Grits...

I'm sure you're wondering what in the world grits has to do with our trip to Tennessee, well let me just tell you!  Children and missions are two things that I am passionate about, and when you put the two of them together, well for me it just doesn't get any better.  It makes me all warm and happy from the inside out, kind of like a big fat bowl of yummy grits with a whole lot of butter :)  It's just good stuff!  I told the kids before we left Saturday that I wanted them to pay attention this week to the things they saw God do, the things they heard God say to them, just the really good things words just couldn't describe - the "grits and butter" moments of the week and write them down for me.  They all have their own grits and butter cards that I'll be using Friday night for my devotion - I can't wait!  Today is only Tuesday and from what I'm hearing we've already got a pot FULL of grits :)

Jennings and I have had the pleasure of working at the food pantry, visiting 5 wonderful senior ladies, working on the lunch bus and doing a little bit of house work for one of the ladies.  We served 42 children on the lunch bus today, many who would not eat a hot meal, or any meal for that matter were it not for that bus.  Now I'll just tell you, today was a hard day for me.  To see a 3 year old child wander up to a bus to eat with no adults in site, have to leave before they finish eating with no adults anywhere to be seen....or a little girl who is every bit of 4 or 5 but tells you she is 1 because she honestly doesn't know (which you can barely understand) standing looking out her window watching for the bus to come and then watching as it pulls away...well needless to say it was almost more than I could stand.  Today more than ever I realize how fortunate I was to grow up in a home with two parents who loved me, fed me and made sure my every need was met - and most importantly made sure I knew who Jesus was.  Today if I had one thing to be thankful for it would most definitely be my parents.  Oh the things and people we take for granted...

For my little man it has been two long days but he has been quite the trooper, working through lunch and not getting to eat until 1 and 2:00 and not once complaining or asking if it was time to leave.  He really has impressed me at how well he has kept up with the pace and adapted as needed.  But then why should I be surprised...we have prayed that God would enable him to be able to accomplish any task He put before him, just like all the rest of us, and God has and will continue to.  I have watched him work and wondered what was going through his little mind, wondering if and what he was taking in...  Tonight in our small group I asked the question what is one thing you have realized that you have that you are really thankful for?  I then went around the circle and asked everyone to answer.  Jennings was the second to last person to answer and when it came to him I really expected him to say something that had already been said but he didn't.  He said "Food.  I'm thankful that at home we have food to eat b/c a lot of the people here, they don't."  Well if you are a parent and you've ever had that feeling that you get when you see your child learning a life lesson and you know they are "getting it"...then you know exactly how I felt - and if you know me, you know that since I was the last person to answer it took me a few minutes to compose myself to give my answer after his :)  My answer was my parents as I said earlier, but my second answer on this day of this particular week in my life would be that I have been blessed with this opportunity to share in this experience with my child...knowing that somehow in the end watching him grow is going to bless me ten thousand times more...