Another Sunday School year has come to an end! Spring calls us to get off the school benches and get out on the street, or even better, to drive out to the pond in the woods, where we can fully dive into the miracle of spring's awakening! We can get our fill of listening to the birds, whose songs we would like to record and take back with us. We can breathe the fresh acacia- and pine-scented air until out heads spin. And we can simply tip our heads back and see how the tops of the pine trees reach into the unusually blue sky with pure white clouds.

OK, it's decided, let's go! Looking at the calendar of the Sunday Schoolers' activities we settled on the date: Saturday, May 19.

The weather forecast for the week of the trip, and for that Saturday wasn't encouraging: sharply dropping temperatures and rain. We worried and fretted, but we decided not to push the date out. We got ready, bought food and prayed! We prayed and fasted, asking God to give us two fair days without rain, not just Saturday, but Friday, too, so that the ground would have a chance to dry after any rain.

God gave us what we asked for. Looking at that sentence I just wrote, it looks prosaic ... to those who don't know God! For those who can imagine a logical explanation for any miracle! For those who are so hardened that they don't notice, or have stopped noticing, that " ... the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands!" Our prayers go out to those have lost or never had the joy of life with God! Our goal is to show God's children, not just in the past, but now, right this minute, that He is beside us!

When we prayed, did we expect to get good weather? Yes, we talked to the Lord about it, but we also said that we weren't expecting miracles, but that we were seeking the glory of God! and our real joy came not from the sunny day, but from the fact that we could once again feel God near us! And there in the forest you could lift your eyes to heaven and whisper, "Thank you, thank you for your presence, I need you!"

Then the hubbub of the birds mixed harmoniously with the laughter of the children! A giant ball, a bow and arrows, volley ball, darts, a maze that even the adults went through (risking getting stuck - we aren't child-size any more), face-painting, fellowship, and, of course, soup from the cooking fire, cookies, sausages (also cooked over the fire), refreshing tea and sandwiches! Too bad for those who weren't able to come to this celebration to the glory of God!

Don't expect mercy from nature, don't give in to circumstances, but live with God and be amazed at His miracles!

Andrey Churkin