Thursday, July 2, 2009

The Hearts of Servants

On Wednesdays Cody and I spend time in fellowship with other married couples (with or without small children) from our church. We either are in the Word, praying for each other, supporting one another, lifting each other up or holding each other accountable. We just do life together!
The group decided it was time to give back more than we already do. We have adopted an area in Norman through Community Action, a non-profit organization. This area is made up of six housing units where people can live rent and bill free while they get back on their feet. Within the organization, there are 18 total units and one manager whose plate is very full so our help is desperately needed. For us, it is more about building relationships with the residents than doing the actual labor, but we are glad to help in any way.
Yesterday was our first time to serve this community. We brought lawn mowers, weed eaters, brooms and trash bags to clean up the yards and flower beds. It was a great time for ministry and fellowship. We were surprised to see a number of children living in this community, too. They kept coming out to the doors and waving! The residents were very welcoming and appreciative to our small gesture.
Though not all of our group was present, there was still a good size number of us! It only took us one hour to knock out all the lawn maintenance and clean up! After , we headed back to Blake and Shanae's cute home for snacks and debriefing. It seemed everyone's hearts were on fire to continue to serve!! It was inspiring and contagious to hear everyone's point of view of the experience and the ideas of what we can do next!! It look likes a neighborhood cookout is in the works!
It is extremely important to me to make servanthood a habit before Noah can take notice. I want my heart and my actions to be examples Noah can lean on and model after. I enjoy giving back especially alongside my husband. What a testament that is to our son to see his parents giving of their time, although very hard to not be selfish with our time, and serve those we don't even know all for the Kingdom. I am excited about this opportunity to serve!