Greetings Prince of Peace!
I don’t know what I can say except that God is good! We were blessed with safe travels, good health, safety, good weather, great and challenging experiences, fellowship, and deepened faith.
Our team gave of themselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ms. Pearl and her staff praised our interaction with the kids and our spirit as a whole. We learned a lot about ourselves, each other, Ms. Pearl, and the Roseland community. I believe everyone made special connections with Ms. Pearl and at least one “little buddy” from daycare and I pray that they will always remember them in prayer as well as the “Good News” Daycare ministry as a whole.
In “Family Groups” we explored John 15:5 and Matthew 18:3 to draw connections from our past to our faith journeys now and into the future. We talked about how we are rooted in Christ, what it’s like to nurture a childlike faith and to feel for God’s direction. We also looked at things like where we are from, milestones in our lives, mentors and special people, and struggles to see the pieces of our lives God has used to shape us. There was time to reflect on where we are currently at in our understanding of our faith and life, how we can “remain in the vine” and reach out in love. It was such a delight to get to know one another as we shared faith and life together!
Evenings were spent recapping our day, sharing in Family Group time, and worship. On Wednesday we went out to Navy Pier and Thursday night Ms. Pearl shared her story with us. Thursday was a little different in that we did VBS in the morning and went to the community center pool in the afternoon. Friday was only a half-day with the kids because Ms. Pearl was gone so the afternoon was spent cleaning up the place!
In closing, I hope they all remember that while we are young our roots are nourished and built up, enabling us to reach out as we grow up. But roots and branches run two ways: Nutrients are sent up and out, while water, sunlight and oxygen are sucked down. We can’t continue to branch out unless our roots are nourished and supported. In our faith journey we nourish ourselves with prayer, God’s word, worship, and fellowship. These things keep us connected to God and free us to reach out to our neighbor in Christian love.
Learn more about Ms. Pearl and the daycare at www.roselanddaycare.org
We are tentatively scheduled to share about our trip on August 19th and 22nd. We hope you can join us!
God bless,
Brent Haglund, Director of Youth and Family Ministry
