Compassion in Action

Well, today was the first big service project for the high school ministry ... yay! Well, I guess technically it was yesterday (since it's past midnight). But that is besides the point. I pretty much spent a lot of time trying to get students psyched and signed up, and then spent a TON of time coordinating permission forms and vans and t-shirts and phone calls and all the other details that go into making a bigger project happen. And I am tired.
I have really mixed feelings about the day. On the one hand, only about half of the signed-up students actually showed up. It was really frustrating that Sandy and I spent so much time scrambling for drivers and vehicles that were totally superfluous. So that is really obnoxious ... especially since the co-op would have been really well served by the money that we spent on those extra rental vans.
But, on the other hand, the students that came were AWESOME! Let's be honest ... students that are willing to be at the church by eight in the morning to serve the Lord together are the bomb. They had such willing hearts and attitudes, and they collected A TON of food! And they really understood the connection between the canned goods and local needy families without me having to force some contrived reflection exercise on them.
And I was EXTREMELY blessed by all the people who caught my vision for the day, helped me to make it all happen, and then loved me through the low points. The adult volunteers for the high school ministry never cease to amaze me with their willingness to give freely of their time and effort and love. And there were several drivers/shuttlers today who aren't even regularly involved in the high school ministry, but they stepped up when there was a need. I love watching the way that they body of Christ works!
Despite all the details that drove me crazy, I think the three big goals were met: (1) we glorified the Lord and (2) we wet the appetites of the students for serving and (3) we send a LOT of food to the Co-op. Praise Him!