halloween

This year, in addition to sending our nerd, pirate and little tiger out to collect huge amounts of candy, we decided to do a little something to bless our neighbors. After all, Halloween is the only holiday where people you don't know actually come to your door and talk to you!

Thankfully, our "condo-home owners" joined us since they don't typically get trick or treaters. We could not have pulled this off without their help! Robin and Becky made delicious homemade cookies that turned out to be a hit and Allyson made huge crockpots full of creamy hot chocolate and wonderfully spiced hot cider. My son Stephen set up a long folding table at the end of our lawn and we set up shop. Matt and Stephen plugged in some strobe lights so our house was lit up and could be seen on the other side of the court!

We prayed just minutes before people started arriving at our home and it was so exciting to see how the night unfolded. As adults arrived to our home with their child(ren), Becky would joyfully greet them with "Happy Halloween! We have treats for the children at the front door and we have treats for the adults here." People seemed to really love and appreciate the thought. At one point in the evening as I was returning to our house after taking Abbie and D to another part of our neighborhood, I could see that there were a few people at our table. As I got closer and closer, I started laughing because Becky and Stephen were mobbed with teenage boys who were loving the hot chocolate and cookies!

All in all, it was a perfect night! We hope and pray that this act of hospitality opens the door for us to share about our wonderful Savior as we interact with our neighbors throughout the year.

Here are some photographs of our night.