Play Park Before

This is the final week before the big build on the park in Griffin. This park is being built in a very poverty stricken section of the city.  I went by the build site 2 weeks ago to see the site and if any progress had been made.  First, let me say that I went alone, with Kassey. Yes, it was the middle of the day, plenty of sunlight, but I got a bit lost and wandered in some pretty desolate areas before I finally turned on the correct road.  As I slowly started down the road, my heart rate started to increase and I could hear the thumping of each heartbeat. I had wanted to stop to take some "before" pictures, but as I looked around, I wasn't really sure where the lot was, and I didn't think it would be wise to stop the car, get out, and ask.  Maybe this is not a very Christian thing, but I was a bit scared.  There was a section between a couple of run-down homes that looked promising, except the area seemed to be a dumping ground.  Beat-up sofas, tables, and trash littered the ground.  I decided to keep going and to try again the following week. 

This time, I had been informed that a crew had gone to the site and had begun to level the lot.  Kassey and I packed up in the car again and headed out.  As I cruised through the street this time, I noticed that noone was outside.  The lot had been cleared and the trash had been cleaned up.

Head on shot of the build site.

View of the lot looking back up the road. 

 As you can see by the pictures, there is still a lot of work to be done on the site.  This Saturday, Oct. 1, SquareFoot Ministry is holding a build day.  We will begin at 8:00am and conclude around 6:00pm with a neighborhood dinner.  You can learn more about the build at http://squarefootministry.com/Kyara%20Dzenis%20Park%20Build.html.  If you live in the area and are able to volunteer on Saturday, you can sign-up at the build site on Saturday.  If you don't live near here or are unable to volunteer on Saturday, please consider making a donation.  The paypal site will direct you to a page so that you can make sure it goes towards this build.  Most of all, we ask for prayers for the build to be successful.  We have already seen God's hand at work in making this park a reality, and with our support we can make it a success.

Kyara loved to play.  When I would ask her what she enjoyed most at school it was one of two things, either the playground or naptime!  When she was in Pre-School, she loved to ride on the tire swing. Each day when I would ask about her day, it was centered around the playground.  They were either on the "little playground" or on the "big playground."  She LOVED the big playground, because that's where the tire swing was.  She would tell me all about "her boyfriend" pushing her on the tire swing.  I met this "boyfriend" of hers a couple of times, and I must say, he was quite the charmer!  When I was approached about the park build, I thought it really encompassed Kyara and her joy.  It is an amazing project that will bring laughter and fun to a place that was a bit scary for a grown woman to drive through.  I can't wait to see how God uses this build to touch others' lives.

One thing that Kyara could not escape from, no matter if she wanted to or not, was soccer.  She was born into a family that loves the sport, so from the time she was barely walking, she was around soccer.  Good thing she loved to play, too.  I was looking through some old pictures, and found some to share...

Sometimes the hardest part of soccer is not scoring the goal, but getting yourself out of the net after retrieving your ball!

Skylar and Kyara were best buddies and Kyara wanted to do everything her big sister was doing.  Skylar, obviously loved being the big sister.  What isn't shown is them both in a heap on the ground after Skylar hugged Kyara too hard and made them both fall!

These soccer pictures are from after the initial ingestion.  Kyara didn't let the fact that she couldn't eat and had to use a G-Tube slow her down. 

Look at that shielding technique.  Arm out for feel, putting her body between her opponent and the ball,   using her left foot to turn away from pressure... 

This age group was so funny.  You usually had one player on each team who understood the concept and took over, everyone else hung around watching or looking at the clouds.  In this game, Kyara was "ON!"  Memory doesn't quite serve me, but I think this is the one where she would run over to the sideline and yell "That's 1.... that's 2.... that's 3..." each time she scored.  By goal 10 it was getting a bit embarrassing!

Even when it was cold outside, she had a smile on her face and a ball at her feet!

Have a blessed day!