one of my favorite aspects of parenting is when, as the parent,
i have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by my children.
savannah has been working as an intern at our church all summer,
primarily with the middle school, which is awesome for caroline!
she's doing a fabulous job ( as per the youth pastor).
one of the outreach opportunities our church has is called generation salaam.
we load up several busses with students and adults
(sometimes upwards of 200 folks)
& head over to clarkston.
i've heard that clarkston is the most diverse square mile in the world.
many are refugees and below the poverty level
our adults work with the men and women there by teaching English classes
and business skills.
the students spend time tutoring, playing with,
and sharing with the children.
mainly loving on them for a couple hours.
we seek relationships
strong enough to be able to talk about our faith.
i've had the opportunity to be a part of gen salaam for years
yet seeing an instagram of my girls loving on these beautiful children
was the most powerful inspiration of all.
i've had several sessions falling on wednesday evenings but finally had the opportunity to go.
it's a mission trip
that doesn't require a passport
& only 25 minutes down the highway.
it had to be 90 + degrees.
the girls wear long skirts or pants
most of them had on little to no makeup
yet
their radiance as they hopped off the bus and began to love on those children
is one of the most beautiful things i've ever witnessed....
when i pulled up these images of savannah
( & some of emi when i wasn't there)
i'll be honest
seeing her do what she does & seeing her love for the lord
& for others in action
blew me away.
another moment when i have learned a priceless lesson
& seen Jesus in one of my own...
our noonday statement bracelet was a huge hit
with the little girls...
the children do NOT want us to leave.
when we load the bus, a few of the adults have to stay off
and watch because the little ones have been known to hang on to the bus...
our staff is currently working on an entire
dvd and informational packet for churches who desire to do
something similar in their community.
i can hardly wait until tomorrow night to go again...
Jesus said,
"Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs
to such as these."
matthew 19.14
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