Once upon a time, I led a group called PB&J. A group of girls From 7th grade to 12th grade, though we had a few 5th and 6th graders in there. I inherited the group from an older woman who didn't click with 'the girls', and since I was the oldest girl, I led. PB&J had always been at Starbucks, eventually, we moved to my house where we made cookies and had koolaide. Many of the girls tell me this was their favorite part, and the reason they opened up at all- it made them feel at home and like part of the group. And when they opened up, some of the stories they had were amazing. One time one of the girls suggested a mini-mission. We all like mission trips- going somewhere far away and doing something like building a school- but... a mini mission... just a day trip to somewhere nearby (usually in our city) to do some good for our own community. I knew of a nursing home for low-income elderly people. We painted many nails some wacky colors and heard many a story (and many, many horrible christmas carols banged out on the out-of-tune piano by a tiny lady who only sorta knew christmas carols...). We painted houses for people who couldn't paint their own house.
I challenge you: Do some random nice thing for someone. I don't mean hold a door for someone with their arms full- I know your momma taught you to do this anyways. It doesn't have to be painting a house, just go out of your way, out of your comfort zone, and DO SOMETHING. Anything. Bake cookies and meet your neighbors, volunteer at an animal shelter, buy the homeless guy on the corner a .99 cent hamburger, anything! The only thing you should get from it is good karma... no CAS hours!! Remember- if you make someone feel loved, and at home, and as part of the group, they will open up and it can benefit you BOTH in many ways.
If you guys want to do or know someone who needs a mini-mission, let me know and we'll see if we can't come up with something.
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can." -- John Wesley
1 comment:
Great stuff Samantha! The "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10) can be the biggest surprise of our life or something we've seen coming forever. But rarely will it be easy to flow into unless we are in constant prayer and fully dedicated to his work. And often it will require our humiliation for his glory because He readily submitted first. We don't expect anything less.
Grace and peace.
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