Just a Playground?

Recently our church was asked to construct a playground at a local trailer park. The community has 60 children with no pool, no playground, no woods to hike in and few trees to climb. What a boring summer this would be! So, we built two sets of swings, climbing apparatus, slides and poles. Two picnic tables were added and a play station with a car and some other large outdoor toys. I drove by there recently and the temperature was in the high 90's. Yet four children were swinging, climbing and laughing away the dog days of summer. We might look at this park and say, "It's just a playground! Could not the church have done something that would affect these children even more? I say no! Children need a safe place to play, parents need a place to take children for them to run out their abundant energy and communities need play space. I think recreation can divert young people from gangs, from idleness and channel their creative energy. This playground provides a garden of joy and delight in a poor and sometimes bleak environment. I believe the children's laughter and smiles brought joy to God's heart this week. I know it did this for mine!