Discover Green Bay, part one

 Our first assignment for Discover Green Bay was fulfilled today.

We took the kids down to the Farmer's Market.

We have done the Farmer's Market with the kids in the past, but it's been several years.

It was fun to do it again.

The weather was perfect! And the people there seemed energized and happy.

We purchased fry pies for everyone to snack on as we walked. As we admired the colorful produce from booth to booth, I told the kids to pick something out and I'd make it for dinner.

They selected a pound of green beans.

But the big splurge of the day was candy planes...

and a sunflower that I happily used as my prop as we strolled along.

We visited the river...

As well as some of the impressive murals downtown.

We stopped for a few pictures with the ones we liked.

Most of us agreed the lion was our favorite.

As we walked past this beautiful church on our way back to the car, I suggested we go in.

Not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. 

"Why? What for?" one child asked.

"Just to see it! Catholic churches are beautiful," was my reply.

"But we're not Catholic, so it feels like we're going somewhere we don't belong," another child remarked.

I assured everyone that city churches like this are open to the public. 

As this chatter was going on we approached the entrance. Admittedly, I wasn't perfectly certain the door would be open, but I shushed my children as we tried the handle.

"Shhh..." I scolded. "We must be somber."

The door opened, and no one stopped us, so we quietly entered.

The stone silence, the statues, and lit candles were all what I was expecting as we made our way down the long corridor, trying to find the sanctuary. But we quickly sobered up when we saw the hallway lined with people sleeping on the cold stone floor.

We slowly walked on.

One lady perked up when she saw us. She greeted us warmly with a clear, sweet voice. We mustered up as much friendliness in return.

The winding passageway finally led us to the sanctuary, but it was closed off for renovations.

It looked like they were getting new pews. 

Once we were back outside in the sunny, noisy street, the kids asked if the people we saw were homeless.

This led to a great opportunity for raw, honest, and important conversation.

I was thankful for all their questions, and Micah and I answered them the best we could.

"Is that why the church was unlocked?" someone asked.

I said the church was open for more reasons than to provide shelter. People go in for confession and to pray.

"But you don't need to be inside a church for God to hear your prayers," one of my older children pointed out.

I said I agreed, then reminded them that when a person becomes a Christian they have the Holy Spirit living mightily within them, (Colossians 1:29) interceding for them when they pray. (Romans 8:26)

We are truly blessed.

We drove back home in gratitude for the gift of salvation through Jesus, and for an overall lovely morning together downtown.

🌻

Once home, it felt good to accomplish some chores. I scrubbed my kitchen sink and bathtub with bleach, tidied the house, then cooked the green beans that we had purchased to go with our spaghetti dinner.

The meal was enjoyed here at our family table.

A nice end to a really nice day.

Goodnight, 

💐

~ Courtney