Homeschool Discoveries

We spent three very full days last week (Thursday through Saturday) serving our community alongside friends from church:

Our church has organized a “local mission trip” called Mission to the City almost every year for over a decade.  We live in a large city, and there are so many needs around us. It’s a wonderful opportunity to show God’s love in tangible ways right in our own backyard.  In past years, Mission to the City hasn’t necessarily had a family focus.  Teens and up have participated, but not many families with younger kids.

This year, we participated in the first-ever family-track for Mission to the City.   Tony took a couple days off from work, Mr. K went to Grandma’s house (we decided he was just a bit too young, and unlike Baby J, does not stay in one place very well for very long!), and we had three fun, long days together.

Our family, along with several other families with elementary-school-aged kids: served another church in our neighborhood by polishing pews and cleaning their building, played with kids at the Boys and Girls club, helped with a carnival at the Boys and Girls club, went on a “spiritual tour” to learn more about a different area of the city and tried foods from cultures represented in that area, cleaned and polished WWI memorial plaques along a city parkway, collected non-perishable food for a local food shelf, and both helped with and participated in the annual Kids Against Hunger/Fill Their Plate run.

I loved serving along side my kids, and seeing them start to understand the joy in serving others at their young ages.  It was character building for all of us to persevere and work hard in heat or in rain.  But we all said we would do it again next year!