My 8-year old twin boys, Alex and Kyle, selected the Nature Preserve Outreach for our family's 4/5ths mission. They were especially interested in picking up trash in the woods! I delighted in watching Alex stomping around the woods, wearing gloves that were too big for him, digging into any and every piece of trash he found! I carried the trash bag for our family and found myself unable to keep up with him. He gave up on me and started making piles in the street for me to come behind and pick up! He threw himself into the clean-up, and I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of God's mercy in him as he cared for our earth. At one point, he stumbled across a discarded 6-pack of Budweiser bottles, and said 'Mommy, do you think one person drank all this soda?' Ahhh...the innocence! Kyle was a less-enthusiastic cleaner. From the moment he was born, he has hated to get his hands messy, and he stayed true to form on this mission! He did, however, thoroughly enjoy hanging the 'POSTED - NO TRESPASSING' signs on the trees, and connected his work with saving animals from hunting on the preserve. He announced to all the animals that 'they're safe here'...and told them to 'stay on this side of the road!'. What a lovely glimpse of God's compassion in his heart.
After filling our trash bags and hanging all of our signs, we decided to hike back to the education annex. My husband, Thad, and I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet family time, and the opportunity for a hike in the woods. After a long winter, we missed being outdoors with our children and were thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the beauty at Banshee Reeks.
Another of my favorite memories was meeting a woman and her son who responded to our announcement of this event in a local newspaper. She had never heard of Crossroads before, but lives somewhere close to Banshee Reeks and was familiar with the preserve. She raises garden vegetables from seeds, and was especially interested in donating her plants for the Loudoun Interfaith Relief garden. She connected with the Banshee Reeks workers and made plans to return at a later date, when she could plant her seedlings. It was a thrill to have reached this person with our newspaper announcements, and to hear her offer such a generous and meaningful gift!
Thanks to everyone who had a hand in coordinating this blessed outreach effort. My family is looking forward to the 5th Sunday in May!
-Leena Lowe
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment