As you may have noticed I didn’t post anything in regards to day 3…well, Aaron was down and out for the day with a bad cold so we stayed home and I made some marionberry jam with my SIL Autumn. But the team did have a wonderful time of outreach in downtown Portland distributing care bags and flip flops to the homeless. It was a huge success, so I have heard.
Today, day 4, we served at four different Pregnancy Resource Centers around Portland.
We completed various projects from cleaning carpets, floors, dusting, mopping, to sorting and organizing baby clothes and cleaning baby furniture donations. We had a blast! I have been so blessed at how well Karis has been doing this week. What a joy it has been to serve others together as a family, even with little ones…it is possible!
My family served at the headquarters location and packaged baby bottles for their baby bottle drives. These bottles get distributed and people are encouraged to collect loose change around the house to store in the bottle and donate. They informed me that it was quite fun and the staff there was greatly blessed by their service.
Just so you know…PRC are always in need of diapers! So if you happen upon a sale, consider donating them to your local PRC for the needy mothers that come through. They also accept good condition clothing and baby furniture. A great way to pass on your baby’s used goods and serve someone in need. Pregnancy Resource Centers are doing a great work that is worth getting behind. Another powerful way to serve this ministry is through prayer!
Thank you for your prayers! We are having a wonderful time! It is a true joy getting behind ministries that are living out the gospel in practical ways. This will not be the end of the needs…volunteering as a family is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to serve together and further the gospel in a simple and yet powerful way.
Anna, age 3, has been faithfully serving alongside her mother all week! It can be done…even with toddlers! This has been such a blessing to see.
I can’t agree more about serving with little ones. Our family spent 2 1/2 years on the mission field with small children. When we returned to the States, pretty much everyone we were leaving behind told us they would miss our family – not the work we had done, etc. It was seeing, knowing, serving with, being served by our family – including our kids, especially our kids – that made the biggest difference. Most of the people we worked with had never seen a healthy, functioning family (not that we’re perfect, by any stretch), and it gave them concrete hope and vision for what God could do in their own families. When it seems impossible to me to serve beyond my home with the kids, I just have to press into God more. This is a good reminder for me, since now that we’re back and I’m an “ordinary housewife” instead of a “minister’s wife,” the same expectations aren’t there and it’s easier for me to slack off. I’ve also started home school with my oldest daughter which makes it even more challenging to fit other things in.
Thanks for sharing about what you all have been up to! Also, what is your jam recipe? Do you use regular sugar or something else? Thanks!
I used Pomona’s pectin with rapadura (recipe included in package). We did 4 cups berries to 1 cup rapadura. Worked great! Not too sweet but still yummy!
What a blessing and encouragement to see how your fellowship is serving and preaching the gospel. We are in Central Oregon…nice to have you as a neighbor.:)