The Lawn is Always Fairer on the Other Side

When I called him from US 71N, I told Fairlawn Lutheran Church's Pastor Gau that I like to make a dramatic entrance! 

An accident not only ate up my 25 minutes of lead time, but pushed my ETA for the 4 pm Saturday service back to 4:13. Multiple waiting elders greeted me as I rushed in the door. First order of business: bathroom break! A pit stop by the sound booth for a mic and I took my seat next to Pastor Gau, joined in the last few verses of the hymn right before where my presentation fell in the order of service, and got up to speak. 

In contrast to that near fiasco, and to my whirlwind 15-hour visit to Fairlawn during my pre-deployment network building, the rest of my time in the suburb of Akron was far more relaxed. Although the pastor through whom I initially had ties to the church has since taken a call, I felt unbelievably embraced by the saints there. 

On Sunday morning, I gave the children's message, presented again, and greeted members over cookies after the service. Sunday evening, the church's Outreach Team piggybacked on the city of Fairlawn's Labor Day fireworks display (rescheduled from the 4th of July) to hold a popcorn social. Members and the public alike could bring lawn chairs and enjoy FREE music, books, snacks, glow sticks, face painting, temporary tattoos, and balloon animals while they waited for it to get dark. 

Connie, the chair of the Outreach Team and my hostess, and I by the display table of missions Fairlawn supports. In his homily on both Saturday and Sunday, Pastor Gau challenged the congregation to increase its missional giving to 10% of the church's budget. 

I got voluntold that I'd be face painting during the popcorn social. I think I've done it once before?! Honestly I've always had an artistic streak so it was kind of right up my alley. Judging by her expression, I think I had at least one happy customer (snake on one cheek; ice cream cone on the other). 

The face painting table was under the red tent to the left of the overhang. 

Fairlawn is ~8.5 hours from St. Louis. I had planned on splitting up the drive back on Monday by taking a long lunch with a pastor friend near Indianapolis. Unfortunately those plans fell through, so I pivoted and drove the ~2.75 hours back to my Dayton-area host home, my friend Sarah's place, Sunday night. Even without waiting around for the fireworks, I still got there at midnight. 

Fittingly, plan B meant I was around to support Sarah, wife of a deployed major in the USAF and mother of two still recovering from a recent outpatient knee surgery, on Labor Day. I've always been grateful for our troops and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe, but staying with Sarah, Freddy, and Henry heightened my appreciation for the sacrifices of military families. 

I could have played trucks on Sarah's gorgeously sunny deck all morning, but the road was calling...

Until next time, blessings!