One Trip, Three Adventures

I recently took my two children to Mt. Rainier National Park.  It was a glorious, hot day, in the midst of the blooming wildflowers.  As we walked the trails, I could not get over the gloriousness of the mountain, and I kept stopping to take in the beauty and the wonder.  My 10 year old son was also truly in awe – but not of the mountain.  While he thought the mountain was beautiful, he truly couldn’t believe all of the flowers, and he was blazing through his wildflower identification book, stopping every 2 steps as he found another new one to inspect and identify.  And my 8 year old daughter – well, she was hot and tired, and thought the mountain was over-rated and the flowers, while beautiful, were certainly nothing worthy of studying all afternoon.

On the way home, we stopped at Northwest Trek, where we experienced Northwest animals in their natural habitats.  It was still hot and we were still walking – but here my daughter was truly captivated.  She ran from exhibit to exhibit, loving every animal, from the huge moose to the baby porcupine (called a porcupet – your trivia for the day).  My son and I also enjoyed the animals, but not remotely to the level of my daughter; her excitement was palpable at each exhibit.  At one point, at the Grizzly exhibit, we were standing still as a huge Grizzly walked right in front of us.  My son cried out, “Look at that!” as he pointed with more enthusiasm than he had had since we came to the animal park.  “I know, I see – it’s amazing!” I replied, looking at the massive bear.  “No, not the bear,” he answered – “THAT!” as he pointed.  And I saw a tiny, white wildflower in the bear’s habitat.  It was the one he was missing from his expedition on the mountain.

The three of us shared the day, and walked through the same wonders – the mountain, the wildflowers, the animals.  But while we all saw the same things, we experienced completely different senses of wonder and astonishment at God’s magnificent creation.  This is my lesson and my goal as I begin my tenure as the Director of Children’s Ministries – to provide different experiences, through music, art, sharing, stories, and in as many different ways that I can, to connect with each child in their own way.  There are so many ways to experience God’s love, and I will do all I can to find a way for each child to find their own connection and ignite their sense of wonder and excitement.

Sara Gillam
Christian Education Director