A whirlwind week with the kids - being a missionary to my own family!

 I spent last week with Ellie, Zeke and Anna while Gwen, Tim and Lia were on their yearly mission trip.  It was a super fun, busy, and yet very relaxing week for me. While I am actually spending the week as a fill in for mom and dad, I always feel as if it is my own mission trip.  I have a daily reminder to pray for the students and adults who are with Gwen and Tim and I love knowing exactly what they are doing each day.  The kids take the prayer time we have each day very seriously and some very specific prayers were shared.  I especially know that these times with my grandchildren are precious.  So many memories are made.  The time actually flies by and I can't believe when we come to the end of the 8 days.  

Over the eight days we visited 4 playgrounds, 1 skatepark, 3 stores, 5 fast food restaurants, 1 breakfast restaurant, a nail salon, an outdoor dance program and art show,  and 1 bowling alley and the favorite ice cream place - the TeePee. We also played so many rounds of Hues and Clues and also Disney Trivia.  Ellie had three dance practices and we all swam every day but the last day (which was a very cool 72 degrees).  There were so many crafts, thanks to the daily gifts that Gwen prepared for the kids.  We did beading (which was much harder than you might think), decorated bird feeders, magic art (which was really magic), did some detective decoding, made some origami animals, did some fashion designing, and colored some sun catchers.   I tried to get these photo collages with pictures from each day and they are pretty close. Here is the fist Saturday.

And then Sunday.  After church we stopped at the store and picked up some treats for the week.  And we also played lots of games. On Monday we went out for ice cream and we also visited the Dollar Tree for some treats. Tuesday and Wednesday were HOT! I was so thankful for their pool and we spent lots of time in the water.  

 

On Thursday we all had a pedicure.  Gwen had tried to get me in for a pedicure before this week but they were booked!  So I decided to take all of the younger kids - including Zeke!  It was his first experience and he loved it.  He said his feet felt really good.  It was only Anna's second or third time for an actual pedicure experience so it was lots of fun. We visited the "Big park" (as the kids call it) and the Skate Park before having our pedicure and finished it off with Culvers for lunch.

On Friday we ate breakfast at a restaurant, visited another playground (my favorite). Eating breakfast out was Ken's favorite thing to do and we had started taking each of the kids out by themselves for a special treat. Sadly because of Covid and then Ken's sickness, Anna never got a turn.  But this reminds me of those special times. In the afternoon we went bowling.  I USED to be a really good bowler.  Sigh.  I never came close to 100.  Zeke was pleased to win both games and both Ellie and Anna did really well.  It reminded me how much I miss bowling!

Our last day together started off watching Ellie dance in an outdoor performance for the local Art Fair in Grayslake.  The Spotlight group shared some of the recital dances. It was a wonderfully cool 72 degrees and actually nice to sit in the sun and watch the show.  Ellie did such a wonderful job and I am always so impressed by the quality of these performances.  This studio is amazing.   After the show we stopped at Burger King for lunch and the kids got crowns!

One of the last things I did was help Anna hang her bird feeder on one of the many trees in their backyard.  She was delighted that a bird found the feeder and was eating some of the seed.  I was enjoying the cool breezes in their sunroom when Gwen, Tim and Lia got home.  I was sad to leave, but also glad to be home.  

The kids have all grown up so much.  I had as much fun as the kids at all of these activities.  It was so neat to hear the kids play "Concentration" in the back seat of the car.  And I learned about a new finger game called "Sticks".  (This game actually has a math component so the kids are adding and subtracting while they play! It is really cool).  We had many great conversations and I am amazed at the depth of their thinking, the creativity of their ideas and just how thoughtful and kind they are.  I am so proud of them.  

On Sunday morning I had the opportunity to teach in the Rock Kids program.  There were 10 younger kids (3yrs -Kindergarten) and we were teaching the story of Ruth.  Now this is usually a very hard story for kids to really understand.  But this curriculum is just fantastic.  The kids were "gleaning" yellow feathers from the ground after the "harvesters" had left some of the feathers for the "Ruths" to pick up.  From this story the kids learned that God gives us hope even in bad situations.  We talked about kindness and caring.  And the kids made a basket to put some "wheat" in.  So much fun.  

It is a wonderful thing to feel like a missionary.  Being able to bring the message of the Gospel to those around you.  When I was adding the bird seed to Anna's birdfeeder, I was thinking about all of the seeds that I had been able to sow into Ellie, Zeke and Anna during this week.  What a blessing to be also have sown some seeds to those kids in Rock.  More importantly, I heard the message loud and clear.  There is hope in Jesus. In every circumstance. We all need this message today.   So much more happens during a mission trip than just whatever activities are planned.  Relationships are built.  Stories are shared.  And then people learn about Jesus.  It really is a time of being the hands and feet and the "skin" of the Gospel.  I was so blessed to be a small part in this mission time in my family.  So, so blessed.  

