Its Not About Me!!

How in the world do I begin to describle this journey with you regarding FUMC's VBS this year?? It is just such a personal journey between me and God, but at the same time, you were all there and had your time with HIM too. You have heard me say 100 times that HIS thumbprint was all over this from the beginning. Well....HE showed Himself so HUGE to me this week that it was one of the sweetest experiences I've ever had. There were times when I felt His presence so near that I was afraid to get distracted because I thought He might be gone.
On Monday, we had about 65 kids in grades pk-2nd learning all about service and getting them involved in the things needed for Wednesday and the lemonade stands. At the closing of our day on Monday, we did a foot washing with all the kids, but I had the 1st and 2nd graders with me. We did this in the Sanctuary and it was the most genuine, heartfelt thing I've gone through yet with this age group. They washed each other and said..."I will serve you so you can go serve others." This is essentially what Jesus told his disciples as he washed their feet. How could he ask us to do something that he was not willing to do himself?? I think our precious kids understood what it meant when Jesus called us to serve and love others at the end of this day.

On Tuesday, our older elementary kids, youth, and adults had a chance to meet the Reams family and their precious son, Chandler. This is a new family to my life and has touched my heart deeply. They told their story and Chandler shared with us what its like for him to have cancer. We were all blessed by their visit and they truly inspired us all. They are a beautiful example of faith and endurance.....thank you for coming to see us!! Chandler, you have some mighty cool new prayer warriors for you!! We love you!

Well, Wednesday came and I knew that God was with us from the moment I woke up. I felt the day coming together perfectly as each hour went by!! I almost cried when I saw the 1st lemonade stand go up at Kroger out north!! We had balloons and these adorable children all wearing their tshirts and getting ready for the big day!! I praised God as I went back to the church. I had the honor of being at the downtown location just outside the New Southern. We had lots of kids helping and they worked just as hard as anyone. We were hot, sweaty, hungry and thirsty, but we never gave up.....they worked hard right up til the end!! I know you all did! Part of me was sad to see it all be taken down....i have these memories of kids running up to me yelling at me telling me how much money someone had given them. They were thrilled over every dollar that came their way! I heard story after story from so many of you about how God had been at work within your own family, yourself, and the amazing people that gave us their money on Wednesday. Its just almost too much for me to grasp. When I think of how we all pulled together....the kids, the adults, the youth, the staff at church.....it was a TEAM effort and I truly believe that everyones heart was blessed this week.

Wednesday night I went to the movie in Lexington to see Evan Almighty. There were a couple of times that i think Maggie Rheney knew I might have been crying. If you have not seen this yet, please go see it with your kids. Morgan Freeman does a fabulous job of being "God." He said some things that affirmed our choice for VBS this year. He talked alot about random acts of kindness and the importance of changing the world one step at a time....one act at a time....one person at a time. I knew at the end of the movie...God saw our day, our week, and this last month all the way through til the end of the day. He didn't just "little bit" bless us.....He "big time" blessed us!!! He smiled so sweetly on our hearts and on the hearts of others. I pray that someone along the way saw what we did and found some hope in life through Jesus. He transformed my life and I will do anything I can to be His servant and let others know how to live a life with Him as the center.

We did a great thing with our kids.....and even if you weren't able to participate, I pray that you will use this as an encouragement to teach your children the importance of giving back and being a servant. We can change the world. I give God all the glory and praise. It wasn't me....it was all HIM. We just all happen to be the vessel for this fantastic plan.

Oh...and we raised over $5,000 for St. Jude!! Glory to God!! You have blessed me.....Jesus blessed me!! Its an honor to serve you, your children and Christ's church!