Good Works

One of our goals for 2016 was to be intentional about serving together as a family. God opened up the opportunity for us to join our good friends the Bellews at Good Works in Ohio. 

Between us we loaded up 9 kids and 4 adults and caravaned to Ohio where slept in musty bunk rooms, ate our meals communally, read Scripture and prayed together, and had the chance to work on multiple service projects in the community. Between us we pulled weeds, built decks, cleaned porches, helped with a kids program, prepared food for a community meal, and participated in work at a house for individuals who are homeless. We did work in the pouring down rain, and in the blazing sun. We learned about the "ethic of inefficiency" and the importance of relationships first. We saw some of our kids step up to the challenge of hard work, and we saw places where some of our kids need to grow (I won't name names, but some of our offspring don't do well pulling weeds in the heat...or the rain...or really at all). 

We left thankful and tired and some of us left sick (Ada and Oliver both had strep). 

We were so thankful to serve with our family, and with our friends and we plan on going back someday. 

(somewhere on someone's phone there is a group picture)

 Keith, the director, brought out Kermit the Frog. Tessa and Lydia loved it. Oliver wasn't too sure. 

 When they are adults, Courage and Ada can reminisce about pulling weeds (both in rain and heat) while their moms "encouraged" them to work harder:)

 Helping with food prep

Nathan and Cambel helped to build a deck.

Our boys loved the bunk beds. I for one was happy to get back to my own bed and my own room:)