Getting Rea: Where My True Ministry Lies

We are wrapping up a very busy season of our lives.  We have a few odds and ends to tie up.  Some bags to put away.  Things to gather into a box to give to those who need them.  However, the bulk of the work is done.  Our time to close out this chapter in our lives as the leaders of Awana has come.

For those of you who know us well, you know we have a heart beat for Awana.  We have been in it since we were in Cubbies (Preschool).  For me I am a Citation Award winner (10 books in 10 years, over a thousand verses memorized in since Cubbies).  We have a legacy of parents with a heart beat for Awana.  And we have been involved in almost every aspect of it from Quizzing to AwanaGames to the missionaries Ministry Board.

However, we have come to a place in our lives where God has given  us the direction and freedom to step out of the role of leading this ministry.  (Side Note:  This does not mean we won't be back in future years to help fulfill needed roles, we are just not running the program at our church.)  At first the decision was easy and freeing.  God gave us great peace about the decision.  As our time went though, my heart began to hurt. 

See, we have already pulled out of almost every single ministry we were in, many of which we dearly loved, because our family need us to pull back.  We needed to be able to focus on our family.  But it wasn't enough.  Our kids were still not making the progress they should.  We were still running ridiculously crazy schedules and trying to fit all of our responsibility for this program in as well. The decision seems pretty clear cut, family comes first.

However, our church, like most churches, desperately needs people to step up and help serve.  We know that well, as Tony was the one in charge of recruiting for this ministry.  It tugs deep into my heart and I began to question...."God how will I teach my children to serve when I am not?  How will they find out the imporatnce of ministry when I am not in none?  I was raised that when there is a need to help in the church, you do.  How will I teach my kids that?"

God's answer was incredibly clear.  "Your number one ministry is NOT Awana and NOT in the church.  Your ministry is four little people who sit at your feet every day.  Your ministry is a husband who needs your attention.  Your ministry is the neighbor you only see when you are waving to them from your van, but now you need to invest in.  Your ministry is your heart focused on Me.  Your ministry, the one that I have put as number one in your life, is getting pushed aside.  Yes, these other things have value and importance but they are not the most important."

So, as sad as it is to leave this amazing ministry behind, Tony and I have already seen God bless that decision.  We've already seen some big answers to pray in our kids lives.  God sent an amazing man to take over Tony's position.  And we have felt a tremendous amount of love and support with this decision.  Not one person has pressured us to stay or called our decision wrong.  It's going to be hard at times next year to drop my kids off every week and turn and walk out the church doors.  However, I know we will reap huge benefits from the time we now have available.

Being Thankful

We are doing Awana at Home with our kids this summer and into the school year.  We absolutely love it.  There is no planning involved, very little supplies, and our kids have so much fun.  One night we talk about God is the Creator.  We talked about what we were thankful for that God made.  Then we went outside and drew it on the side walk.  I loved to see what my kids came up with.

The Body of Christ and Foster Care

When our children arrived in our home they had nothing and by nothing....I mean nothing.  Their former life was completely gone.  It wasn't salvageable.  Often kids come into care and they bring or are quickly given clothes.  Many of these items are not salvageable.  However, we didn't even have the ability to try saving items from their former life....there was nothing!

When they arrived at the DCFS office they were given something called Journey Bags.  Theses bags were begun by The Forgotten Initiative, a ministry to the local foster community.  They are filled with pj's and sometimes and outfit, a stuffed animal, socks, hair care products, underwear, etc.  I emailed the founder of TFI to thank her for what she did and for my kids Journey Bags.  Here was my email:

"Last night at midnight three precious little beauties showed up on my doorstep. They each had with them a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a book bag....their Journey Bags of course. I kept waiting for more, anything more, but nothing came. The investigator told me that yes indeed this was all they had. Our 5 year old had come with shoes which were so bad they had to be thrown away, one of our two year olds had no shoes, the other two year old had two left shoes. When I asked about getting anything out of the home the investigator said it just wasn't going to be possible. The kids had nothing. There worldly possessions consisted of Journey Bags. As I stared at those bags I began to cry. What if no one took the time to fill those bags and deliver them?  What would our children have then. Absolutely nothing. Nothing to claim as their own, nothing to protect or cherish. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for my kiddos' Journey Bags."

