Seth Barnes Aug 24, 2009 8:00 PM

A playground brings joy in Swaziland

When our kids were young and we lived in Florida, we had a park with a playground on it right behind our house. I'd come home from work and one of our...

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When our kids were young and we lived in Florida, we had a park with a playground on it right behind our house. I'd come home from work and one of our kids would shout out to their friends, "My dad's home and he's pushing!" Whereupon a horde of children appeared from all over the place, running to the playground.

I pushed them on the swings, I pushed them on the merry-go-round, and I pushed them on the teeter totter. I gave my merry-go-round pushes ten speeds from one to ten culminating in ROCKET SPEED!! Oh how they loved to go rocket speed. And then we'd play crazy imaginative games like "Runaway" and rides on large palm fronds that I'd drag in circles.

Kids love a playground. But so many the world over have never been on one. In places like Swaziland where survival is in question, we have to prioritize how we spend our money. For example, it's more important that our 2700 orphans get wells that produce clean water than anything. They understand that life is a struggle.

But every now and then a miracle happens and we're able to give our Swazi kids something as wonderful as a playground. Thanks to the generosity of some friends in California, hundreds of them will experience the thrill of slides and swings. It's the glorious gift of fun. My challenge to you today is to be someone who chooses to bring this kind of fun to orphans' lives - James 1:27 says it's "true religion." [Maybe you thought it was a Sunday church service?]

Watch this video - the excitement on the children's faces is priceless.

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