The Bunks Summer REACH 2013... Session 1

Each summer we make a list of things we want to do  to REACH out to the people around us. Here are some of our 1st adventures for our summer of 2013:

Donate Coloring Books & Crayons to the Local Children's Hospital

Last year we brought fun band-aids, and it made such an impression on the staff there, that we decided to do something again. This time we chose to bring coloring books and crayons for the children's surgery waiting room. We also got to visit with the therapy dogs while we were there.

 Leave a Special Package for the Mail-Carrier

We left a special treat and thank you note for our Mailman Dave. He even left us a note to thank us for thinking of him.

Bring a Candy Basket to the School Office Ladies
who have to work during the Summer Months.

This one was so much fun because the school was pretty much empty. The ladies LOVED being thought of after school was over and couldn't wait to dig into the special treats we brought them.

Summer REACH 2013... here we come!

Every day I am looking for opportunities for my kids to think OUTWARD. It's very important to us as a family, and the summer is a great time for us to do things we don't normally have time for during the school months. Last year we started our Summer REACH mission and it was a ton of fun... so we are going to do the same thing this year. Here is a sneak peak into some of our plans....

1.) Pass out free Popsicles at the park

2.) Leave flowers on the neighbor's porch

3.) Donate coloring books and crayons to the children's hospital waiting room

4.) Pay for others to get something from the ice cream truck

5.) Write letters to persecuted Christians around the world

6.) Bless a family with free babysitting for a night

7.) Leave a surprise and encouraging note for the mailman

8.) Bring candy basket to office staff working the summer at Isaac/Zoey's school

9.) Decorate scripture cards for a family going thru a hard time

10.) Have a workday at the church to help out

We are still coming up with some more ideas of things we want to do, but the kids are excited to get started on the ones we've written down already. Bring on summer!

Summer REACH 1...3...11

At the beginning of the summer we made a list of things we wanted to do to REACH out to the people around us. We weren't able to complete our list entirely, but I am so proud of the effort we made to put others before ourselves. Here is our 4th round of adventures:

Number 1:  Donate To A Food Bank.

We cleaned out our pantry and also went shopping for some additional items. The kids were very interested in where these items would go and wanted to make sure there were some good canned goods and boxed items for them to enjoy.

 Number 3:  Clean Up Litter In A Park.

For as long as I can remember I have been bothered by litter. I just don't understand why people feel it is OK to throw their trash on the ground. The kids and I went to a local park and spent an hour filling up our garbage bag. This REACH was more about teaching them the importance of being responsible.

Number 11: Make Gifts For Church Teachers.

Our family has been so blessed by the teachers God has sent us in Family Ministries at our church. For the last year we have had a child in every classroom! The kids and I spent some time writing thanks yous to some of the teachers that have poured into them the past few years.

Summer REACH 7...9...16

At the beginning of the summer we made a list of things we wanted to do to REACH out to the people around us. Here is our 3rd round of adventures:

Number 7:  Make a meal for a busy family 

We went grocery shopping and loaded up the truck with everything we needed.... then we made the contact. The recipient was grateful almost to tears. I know how busy things can get, and not having to worry about dinner for your family is a huge blessing. I'm so glad we were able to be that for someone we love.

Number 9:  Color pictures to send to service men and women

I explained the sacrifice these men and women make on a daily basis... men and women who have families worrying about them at home. They had a couple of questions on why they would do that, which I proudly answered with words like "committment" and "freedom." I took some time to write my own letter, which I have to say, got me a little choked up. Thank you to everyone who has selflessly sacrificed for our freedoms!

Number 16:  Buy fun groceries for a family in need. 

We picked a family that didn't have a lot of spare time to run out and get groceries. Their need was more time-oriented. We didn't have the smoothest time in the grocery store, and there may or may not have been some happy meal bribes, but we finally made our purchases and headed over to drop them off. Groceries are a lot more fun to buy when they are for someone else!

Summer REACH 5...13...Bonus

A couple weeks ago we made a list of things we wanted to do this summer to REACH out to the people around us. Here is our 2nd round of adventures:

Number 5:  Bring fun band-aids to donate to a children's hospital.

 This REACH mission was a little harder. As we were waiting at the reception desk, we saw dozens of ill children come in and out. We had a great talk about sickness and hospitals since they had just visited their brother in one. The kids were the most excited about the band-aids because they were so much fun to pick out. The receptionist was thrilled at our donation and even took us up to the labratory to donate them to the nurses there. They explained how much the kids that have blood drawn frequently look forward to having fun band-aids instead of boring ones. It's amazing how the little things can just make someone's day!

