When Karen emailed me and asked me to blog about Grace Acres, I first thought why me and then I decided that I would give it my best shot so here is my take on Grace Acres.
When I first attended Grace, I knew that I wanted to serve, so I decided to check out Grace Acres, and I am so glad I did. Grace Acres has been the beginning of some long-term relationships for me. It has also been the comfort that I need on many Sunday mornings. I have been serving in the Lambs in Grace Acres for almost two years now. Throughout this time, I have made some strong connections with the parents of the children I serve and fellow volunteers. One such connection is with a little girl in the Lambs right now. She has been there since she was about six weeks old. She is now a year old and starting to walk. It is time for her to move to the Piglets, I do not want to let her go, and her parents do not want her to go either. She has become such a big part of my morning and I look so forward to being able to hold her, play with her, and yes even listen to her fuss occasionally. The fact that her parents are so comfortable with me watching their sweet baby girl makes me know that I am doing something right. I feel like serving in Grace Acres is what I was called to do. I am the mother of three boys and I teach 6th grade, so I think God is definitely calling me to share my nurturing with my family at Grace. Even on the mornings that I do not much feel like getting up, once I have entered the environment at Grace Acres it changes my whole attitude. Everyone is so upbeat and welcoming and it helps lift my spirits. Some days are not so easy, but still very much worthwhile to know that you have helped comfort a child in his/her time of need.
I have also experienced Grace Acres from the parent perspective as well. The youngest of my three attends Grace Acres. He is very clingy and I thought I would have a terrible time leaving him but he has built some amazing relationships with his teachers. I have also witnessed his growth with Jesus through the songs and the lessons that are taught to him weekly. I did not grow up in the church so to see someone so young already building such a relationship with Jesus is very comforting to me.
The people in Grace Acres are also a blessing. Katrina is always so positive no matter what. Everyone is willing to help in whatever way they can to make it a wonderful experience for the families of Grace no matter if it is their first visit or their hundredth. I cannot even begin to list all the people that make Grace Acres possible every Sunday but I can say it is a true pleasure to serve with them. By serving it is my way of giving something back even if it only for an hour or two.
Posted on
Sunday, February 28, 2010
by Toyna Hedrick