turning lemons into lemonade

This past Saturday, my kiddos and I sat down while eating breakfast to talk about all that had happened last week in our area. Tornados and storms had uprooted trees everywhere, schools were closed, people were hurt. C's school had been closed due to power outage and an all out mess all over his school yard. His baseball schedule is still in a quandry...trying to find a field to have the last few games....his field was destroyed. We had seen on tv and heard of even more destruction, complete destruction all around us - in Tuscaloosa, in Pleasant Grove, back home in Mississippi. We talked about how sad the families there must feel to have lost their homes and loved ones. We had been and will continue to pray for all of these poor people as they begin to put their lives back together. As we talked and finished our pancakes, we began to come up with a 7 and 4 year old plan of how we could help. C's school is collecting blue jeans - time to clean out the closets and bins of out-grown clothes. My consignment sale I hit every year is collecting all things "child" - time to clean out toys and my yard sale pile. We were so excited to find some things we could do to help! Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet - it was time to get started right here in our own state of AL! The kiddos figured we could go buy some toothbrushes, some soap. They decided on a long list of items to buy that families would need. So,.....this is how they decided they would start: They got started Saturday afternoon after a soccer game and trip to the store. So, they only got a few hours in...but they collected $78.00!!! They were thrilled! They were waving their sign at every car that passed. They told their customers why they were collecting money and what they would buy. We had some very sweet neighbors that came back for a second glass or to donate to the cause. We met neighbors we had never even met before. This mama was so proud! I loved watching them work, serving others so enthusiastically. After the sale, we headed to the store and they (very excitedly) worked to fill their carts with much needed toiletries and shirts/socks. We dropped off our purchases at our church for them to disperse as needed. So, now to come up with another plan to help...

I pray our tiny efforts help someone. I pray the people who receive our donations know they are loved and that the Lord up above adores them. I pray they feel His hands holding theirs, I pray they sense His feet walking beside them on their new journey. I pray we can act like those hands and feet again and again. I pray my children felt the sense of joy and purpose in helping others. I desperately want the poor people affected by these storms to feel a peace as their lives are put back together piece by piece. I pray they rely on the Creator, the Great Physician, the Prince of Peace....He will take care of them as they recover, I know that. I also know He will teach my family to love more deeply and to give more sacrificially. He will turn this whole horrible devastation into something to bring Him glory, I am sure of it. He has a beautiful way of taking lemons and making lemonade....