Let’s Play!

Zechariah 8:4-5 – “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of age. And the public squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares.’”

Our original plan was to build a single playground at the center of the community. The inspiration came while watching children enjoy a beautiful playground here in Huntsville, AL. I saw how the space encouraged not only the kids but also adults to connect with each other—a wonderful way to build community.

During a visit to the property with the well, we watched women washing clothes while their children ran around the area. It struck us that this would be another ideal spot for a playground. The kids were running around playing (and, as kids do, even throw a few rocks at each other). When we asked, the mothers liked the idea of their children happily occupied while they worked.

We’re happy to share that we’ve completed the first of these two planned playgrounds! This one is located on our property with the water well. With the help of Donovan and Chelsey, we partnered with a skilled Honduran craftsman who specializes in steel playgrounds. He and his team recently completed the project, and now, the joyful sounds of children playing can often be heard there.

The significance of these playgrounds was especially clear in a conversation we had with a father in the community. He shared that, from the age of eight, he had to work or care for his siblings and never had the chance to play as a child. He told us how wonderful it would be for the children here to have a different experience—a chance to play freely, something he never had. This deepened our commitment to creating these spaces where kids can just be kids, experiencing the joy of play and the connections that come with it. Now we’ve completed the 2nd playground, a joint effort between the people of the community and a team from the USA. I hear often there are many children there playing, I am sure a beautiful noise to the Creator.