Baptism Walk

Some youth in my church had been asking me about baptism. I needed to schedule a class to talk with them about this, and what better classroom than the outdoors? So invited them to go on a walk with me, at one of my favorite places: El Dorado Nature Center.

We arrived, and two of the youth (who happened to be brothers) looked at the spot at the edge of the parking lot where the pavement ended and a dirt trail disappeared into the woods.  "Are there bears in there?"

"No.  I don't think there are any bears anywhere in Long Beach.  The biggest thing in there might be a coyote."

"Will it hurt us?"

"No.  We probably won't even see a coyote.  But if you're quiet, there is a good chance of seeing a rabbit or a turtle."

Almost immediately after starting our walk, the kids spotted a squirrel. Then the path crossed a bridge over a pond, and they eagerly pointed to some ducks.  We also saw egrets, turtles, butterflies, and a hawk.  We even saw some trees with orange leaves, surrounded by a forest of leaves that prefer to remain green.  (Yeah, that's how nature does fall here in southern California.)

But for me, the best sight of all was watching the kids get so excited over spending a few hours in nature.