Volunteering for YoungLife...check!

First day back to work went better than I ever expected! The kids all remembered who I was and I hit my wall about 2:00. That’s when I started thinking that a nap would be SO nice…no, we didn’t take a nap at school, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind :) So thank you for the prayers, our God hears them and answers courageous prayers...trust me, keep reading! Now if I can just get through the next two days I’ll be even more happy. We are doing a unit on The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and I am loving it so far…and I think the kids are too! I just have to keep my thoughts in order because I still get really distracted at times.

Selfishly, it would have been nice to come back home and lay on the couch for the rest of the night…a delivered pizza really sounded good. But I made a commitment to serve a dinner at YoungLife for the Lima City kids at the old YMCA tonight. Volunteering..checked off the Bucket List! Where I found the energy, I have no idea, it must just be a God thing. :) What my small group did tonight was prepared and served a meal to the Lima City kids, and afterwards they have a mini Bible lesson. I’m so glad I went because I was able to be apart of our community in a way I’m not usually apart of (and it’s always great to see my small group members). So yesterday we prepared the meal and today five of us went and served it.

You guys, doing something like this really puts life into perspective on a visual level. Even while having cancer, I consider myself lucky. I am so lucky that I have food on my table every night, like so lucky. I’m not saying these kids don’t have food, but they sure did come up pretty fast, without hesitation, for seconds :) When I see things like this, I see how good my life really is. It’s when you take the time out of your busy day, to help someone else, that’s when you have the opportunity to put yourself back in check. To evaluate your own life. To see that sometimes, we may not have it so bad. There are times when I feel that cancer was easy for me. I mean, it came with an instruction book and I just followed the rules and have been really lucky so far. It’s Life that’s hard and these kids don’t have an instruction book like me. It’s the people who have no money to eat a good meal to stay healthy or the drive to make life better that have it hard. They need hope and you guys, we can be that for them if we take the time out of our schedules (yes, take a night off from Glee or The Middle:) and serve someone else. You may just be blessed more than them, you never know. I am so glad this group is in Lima to help the inner city kids have some hope too. We all need hope don’t we? I challenge you to stop for a second and think, what can I do? Even if it is something that seems so small, at least you tried to help. Its the holiday season, now is the best time to volunteer your time to help people you both know and do not know. You will be changed, I guaran-freakin’-tee you! :)
After tonight, I don't think volunteering will be a one time thing for me...this may need checked off the Bucket List a few more times :)

Philippians 2:1-4
If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.