My Father's World Week #4

Monday was great, as we finished our school that day. Monday night we started painting Sky's room and dh didn't work Tuesday so we took the day off from school to finish painting. This week was also my totm and I have felt rotten.

So Wednesday and Thursday we ended up not doing regular school days and we talked about My Father's World and their ministry God's Word for the Nations and how I feel led to give to the ministry. We discussed how people didn't have God's word and how they needed the bible printed in their own language. We ran into a wall with my youngest daughter Meadow. She just thought that giving money to people we didn't know was absolutely absurd! She said, "Well momma if we go around giving all our money and our stuff away what are we gonna do?" I had to laugh and yet at the same time I was concerned. I tried to explain it to her but she didn't understand. So I left it alone, I asked some questions on my homeschool boards and I prayed.

We do give but not like we should and usually when dh and I give we don't always share with the kids. Sometimes its to people in need, other times its to ministries and you just don't think to tell your children that you've written a check to support so and so. So it isn't that we wouldn't share with them, we just don't think about it sometimes. This really opened my eyes to things that *I* need to change around here. It also opened my eyes to how many different ways there are to give, not just monetary giving. Maybe this is what my children were missing, seeing us give of ourselves and becoming servants to others and not just to ourselves.

Today we had our prayer, bible and hymns. While reading the story behind our new hymn, "The Lord is my Shepherd" from Hymns for a Kid's Heart the Lord spoke clearly as I read, "Did you know that God has put you in just the right place to give a gift to someone today?"

Thank-you Lord for opening up the door for me again!

So then we discussed different ways of giving, that it doesn't have to be money, it can be time, or services, or even just kind words. How giving comes from the heart and we prayed for the desire to give.

A friend on one of my homeschooling boards had a great idea for us on giving so I shared it with the girls and now they are simply ecstatic that we are going to be helping some who are very near and dear to us. I think it helped Meadow to understand a little more to begin with giving to someone she can actually see and be able to participate in the act of giving.

As always God had more in store for us, Heaven had gone to the mail box and brought me the mail. There were two letters in the pile, one from my sister who lives a long way from us and another from a lady in jail. Both in desperate need, just needing to know that someone cares. We all agreed to start sending them letters, postcards or something to encourage them. The girls were very excited at this point.

We also found a very beautiful purple box to set in our school room. Inside of this box we are going to place offerings from our hearts. We are going to pray about ways to make some extra money to place inside of the purple box. Our goal is to be able to send $100 to My Father's World's Ministry, God's Word for the Nations by then end of the year . Take a moment and read about them, pray about supporting them. Oh the souls that will be reached by the sharing of God's Word.

All of this to say that while we didn't do official school this week the Lord taught us a lot! So we will be picking back up with My Father's World week #4 next week. Prayerfully we'll get back on schedule. We slept in a lot this week so I'm sure it will not be an easy task for me and it will take some discipline on my part. But I know, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

:)