WORK HARD. PLAY HARDER.

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 193

Today’s post might as well be a sequel to yesterday’s pre-adventure teaser. Well, 24 hours later, I can tell ya in post: the day did not disappoint—and neither did the kids, nor the Lord. Let me break down the play-by-play of why I am profoundly grateful to God for the whole glorious, exhausting experience.

On the way out, I had the girls in my vehicle, and Jessica (our youth leader extraordinaire) had the boys. This made for an interesting first leg of the journey to our “work hard” portion of the day.

The two-hour trip was like a 120-minute cosmic flashback to the days when my own girls were that age. We’re talking non-stop girl talk, high-pitched giggling, and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” being screamed at volume “11” with full-blown, dramatic choreography. Meanwhile, Pastor is up front doing his absolute best to play along with a smile, while silently praying for rapturous intervention. Thank goodness for those “dad” boot-camp training years; they were clearly just prep work for yesterday.

After surviving a relentless gauntlet of “Barbie Girl,” Ace of Base, and other auditory silliness, we finally arrived at ‘The Banquet’ meal ministry in Sioux Falls. Our mission was to prep the evening supper—a meal fully sponsored, lock, stock, and barrel, by a local corporation. On the menu yesterday: Roast beef and gravy, baked potatoes, baked beans, and fresh watermelon for dessert. We walked into their commercial kitchen, and I swear, it felt like stepping right back onto a Navy galley.

Initially, half of our crew was tagged to set up the dining room (which took all of a hot minute), while the other half began scrubbing a mountain of potatoes. Then came the heavy lifting. I was tasked with making the gravy, which was an absolute hoot. After 29 years, the clock rolled backward and I felt like I was MS2 Bonnicksen (aka “Doubtfire”), stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, whipping up chow for hundreds of starving jarheads tasked with guarding the fenceline.

Meanwhile, some kids were on baked bean duty, while the unlucky draft picks were recruited for KP and scullery duty. That means they got stuck washing all the massive pots, pans, cutting boards, and utensils. Those poor kids were trapped in the scullery for the rest of the afternoon, but they never once complained. NOT. ONE. BIT. Later, two of the kiddos and I sliced up about 80 pounds of fine roast beef, while others tackled the watermelon. As we were winding down, a few more were tasked with sweeping, mopping, taking out the trash, and cleaning the shelving and walls inside the walk-in reefer.

And right there—boom—the only complaint of the day. Not because of the manual labor, mind you, but because it was “cold.”

“You kids,” I quipped with a snarky laugh. “You’re Minnesotans! You live in these temperatures. It’s just a bit of air conditioning!”

Little did they know, I once spent a whole month leading a crew of cooks and mess-cranks to organize, clean, and prep all of a ship's freezers, reefers, and storerooms. Mind you, that was on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The main freezer was literally bigger than some churches' sanctuaries—New Hope’s included. Woosies. Ha!

Honestly, though? I gotta brag on these kids. They served with hearts of gold, and they actually had fun doing it—especially after learning about The Banquet’s incredible mission to feed the homeless and less fortunate.

We all worked hard, and then we played just as hard—maybe even harder. We had 5:30 PM reservations at Thunder Road for pizza, go-karts, laser tag, and arcade games. But we had some time to kill first, so Jess suggested a detour to Falls Park. That didn't disappoint either.

The kids ran, climbed, and did typical kid stuff, which shattered into a thousand pieces the moment they spotted ice cream. Pastor couldn’t say no to those faces, so I just had to treat anyone who screamed for ice cream—myself included. It was incredibly nummy and deeply satisfying on a 90+ degree day with absolutely zero relief from the sun.

Anywho… after watching seven Gumby-esque children climb the rock strata—giving Jessica and me matching near-fatal heart attacks—we zipped on over to Thunder Road. We quickly devoured some 'za, then dashed for the go-karts. Alls I can say is: YES!!!!! Those things were totally dope. It was like Mario Kart live. The kids quickly discovered Cole Trickle's golden rule from Days of Thunder: “Rubbin' is racin'!” — as well as the Tilt-A-Whirl. BARF!

After almost three hours of chaos, we had to practically drag the kids away so we could hit the road, head home, and return them to their rightful owners. By the time we pulled into the church parking lot, I was absolutely whooped. A half an hour later, I was crawling into bed.

Today? I’ve been dragging myself around like a zombie all day. I seriously wish I had just an ounce of that youthful energy our church kiddos possess. But I’ll tell ya this: those kids reminded me what it’s like to feel young again, and what it means to work hard and play even harder.

To the Good Lord, I am incredibly thankful for our church youth. They brought fantastic attitudes, served with the true heart of Christian service, had fun, complained less than adults do, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves all day long. I am thankful for that nostalgic jolt of feeling like a Navy cook again—throwing on the apron, whipping up gravy, and carving roast beef for hundreds of hungry souls.

I’m thankful for my ministry partner, Jessica, who organized this entire circus and beautifully demonstrates to our youth what serving Christ looks like in the real world. It was, through and through, a day to give thanks. Today, I’m resting my legs and my brain a bit while praising God for the immense privilege of serving in ministry—both leading and serving alongside so many great people. Thanks be to God.

What are you thankful for today?