The Simple Life at Home

We are busily preparing Emily for a week (ok, 5 days) at our church's Middle School Mission Trip. This is a great opportunity for middle-schoolers to do a mission trip without going to Papua New Guinea or somewhere else where they could catch exotic diseases. What they do is show up Monday morning and spend the week in our youth facility until Friday evening. Every morning they do a devotional together, then spend the day doing really cool service projects here in South Florida. Last year, they did beach evangelism, ran a camp day at an orphanage, cleaned up a widow's home, planted a garden for another widow, served at a homeless shelter and more. Then, each evening they do something fun - go for a pool party at someone's home, have a movie night, go on a cruise on the bay, etc.

I think that my children live in such a upscale world (even though we are very middle-class, our church is in a fairly wealthy area; consequently, many of our congregants are pretty well-off) that it's not often they see the desperate need right here in their own hometown. Miami is one of the poorest cities in America. This week opens their eyes to the opportunities to serve right here at home. No one has to leave the world where they live to make a difference.

So, if you think of it, please offer up a prayer for Emily and the other kids who are participating. Pray for their hearts to be touched, pray for a spirit of love and compassion, and pray for their safety. And pray for me! I'll miss her!