Serving Others

Through love, serve one another. Galatians 5:13

Something I have wanted to do for years was to serve at a soup kitchen.
Last night, I told the kids we would be going to serve others in the morning. At that time, I couldn't tell how they felt about it.

This morning when it was time to go, they all seemed eager.

I did prep them on the way there about the type of people they might see and that we are to serve everyone there with love - no matter what. They seemed to understand.

There was something for all of us to do. (Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures until close to the end.)

I served soup. (My basic life philosophy is that food equals love. What better way to show love than through a hot bowl of soup on a chilly day.)
DD12 served sandwiches and applesauce, and she dried dishes and wiped down tables and chairs.
DD11 mainly helped with dishes.
DS5 stacked crackers for me. It surprises me sometimes how someone so young is so eager and willing to serve. The task I gave him was to count out 4 crackers to a stack and set them on the table next to me so all I had to do was to reach over and grab a stack to set on people's trays. He was attentive to the task and stuck with me the entire 45 minutes. After lunch was served and everyone left, he helped to wipe down tables and chairs and he squeegied the dish washing area.

It was a joy to me to have the opportunity to serve others and to give the opportunity to my children.











Later this afternoon, DD11 told me that she can't wait to go back and do it again.

I encourage others to seek out such opportunities for their families. The rewards are great.

According to Pennsylvania homeschool law, we are required to cover civics. Part of civics is volunteerism. A side benefit of an activity like this is that you can place it in your portfolio under civics. We aren't just learning about what a volunteer is, we are actually doing it. What could be better?