Last Thursday was a busy day. It started out with Derek and Peter competing in the final day of summer football. The teams had been competing all summer: weight room competition, earning points for attendance, among other things.

The final day was the softball tournament. Last year, Derek’s team dressed in a Polish Christmas theme. This year, they went with a more monochrome theme: Blue Man Group.

Because costumes weren’t enough, Jim went to Menard’s to get materials to build a prop. Proving that you can learn just about anything online, he printed out instructions on how to make a Blue Man Group drumbone. The kids practiced.

Then Derek and Peter picked up some blue leggings, and I sewed a bunch of masks. It was truly a family affair. Here’s the team.

These guys contributed…

toward a softball tournament championship!

And because they won the tournament as well as the costume contest, their team won the overall summer competition. Way to go!

But for these guys, the day was far from over. They, and a couple teammates, joined the rest of our family at a golf course in Grayslake to volunteer at the annual Cru golf outing.

It was great to have the kids there to help. Ruth was my helper at the Square cashier station, while Jake and Jeremy greeted golfers and chatted with them. Before we even arrived, Ruth had been asking to drive a golf cart. Jake gave her her first driving lesson.

After taking the wheel with Jake in the passenger seat, she was eager to show me what a good driver she was.

Let’s just say it’s a good thing she is not legally allowed to drive for another 8 years. After I ended this video, she sideswiped a huge rock. Thankfully, no damage was done to the hearty golf cart; however, that was the end of her driving experience for the day. She later renamed the rock the “ruthless rock”. At least she had a sense of humor about it.

The course was beautiful,

and it was a neat sight as the golfers all made their way to their respective tees for the shotgun start.

Derek and Peter arrived with teammates in their jerseys to stand at one of the holes, representing WA and greeting golfers as they played through. The boys got some time at the driving range too.

A common sight was Jeremy putting on the practice green. I kept telling him he looked like a short adult man all day.

At the end of the outing, all the golfers gathered under the tent for dinner and a message. The gospel was clearly and compellingly presented. We were happy to have been able to participate in this special day.