I ended the week filled with hope for the future.  When you see children and youth so on fire to serve Jesus and to share and care for others, your hope for future of our country soars.  I encourage you to look around and find the ones that are marching out into the darkness around us with the light of Jesus.  The world doesn't look as bad or as hopeless then.  I don't think there is anything that shines brighter than a faith-filled child.  Be like them!  Let your light shine!

Jesus, thank you for filling me with hope and joy and peace.  Holy Spirit, remind all of the children and youth and adults touched by this past weeks mission experience that Jesus loves them.  Keep them close during these next weeks as they go back to their normal life.  Jesus give us courage and boldness to shine our light into the darkness around us.  Thank you Jesus for your love.  Amen

  

Celebrating a 16th Birthday and a 1st Birthday!

Lia's 16th Birthday happened over Memorial Day weekend - of course!  She was born just minutes before midnight the day BEFORE Memorial Day, so she shares her day with a holiday most years.  She had her "friends" party on the day of her birthday.  I didn't actually get together with her to celebrate until a week later.  But it was a really fun event for this Grandma!  If I gave you a list of the gifts that this girl was thrilled with, you would be surprised!  There were several "car" items (Think a brand new licensed driver!) including a car trash can.  And then there were many "organizing" items for her room.  

One of the most surprising items (to me) was a Lego Architecture set that she had mentioned wanting a while ago.  Yes, Lego's are still a great gift, even when they are 16!

In a rather back to back fashion, Doug and Susie had Jimmy's 1st birthday party.  It was a beautiful, cool day that allowed everyone to be outside.  Doug and Susie had decked out their back yard with plenty of tables and also lots of activities for all of the kids.  I loved this opportunity to snap some pictures of the grandkids all together.  Lia at 16 and Jimmy at 1 are the bookends!  And their birthday's are just 4 days apart!  

It was so fun to see everyone after two years of no gatherings (thanks to covid).  The kids had a wonderful time and the cake was a real hit!  

Jimmy was a bit unsure and actually cried after the singing but with a bit of encouragement, finally dug int the cake.  The funniest moment was when there was an attempt to remove the cake at this point.  And Jimmy was not happy!  Needless to say, they brought the cake back.. 

We ended the party with some photos inside and just a bit of family time.  It was a long day for Jimmy and for the rest of us!  I don't think anybody is used to parties anymore!  I was tired by the end of this day.

I jotted down some of my thoughts about being 16, in a short letter to Lia.  I realized that she is just at that point where it feels like there are some "big" decisions on the horizon and I am sure that can cause anxiety.  I wanted to remind her that you never know what life will bring your way and that the best plans just might not work out.  And the bigger thing is that God has a plan and purposes for each of us. Even if our journey is not a straight path, Jesus can always get us to where He wants us to be. It is unfortunate that somehow our young people today seem to think that they need their entre life figured out before they leave high school.  There are many kids spending hours playing sports, hoping to get scholarships to the best college for those sports.  Or agonizing over which major or career choice they should make.  I bet if you asked 100 people there would be very few who actually ended up in the exact place that they had in mind while making these choices as a 16 or 17 year old. But most people would say, somehow they just ended up in the best place for them. I know, through the many twists and turns of my life, Jesus was gently guiding and arranging opportunities, to get me just where He wanted. And he is still urging me onward! 

There was a song this morning in church called Becoming by Jason Gray that really spoke to me.  This is the last bit of the song.

It's progress not perfection, not arrival, it's direction

It's the living and the learning, not the finish line but the journey

I'm becoming,  who I am

I'm still becoming.  I'm always becoming

This is a good message - even for me at my age!  I am still becoming!  I am always becoming!  These are hope filled words for sure.  We can always change and grow.  We can totally turn around and go a different direction.  We don't have to be perfect, we just need to keep on, keeping on.  Those words I penned to Lia have been in my mind over the last weeks and now I understand why.  It's because I am STILL becoming!  I don't have to try to figure out what is ahead for me in this new season of my life.  And it's a great reminder for all of us, with Jesus, we are always becoming.  Until the end of our days here on earth, we are in progress.  Jesus can and does continue to challenge us to be His hands and feet and voice to the world.  Whether we are 1 or16 or 67 or 99!  Celebrating birthdays can really make you think.  And sometimes that is a very good thing.

Jesus, thank you for celebrations that bring us together with those we love. Holy Spirit, continue to challenge all of us to be bold to show Jesus to the world around us.  Jesus, remind us that you are always with us on the journey.  Thank you for the hope you bring to us each day.   Amen