Thoughts on Serving the Homeless

5 years ago, our church started organizing fellowship time for families with young children. Potluck style, we meet once a month and we eat and chat while our kids play in the gym. A little over a year ago, we added a service portion to the time and tonight we brought in items to give to the homeless with the intention of visiting a camp in a few weeks to pass the items out.

We started out by talking about the meanings of "poor" and "homeless" and then we talked about what feelings they may feel being homeless. Then, we talked about ways we can help, which led us to packing bags to pass out with necessities such as water, hats, sunscreen, snacks etc.

So tonight, we talked about the topic, which was the easy part, but what about when we take the kids to the camp? What do I want my kids to get out of the experience? How can our family be a blessing to those in need without making them feel like they are being looked down upon?

Here are some thoughts:
I want them to know. I want them to be able to see that even though people's lives look very different, we are all loved by God. And because God loves all of us, we should want to show love and kindness to all.

I want them to feel. I want their hearts to ache at the sight of poverty. I want them to cry with those who are sad and pray fervently with those who are crying out to God.

I want them to act. I wish I were brave enough to approach a pan handler and ask them, "what would it take for you to get back on your feet again?" and then have the means to help them through it. But I don't. I want my kids to be movers and shakers, to know that their actions can make a difference, no matter how small it is. Social injustices will always exist, but I want them to feel empowered and know that they can do something about it.

So I guess I have answered my question.
When we visit the camp, I want to emphasize that God loves us all and we are showing love and kindness to others. I want to include kids as we talk with the homeless. I want my kids to hear their stories and then we'll ask them, "what can we do for you?" and "How can we pray for you?"

I don't know what sorts of lessons we'll get out of this experience, but I know that God will bless us all through it.