Greetings! I hope you had the opportunity to get out and enjoy some of the Rivertown Days festivities as well as the Little Log House Antique Power Show – both are fun events that take place in Hastings during the month of July. Dan and I always try to get out and enjoy these events – it’s fun to see old friends, eat good food, and do a little local shopping, all while getting some exercise at the same time. It’s just one of the reasons Hastings is a great community in which to live.

Our family had another fun event this July – my niece and her family came home from Australia after being away for four years (due to COVID restrictions). There were 26 of us that were able to gather, and we had an amazing time. Our son, Cody, and his family were there, and 5-year-old Cana was in heaven! She had never met my niece’s kids, and when Cana found out they lived in Australia, she was amazed. Their youngest, Vera, is also 5 years old, and Cana quickly asked her if she ever sees kangaroos, to which she replied, “Yes,” like it was no big deal. Cana followed up that question, asking if she saw them from the car or just walking around. When Vera replied, “BOTH,” Cana pretty much lost her mind! They joined hands and walked off together, inseparable after having just met.

That’s the amazing thing about kids, they’re accepting of each other – they can become best friends in minutes. It doesn’t matter if they talk different or look different or live on the other side of the planet. They haven’t developed vanity or pride, and they are amazingly – sometimes painfully – honest! There’s a reason God wants us to have the faith of a child. Those two little girls weren’t worried about what they were wearing or whether they had similar likes and dislikes – they were all in, ready to love and care for each other. Jesus tells us to leave our pride and vanity behind, to become humble, unassuming, and unpretentious – like a child.

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 
– Luke 18:16-17

May you enjoy all of God’s abundant blessings this week!

Peace in Christ ~ Pastor Julie