What a week, huh??

We made history as USA citizens what with the election of our first African-American President-Elect. Thank you God that this election is over. It seemed like a long year, didn't it, with some of this negative campaigning?

My husband arrived safely home from the Youth Specialities conference he attended with several of our other youth leaders from church. I am thankful they had an uneventful trip to and from Pittsburgh and that the Lord gave them some wonderful resources and used the knowledge of other seasoned youth workers to encourage ours from Grace Fellowship. Thank you, God!

I am also thankful this week for Halleluia Nite which takes place on October 31 at our church.
Here are a few pictures of that evening. Claire really enjoyed her time and had fun hanging out with her Sunday School friends.

And...I'm thankful for the wonderful autumn weather the Lord is blessing us with. I love this season and it is an added bonus to have had gorgeous days with little rain.
Enjoy the pictures!

Game Room Number 1
was set up in one of our nurseries in the Sunday School wing.
Our church calls Sunday School, "Kid's Celebration".
Each room had a different activity or game or maze.
Halleluia Nite is done in a "Carnival" style theme
with prizes, balloons, pizza, desserts and drinks.
Here, Claire is competing against other children
in a balloon blow-up game.
The games run from 5-7 pm
and then there is a Gospel presentation.
We have about 380 children in grades nursery through 5th at our church.
We also get many community members on this evening.
I thank God for all the Kids Celebration staff
and the parent volunteers
as well as the teen volunteers (thank you, Courtney)
and the leadership for allowing this ministry to continue.

Claire trys her hand at "fishing"
in one of our Prekindergarten Sunday School rooms.
Teens helped out with this activity.

This was one of Claire's favorite games.
This is one of our older elementary Sunday School rooms
and it was set up with these hula hoops.
You had a choice of trying to get a frisbee or nerf football through the hoops.
If you could get it through 3 hoops, at once,
you won a special prize.
Claire did it!

In one of our Sunday School classrooms,
(the Noah's Ark room)
playing the Scoop the Marshmallows Game.
Claire had to wear a blindfold
and scoop marshmallows from one bowl to another
while wearing an oven mitt and complete the task before the music stopped.
She was successful and earned a prize!

Craft activities (2 different ones)
were set up in the Missions corner of our lobby.
Each child who paid for admission
to the Halleluia Nite was given one free ticket to make a craft.
Claire is here making an Indian Corn with Cross magnet.
The teens help out with this activity.

This married couple,
known as Ned and Joan,
came to our church's annual "Halleluia Nite"
Ned and Joan are a couple
who travel around the country
presenting the Gospel through illusions and juggling acts.
About 15 children prayed the salvation prayer that nite!
Some of them were not members of our church
but were there from the community.
Thank you God for our Kids Celebration staff and for Halleluia Nite!

This walk I took on Saturday late afternoon.
Dave was still in Pittsburgh.
The girls were at home playing/doing homework.
I ran an errand and then decided to stop at our town bike path.
It is about a 10 mile bike path.
I walked the mile that is a part of our town park here in North Colonie.
It was a gorgeous, warm afternoon.
Thank you, God, for the gorgeous autumn season
You are blessing us with here in NYS.

What about you?

What are you thankful for this week??