Time has been hard to come by the past couple of years. In order to increase our family time, we cut back on everything! One thing I've been looking forward to is getting involved in the things we used to enjoy - time with friends, church activities, etc.
A couple of days before we left for Beijing we received an e-mail with the perfect opportunity. The Mobile Loaves and Fishes trucks were in need of some help. Every night the truck goes out with food for the homeless and they were in need of some families to help make cookies. I jumped at the chance to teach the boys about giving and what better way than to have them make cookies?!
Last night I began the baking process: 72 cookies put in baggies with two to a bag. Not bad at all. Since it was the first attempt I thought it best to bake the premade cookies. As I pulled them out of the oven, Z was close by watching. I waited for him to ask what I was doing and when he finally did I was ready with my speech.
I told him that God wants us to help other people. I was making cookies to give to people that don't have a house or a bed. I told him that he is so lucky to have a bed and warm blankets but there are some people that don't have that. They have to sleep under a tree or somewhere outside. I finished my quick 4 year old speech by telling him that we were going to take the cookies to church and a special truck would give them out to people that don't have a home. God wants us to give and it makes us feel happy to help others.
All the while I was removing cookies and putting them on the counter. At the end of my speech I looked up and found him with tears in his eyes. I think my jaw must have dropped on the ground and I felt like I'd really hit home with him. Until he said..."We can't eat the cookies?!" WHAT!?!?! God didn't tell me Z was going to cry!! Ohhh geeeeeez!
After convincing him that we couldn't eat alllll the cookies and we would keep a few (thank goodness I had 24 extra) I enlisted help in bagging the cookies. Who knew that giving could be so hard!?
***Side note: I was telling my sister about this story, which she found hilarious, and she said I should have told Z that there are some people that don't have video games. That would have made more of an impression on him. I'll have to try that on the way to drop off the cookies at church this afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment