Ministry

I have been thinking a lot about your purpose as a family. I know a big part of our purpose is to raise our kids to know and love God with all their hearts and to be "in the world and not of the world". That is our formost goal and passion. We also want to impact the larger world for the glory of God. We care specifically and focus our attention on Haiti, as God has given us all a passion for that small country.

But these days, especially as it is baseball season, and Randy is in his own classroom, I have been thinking about our purpose in our local community. We have struggled a long time to get the point where we are right now, with me at home with the kids, and Randy, a teacher. And much of the time we lost focus on the reason for that. We wanted the stability of a regular paycheck, the schedule that allows for great family times, and to be involved with youth, as Randy is so gifted in this area. Teaching was a very natural fit. However, in the last few months, I have seen so plainly how teaching history is simply a means to an end, not the end in itself. It is the cover for getting Randy in the schools and allowing him to impact students with the love of God, when so many of them need it the most. The things that are dealt with in the school he teaches in is incredible. In the last month, an abortion and the death of a newborn, have been things that Randy has brought home to us. He is not only a teacher, but a friend, and advisor, and a confidante to these kids. And with more time, I see us all, as a family, becoming more and more involved in this ministry. With baseball season here, we are meeting some of these kids, and they are getting to know us. If our desire is to show them love, we (especially me) need to focus and plan for that end.

What that looks like in the future, I don't know. Maybe it means more kids staying with us, maybe more dinners, more phone calls...I don't know. But I want to be open to whatever God has for us. I want to be prepared to offer our family as a place of acceptance, love and truth, as a place of refuge from the world, not only for my own kids, but for any who need it. My home is not ready for that right now. I have a lot a work to do, and I am behind. I pray that God will give me the discipline to be ready for those occasions, so that I can be Mary, not Martha....