I Saw God at McDonald's

Today was the best day we've had yet! We got to take 11 kindergardeners to mcdonald's today, four of which were from the village and had never been. It brought me to tears to watch as those four little kids had to be instructed how to use the play-place. With amazing patience, Melissa helped them remove their shoes then showed them the entrance to the play tunnels leading up to the slide. The children just looked at everything with wide eyed wonder. When they had finally made it to the top, they took a breath and headed down the slide. Their little faces were initially marked with a bit of fear but it didn't take long before they were positively beaming with joy. I can't tell you how many times they climbed up and slid down that slide before Melissa forced them to come away and eat but I can tell you, I was touched to the deepest parts of my soul.
After sitting all of the children down to eat their happy meals, the children from the village just sat and stared at the box in front of them. Quietly, Melissa and our team opened up their food and placed it in front of them, encouraging them that it was ok to eat. They were completely awed and after a while, very excited. All of the children were on their best behavior and not one of them caused even the slightest problem; they were absolute angels and we had a ton of fun.
Next we took them on a field trip to the ruins of a local castle and they got to see the world's largest easter egg. Scott, being the generous person he is (not sarcastic), got popsicles for all of them and our fun-filled day was wrapped up with the sticky faces of happy kids. What a perfect day!
Melissa arranged for us to have dinner at a camp outside Suceava and on the way, we got to stop at a painted monastery where scott had to wear a skirt to cover his immodest legs. ;-)  Just as an added bonus, we got to drive through some of Romania's beautiful mountains and see some incredible scenery. Can I just tell you, God's creation is completely awe inspiring! I think the beauty of the creation around me was in some ways an expression of the beauty I saw in the faces of the children today. I fully believe that God enjoys His creation and it makes Him smile to create stunning flowers in remote mountains and beautiful fish in the depths of the oceans that man will never see. In my mind, the beauty of pure, unadulterated joy that I saw today in the faces of those children is just an extension of His greatness. How awesome is it that God made us capable of expression and feeling and emotion?! Their joy was the fingerprint of God. I'm telling you, I saw God today in those children and I don't think I have ever been so close to Him as I was today. Great things truly can be seen in humble places...even mcdonald's.