Hope for Hades

Servitude. Such a hard thing to explain in words to your children, but yet it is one of the most important lessons you can teach them. Chris and I learned early on that the best and only way to teach our girls about serving others is to show them. We try to look for ways every where...small or big, it makes no difference.


When the earthquake happened in Haiti, we limited Alyssa's ability to see pictures because of the horrific images shown on the news, but we did let her know about it. We did our best to explain, and she understands as best as she can what an earthquake is and the devastation it can cause. Most importantly, she wanted to make sure we were helping. Actually, she wanted to know when we were going to go to "Hades" to help clean up and feed the kids that don't have enough food. Chris and I assured her that we were helping even though we weren't able to go there.


A few days later, our church offered us a more tangible way to help.

Buckets of Hope.

Home Depot donated hundreds of buckets. We took one home, and this past Saturday, Alyssa and I headed to Wal-Mart. I explained what we were doing. I could tell she understood, but hadn't really wrapped her brain around it. So, I brought it down a level. I told her about all of the 5 year old girls and boys...JUST LIKE HER...who didn't have enough food to eat. The grocery stores were gone and there just wasn't enough food for everyone. The kids' tummies growled and hurt all the time, but there just wasn't enough food to make them stop. Mommies and Daddies were sad because they couldn't find enough food to feed their babies. That's why we're filling up the bucket with food to send to Haiti. It will feed girls and boys and their tummies won't hurt anymore.

I don't tell this story to pat our backs or get recognition. I tell it so that I am reminded of how blessed we are. I tell it so that I remember how important it is to teach my children to show God's love to everyone. I tell it so that I never, ever forget Alyssa's reaction to knowing that those sweet, Haitian kids would have food. She was standing up in the big part of the shopping cart so that we were eye level with one another. Those big, blue eyes got as round and big as saucers, she inhaled sharply and threw her arms around me, hugging hard, and said, "Oh Mommy, I'm so happy we're feeding the kids like me in Hades. Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting a bucket!!!"

God has given my daughter a heart for others, a desire to serve people she's never met. He has done that, not me. Not Chris. God. He is growing a servant's heart in both of them. I am so grateful that God has and will continue to be glorified through Alyssa. I pray that none of us ever miss an opportunity...big or small...to show how great He is.

So, I rattled off the list of food items and pushed the cart while Alyssa got every single item for the bucket herself. We came home, prayed for the people of Haiti, specifically the family that would receive our bucket, and packed it up.

We took it to church this morning, and it will probably be in Haiti by the end of this week. Maybe next week, I'm not sure. On the way home from church, I glanced in the back seat to see Alyssa with her head bowed, eyes closed, hands folded, and mouth moving silently. I knew she was praying, but had no idea for what. When she was finished, she looked up and smiled at me. I asked what she'd been praying about. Her reply was typical of my firstborn's entertaining personality. "Mo-om, you know what I was praying for, silly. The food and the people in Hades, of course."

Of course, because what else would a 5 year old pray for on her own?

My sweet Alyssa,

God is so proud of you for loving His children. Children JUST LIKE YOU. Take how proud Mommy and Daddy are of you and add "100 thousand million to outer space and back" and that's how proud God is of you. That's a lot, huh? One day soon, you'll understand all about the glory of God and how much He loves using little us to show how BIG He is. It's amazing. I can't wait to see how He uses you. I love knowing that you'll want Him to.

I love you. SO, SO MUCH!!!

Mommy

(If you want to know how to give a Bucket of Hope, just go here. A bucket and $30 feeds an entire Haitian family for a week! There's downloadable directions. I'm sure that there are deadlines, but I'm not positive of what they are. I do know that the deadline at our church is March 12th. Just leave a comment if you need my help or have questions. I probably won't know the answers, but I can direct you to those who do!)