10/13/2009: "Thank God for the Outhouse!"

Ol' Stockbridge Days, Stockbridge, Henry County, Georgia

It was exciting! The Local Out-Team spent several days building a gold panning game for children to enjoy at the Ole Stockbridge Days festival held at the Stockbridge Elementary School in Stockbridge, Georgia. This was our first time at this, one of Henry County's premier events and we were excited.

The gold panning game consisted of an eight-foot long wooden trough, standing on legs and filled with water. Using wood boxes with screened bottoms, each player was to pour mining rough (gravel mixed with sand and a “gold” nugget) into the box. Swishing the box back and forth in the water would reveal the gold nugget which the child could exchange for a prize.

We arrived the evening before the event to set-up only to learn our first lesson. When planning for an event always inspect the event location in advance. We were stationed on the side of a fairly steep hill. To set the trough up the way it should be set up would cause most of the water to pour out one end. To compensate for the hill, we turned the trough sideways and shimmed the downhill side to make it fairly level. Although no longer the centerpiece of our booth, it would work.

Children panning for gold. In addition to the trough we set up the Out-Team Outhouse, a few tables and some materials to distribute. We were all dressed up and ready to go.

We awoke the day of the event to find it overcast and drizzling. Because of the weather turn-out was not as we had anticipated. The trough, being sideways, did not draw the children we had hoped. However, we were not discouraged. We worked hard at getting our message out to the guests.

One team member stood in the middle of the row handing out information to passers-by. Others worked the information table giving out what would have been prizes to the children who passed by. Our efforts were augmented by the Out-Team Outhouse, which drew a steady flow of people looking at the “poop” down the hole. (Want to know what the “poop” is? Visit the Out-Team Outhouse at one of our events.)

We had our plans, but God had another plan. In the end the event did not go the way we wanted, but we left satisfied that we had done our part that day in accomplishing the Great Commission.

More pictures of this and other Small Group projects can be viewed in our Picture Gallery.