Deputie Tribe: Servants In Training

Eating Cake at their friend Jay-Jay's birthday party.

We just got back from our long "missions trip." We were in Appleton for the Calvary Chapel's Pastor's Conference and then went to the U.P. of Michigan to help start up a thrift store that, I am praying and believe, will be a great "Salvation Station" for many people in Iron River, Michigan.

This picture was actually on our "Family Date".
We carry a potty with us everywhere in case someone REALLY NEEDS to go! :)

In the U.P. the weather is much colder then it is in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In fact, it was below freezing most nights we were up there. The building that we were working on all week didn't have heat and actually held the cold, so it was colder in the building then outside.

As my husband is building shelving and painting walls, and I am sorting through this mound of unorganized clothes, shoes and accessories, my kids were wandering around the shop touching broken pieces of glass, eating wood chunks, and stepping on my nicely folded piles of baby clothes.

Out of times of frustration or fear that they were cold, we opted to place them in front of the computer screen with movies in the back room. For hours my kids would watch movie after movie after movie.

One of the days we were up there, a little girl (the oldest in her family of four kids) came to help out with whatever she could. I cannot tell you enough how much I was blessed by her! She is 6 years old and knew how to be a servant better then most adults I know!

She didn't ask what the needs were or where she could serve.

How Ahavah fell asleep for her nap

She didn't get in my way or stop me from serving so I could help her "serve."

She simply saw a need, and met it!

On our way from the house to the shop.

The outside of the Thrift Store "He Makes All Things New"

The beginning of finally putting our sorted clothes on racks.

There is "Nana" (my step mom).

I mean this girl helped my girls go potty, made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, played with them, protected them and freed me up to get a LOT done without having to worry about my kids!

My husband and I pulled aside the girl's father and praised his daughter in front of him and then asked him how he raised such a servant. He told us, "We get a lot of slack with this, but we simply took our kids everywhere with us." To every prayer meeting, every meal that was being cooked, every church function, every serving event their kids tagged along and were involved in the whole process. In fact, he explained, when he doesn't include his kids in serving, they tend to act up and throw more temper tantrums because they WANT to serve the Lord.

He continued to explain that it's not convenient for the parent to raise their kids this way. It slows you down, it takes you away from where you want to be sometimes, but what you are imparting to and in your kids makes it so worth it!

As you can imagine, I was blown away! I have blogged before about taking your kids everywhere and I am and always have been a believer in it, but I lost sight of all that it encompasses! Training kids IS WORK guys! It IS ministry!

I am excited to bring my kids to prayer meetings, restaurants, serving events, Bible studies and teach them how to partake! After all, they are servant's in training!