carnival fixtures for sure!

Quick history lesson...Did you know that the Harvest Carnival is actually older than The GreenHouse? Before The GreenHouse was a 501c3 nonprofit corporation, even before it was a vision/dream/idea/calling, there was "The Ninos Park Ministry" of Sanctuary Covenant Church. Responding to an article in the Sacramento Bee about the high number of children living in the low-income apartments across from Ninos Park, a group of us from church started going to this neighborhood every third Saturday to put on Play Days at the Park. The Play Days included Bible Stories, crafts, snacks, games, singing, and a whole lot of relationship-building. In addition, every quarter we'd host a "Family Fun Day" in the park, which was sort of a pumped up version of the Play Days and typically included a BBQ and a Bounce House. For the October Family Fun Day, it seemed natural to call it a "Harvest Carnival." All of the volunteers dressed in costume and we played a few extra games. A few years later we added a pumpkin patch, and the rest is history!

With all of the changes that have occurred at The GreenHouse over the years, The Harvest Carnival is the one thing that has remained the same. I think that makes it pretty special!

Tiffany and her family are also Harvest Carnival fixtures who have been coming for 12 years.

I've got lots of special Harvest Carnival memories with this friend here. Back in the early days of the Carnival, we'd all dress-up in costumes and the kids would vote for their favorite costume (by applause). Rose won every year!
(Now we all just dress as farmers).

These boys have been coming to the Carnival since before they could walk! I hope it becomes as special a memory for them as it is for me.

I have no idea if this will be my last Harvest Carnival or if it will be just another one of many more to come. I had expected to be handing off the reigns of The GreenHouse to someone else by now. The Harvest Carnival seemed like it would have been a fitting time for me to say my farewells. But, that certainly was not the case. It's almost November, and here I am, still very much working for The GreenHouse. Still loving this community. Still longing to see God's Spirit ignite a forest fire that cannot be contained in the hearts of the youth. Still waiting for Him to reveal His plan for future of The GreenHouse.

In the meantime, I am thanking Him for the ability to work remotely and the new found peace, clarity, and efficiency that it affords me. If you think of The GreenHouse, please pray for wisdom and direction for our Board as we continue our search for a new Executive Director. Pray also for our staff as they have had to adjust to working more independently, with me only in the office once a week.

To anyone who is reading this that volunteered for The Carnival - you are my hero. Honestly, I am continually amazed and humbled at the selfless sacrifices that go into blessing the Ninos Park community through the Carnival. From picking pumpkins in a field the night before, to baking cupcakes for the cupcake walk, from face painting, to supervising the bounce house. It all is a tremendous blessing. I hope you know that your contribution is a significant link in chain of love that is now twelve-years long.

It was an exhausting week.   I found myself resorting to old habits - getting anxious, trying to solve all of the problems of the world in my own strength, forgetting to invite the King into these kingdom playgrounds that I've found myself in. I was carrying burdens - big, crushing burdens - that I was never intended to carry and it was painful, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Fortunately, He is a gracious King and about mid-way through the week, He invited me to lay those burdens down at his throne. One by one, I am doing that.

This afternoon was The GreenHouse's 11th Annual Harvest Carnival at Ninos Park. Event planning is not my favorite thing to do so the event was one small piece of last week's stress. But once again, God used this event, and the planning of the event, to deepen my love for the neighborhood He has called me to.

And honestly, today's festivities were just what the doctor ordered. We had perfect weather, lots of help, smooth as silk set-up, a huge turn-out (300 people?), music, and loads of fun activities. And best of all, I was filled with peace the entire day and able to soak in all of the joy of the day.

Some things I will remember about this Harvest Carnival:

I got to snug with this one-month old cutie:

I got to have some good laughs in the "Cream-the-Director" game. For $10 you could throw a whipped cream "pie" at my face. For $5, you could throw one at Chito or Emily.