This past Saturday was one of the first Saturdays in a very long time I had no responsibilities, so I was glad when I realized I was able to participate with Second Saturday (our church’s monthly community outreach ministry).
We (the church from the suburbs) were going to help an inner city church. We had people digging, weeding and planting; some were cleaning and building, while others were busy cooking and feeding people from the neighborhood. My job was to lead games with the kids (if I had known, I would have brought supplies/equipment). What do you do with suburban kids and inner city kids when you have nothing to work with? Thank goodness my sister was with me to come up with some good ideas (she really is the creative one in the family).
After spending my morning and part of my afternoon downtown working with the kids, one of my highlights was this little 7 or 8 year old girl who came up to me and was proud to tell me she had both a mom and a dad, and they both lived at her house. I was taken aback for a split second, because I thought, “That’s the norm… isn’t it?”
That little girl may not have much, as far as material things go, but she was happy to tell everyone she had a home with two parents. She reminded me of the important things in life, which resulted in me having a great day.
Pastor Donald Calder