A Little Late...

Tuesday evening already?!? This means that this Multitudes on Mondays blog post is late this week! Not sure where the weekend went... but all of a sudden, it was Monday and I was faced head-on with this new week without any warning! Needless to say, blogging got put on the back burner!

Until tonight, that is...
My girl and I were supposed to volunteer at an event where Compassion was going to have a display table, but sadly, it got cancelled due to poor ticket sales! It looked like an interesting event on meal planning too! I was looking forward to learning some meal planning tips... well, maybe next time!

So... because of the cancellation, here I am with some extra time to blog! :-)

Hmmm... where should I begin?
Well, for starters... the Compassion Bloggers are back from Peru! What an amazing week... the stories gripped me. I do have one favourite post... it's written by Angie Smith from Bring The Rain... it's simply called Love Moves and these are some of the words she wrote...

This is how love moves.

It says “we” instead of “they.”

Every step we take in the direction of compassion brings us closer to the cross...

Reading Angie's blog post brought me back to when hubby and I took our kids to visit both our sponsor child, Florianlyn, and LDP student, Rochelle, in the Philippines last year. Meeting them both face-to-face helped to catalyze the "they" into a "we." Life-changing... friends, it's a must-do if you sponsor a child! Love moves!

Speaking of love moving... that's where our weekend went to! 

On Saturday, we got together with my sisters and their families, and a few friends... and we packed Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! It was chaotic, to say the least, with over 20 people packed into my sister's home... but it truly was a load of fun! When we were done, there was a pile of 79 shoeboxes... love, all ready to move!

On Sunday evening, we got together with a few other people from church and went on a Sandwich Run with Project417... handing out lunch bags to street-involved people. This is just our second time walking the same route and already, we are starting to recognize some faces and names... and, we are starting to engage in some meaningful conversations!

Love moves... when arms grow stiff carrying heavy totes and grocery bags full of lunches and when feet grow sore after walking the downtown streets for three hours... yet hearts are full knowing that biblical justice {even though not nearly enough}, not charity, has occured.

As one homeless folk said to my boy as he handed him a lunch bag, "Thank you, son. You people are very kind. The world needs more people like you." Love moves...    

As I continue to count grace-gifts, with unending thanks... to The One who is the greatest example of what it looks like to live out love... these are the things I am thankful for this week... #1649 - #1661:

:: The opening of new doors.

:: Excellent report cards for both kids!

:: Two friends from church popping in for a chat on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon!

:: A quiet evening at home alone with my thoughts.

:: A week of baking, baking and more baking!

:: A day off from school for both kids.

:: Shopping for items to fill Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Always a fun thing to do for our whole family!

:: Some extra time on Saturday for my boy to work on his Robotics project... thankful that his school principal came to open up the school for us!

:: Packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with family and friends!

:: Great Sunday morning breaking bread with our church family.

:: Sandwich Runs becoming a monthly thing for us!

:: A frazzled start to the week... and grace that sustains.

:: Awesome time of community and sharing at Home Church on Monday night.

Hope your week is off to a good start, friends!
This... is giving me food for thought this week... all because love moves!

Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control... let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy's fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love, and whisper surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy's flame.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

Let's soar into this new week together, friends... let's do justice, love mercy and walk humbly!

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Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!