I spent a couple of hours yesterday, taking my two Junior Girl Scouts to the local Medina Children’s Home, where they gifted the Home, by way of the Director of Campus Ministries, with baby quilts that I taught them to make.  These girls (one being my DD#2) are on the quest for their Bronze award, the highest award attainable for a Junior Girl Scout.

As I watched my two Scouts hand over the quilts they made to the representative at the Medina Children’s Home today, the excitement from the gentleman, and the look of pure satisfaction and accomplishment on the part of my two girls was a sight to behold.  They stood tall, with respect and with genuine attention that just swells this mom and Girl Scout leader’s heart.

There were even a few of their young residents there, who were arguing over which quilt went to their group home!

This experience was way more than just passing on the passion of quilting.  It was a learning experience for all of us – and the girls, especially, should be proud the journey they’ve taken to get where they’re going.  I know I’m proud of them!

Once again, I was tapped to give the children’s sermon at church today, with a continuation of John 6:35.  While I was in San Antonio yesterday for Girl Scout training, I left the loving hubs with a to-do list of making me a dozen small loaves of bread.  Late last night, I wrapped the bread in paper, then stitched together a dozen cloth bags and tied them closed.  On the string, I added a special note (see below).

For the children, I asked them if they knew what “pay it forward” meant.  Then, I went on to explain that it meant you do something nice for someone, and they, in turn, do something nice for someone else.  As an example, I told them how a wonderful lady purchased my books for college when I was younger, with the agreement that someday, I’d do the same … and pay it forward.  And now, we are doing that – paying for our niece’s books for college.

And I wanted them to help me do the same with the loaves of bread.  I asked them to take one (or two) and go out and give them to people in our congregation, and ask THEM to “pay it forward” — give the bread to someone who perhaps doesn’t have a relationship with Christ, and hopefully that will offer them a new way of life, through Him…so they will never be hungry or thirsty again.

I must have done something right, because the number of people who thanked me and patted my back after the service was amazing – though I did explain that the bread wasn’t an original thought (they had a ministry at our church in Utah that did this)!  I think I may have gone from the mom with all the kids to being NOTICED <eek>!  May have to sleek back to the shadows for a while, just to get my back to the wall again 😉