Number 13: Bring candy basket to police station.
I wanted my kids to appreciate police men/women and to realize that their jobs are to protects us as citizens... not just give out tickets when we break the law. (I realized this needed to happen when I heard the kids say "make sure you put on your seat-belt so the police don't take us off to jail!") We arrived with our candy basket to the police station and the officer we interacted with couldn't have been more blessed! It was so nice to have my kids see how appreciative the policeman was and how much he was interested in the kids.

 

BONUS: Operation Fill-A-Backpack.

Our church is sponsoring many outreaches this summer through 1Macomb (an extension of EACH in our district). One of the outreaches is to fill backpacks with school supplies for needy kids in Detroit. My kids were so excited to make these purchases and kept wondering which kids would use them to go back to school. This was a very simple, but profound REACH mission because they had a lot of questions on why these kids didn't have money to buy stuff for school. I was able to give them a hearty lesson on having a grateful heart for the things our family enjoys on a regular basis.

 

Summer REACH 4...8...10...14...18

A couple weeks ago we made a list of things we wanted to do this summer to REACH out to the people around us. Here are some of our 1st adventures:

Number 4: Make brownies for the neighbors.

We honestly have the greatest neighbors ever. We moved in mid-October, and since then we have had meals, desserts and even toys brought over to our house on a daily basis. We wanted to love on our neighbors and show them how appreciative we are to have them in our lives. We snuck over to their porch and dropped off some extra-chocolatey brownies for them to enjoy!

Number 8: Donate diapers to Pregnancy Aid

Compassion Pregnancy Center help women facing a crisis pregnancy, or those who are struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. We brought over some packages of diapers for them to use for new moms who are struggling financially. I had a very heavy heart after this Summer REACH activity because it was so hard to explain "unwanted pregnancy" to my 6-yr-old. I loved that he had a hard time grasping the concept of someone not wanting a child God created.

Number 10: Pray at the flagpole of Isaac's new school

Isaac is transferring to a new school for 1st grade. We wanted to make sure to take some time to look around and pray that God would use him as a light to everyone he meets. My heart was so full after hearing my little man pray for this upcoming school year.

Number 14: Watch kids for a much needed parents night out

We were so excited to have Kate and Joesph come over to go swimming so their hard-working parents could sneak out to a quiet dinner alone. We loved playing in the sandbox, the pool and with all the toys in the kids' rooms. We even enjoyed some amazing Gelato from Mike and Kristen when they returned!

 Number 18: Send a "Love Note" to someone
who is going through a difficult time.

There is an incredible man in our congregation that has had a lot of wonderful influence on our church and on our family. Mr. Bob received a quadruple-bypass this past month and is at home recovering. The kids loved being able to decorate cards to send him in the mail to let him know we are praying for him!

this wasn't on the list.

We made a list.

A list to put others above ourselves.

To give us a platform to discuss loving... giving... preferring.

Today we did something that wasn't on the list.

We were getting ready to pull out of the parking lot of the grocery store when I heard someone having a hard time starting their car. I looked to my right and saw a elderly man (probably in his 80s) struggling with what to do now that his vehicle wouldn't start up. I debated whether or not to do anything... you kind of have to do that when you have 4 kids. I looked around... no one else noticed... or at least they were good at acting like they didn't. I couldn't shake it. I had to act. We called his son on my cell and no one answered. I convinced him to let me drive him home. Isaac's eyes were wide open when "Al" slowly got in the front seat.

"Isaac, this is Al, we are going to give him a ride home."

Al told us all about his wife who passed away 10 years ago, and how much he loved her. He told us how he built the house he lives in back in the 40s. He told us about his 8 kids and how they are his "inheritance from the Lord." It was one of the most fun car rides I have had in a long time... even with Elijah screaming bloody murder in the backseat. 

"I'm so sorry that my son likes to scream."

"That's ok, kids are meant to be loud."

I'll probably never see Al again, but I'm glad I was able to be his "angel" (that's what he kept calling me... I like it!) I'm even more grateful for the conversation it sparked with my son on the way home about preferring others. Even better was the look on Chris' face when my son announced at dinner that "mom picked up some guy at the grocery store and we went to his house."