Jami put this email on TFI's blog.  At the bottom she posted a video about Journey Bags.  It was a video that I had watched months and months before.....before we got these kids, before we got our license, before we had decided on three kids.  However, I decided to watch it again.  I was brought to tears as I recognized item after item in the video.  This church had packed my kids' Journey Bags.  Even more humbling....they had prayed for my children....specifically for each one of my children.  God had laid these children on peoples hearts months before anybody in the system knew they existed.  How GREAT is our God and how MIGHTY are His plans for these children.

Check out the video here.

No Room

"God gave us four bedrooms for a reason.  I don't think they are suppose to stay empty."  This was a comment I made to a friend recently when she had brought up our decision to begin Foster Care.  She quickly replied with a comment about how many spare/guest rooms there were in the this and what would it be like if people were willing to give them away.

A dream.  A dream to see children with no bed, fill one of the many empty beds across America.

This really got me thinking about what we "have room for" and what we "don't have room for". So often in America we "don't have enough money" or "enough time" or "enough room."  I know I'm guilty of that many times.  But I wonder if the real issue is there isn't enough room in our hearts.  Are we opening up our hearts to what God truely wants or are we looking at the world through American Christianity. 

Everything we have is not just from God.  It IS God's.  But what does that look like in our lives.  I think if we were truly able to view things as God's and NOT ours the world would look a little different.  God has blessed us with SO much in this country.

Watch this video by the Miniature World project and let some of the numbers sink in.

a

The Forgotten Iniative

I first heard Jami talk at an Foster Pray Meeting.  I saw in her a deep passion for the Forgotten right here in our own community.  Fast forward almost a year to our Adoption Conference.  Tony and I had the privilege to sit in her talk about the Forgotten in Our Community.  We heard her hint around about being a leading force behind her organizing the body of Christ to support the community.

Well, God has really given this amazing woman a vision and drive.  She has created The Forgotten Initiative.  Its purpose is to, "To mobilize the Body of Christ in every community across America that is not currently being served".  They want to do this through:

"-partner with agencies in order to understand the needs of the foster care community
-raise awareness to the Body
-connect the two"

To me this is just ingenious to use Facebook and the blogging world to connect those hurting in the community with those who can help.  So would you consider joining The Forgotten Initiative on Facebook and seriously pray that God would open the doors for you to be His hands and feet?  Also, follow Jami's blog.  You won't regret it!

Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed

Firmly AWANA stands, led by the Lord's commands...the season has begun at our house.  Starting last Wednesday we will be busy every Wednesday from here through April (minus Christmas and Thanksgiving).  After taking two years off (one for school and one for Addilece) I am ready to get back to my Cubbies.  Tony is Co-Commander, transitioning into Commander after taking one year off to work.

Being Commander means it is Tony's job to recruit.  This is typical a hard job, as Awana is a HUGE time commitment.  Tony and I joke that people have his number blocked because we haven't been able to get anybody on the phone.  And not everybody understands why Awana is such an amazing program.

I can say, Tony and I would not be who we are today with out Awana.  It gave us a strong Biblical foundation, taught us how to reach others for Christ, and pushed us to serve deeper.  I personally was a Ministry Board Team Members daughter, went to camp for 7 years and counseled for 2, completed a Citation Award, and went overseas twice with Awana MIT.  How blessed I am to have Awana in my life.

Among Awana cirlces we talk about never finding a better program out there to reach kids for Christ.  Awana couples the fun of games to draw kids in with the salvation message presented in the books and counsel times.  It is a program that can be used to reach into the home and bridge the gap between the unchurched and the Church.  On top of that Awana aims to teach kids what it means to serve Christ whole heartedly.

Last Wednesday we were at a church in inner city Peoria doing some refresher training.  Let me tell you, this church was on fire.  They were so excited to get the club year started and to "reach these kids for Christ and to train them to serve him".  They made me beyond ready to start the year.  Being out of club for two years means I have no clue whose in Cubbies and who isn't.  However, I know that God has always perfectly orchestrated my handbook group to give me the kids he wants me to have.  I can't wait to be around the energy and fun of these preschoolers for the next 8 months!