Keep in Mind

Some scenes from our backyard... One of my favorite moments came Wednesday while the littles were playing in the sandbox. We had added water to the box for the day, and I was delighted to hear that they were 'digging wells for kids in Chad'. 

I am passionate about instilling a global worldview in these sweet little ones God has entrusted into my care. I know I've written about it before, but I am often asked about how we do this, especially in a way that doesn't drive them nuts. You know, like in the way they ask to watch a show 'that doesn't want them to learn something'. Um yeah, Remy said this once, so I get it...

I've got to say that I really take Deuteronomy 6:6-9 to heart. These verses talk about living God's Commandments. Verse 7 says 'Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.' Conversation in our house just includes missions. Whether it's reading 'Window on the World' at dinner, which is more deliberate, or just pointing out a different way that people live on a show on tv. These littles things add up!

I once took a missions seminar, and I'll never forget the teacher saying that 'missions-minded families eat rice'. So we've just begun having simple suppers of rice and vegetables. A bonus is that it is a super inexpensive meal, but the real payoff is that this out-of-the-norm meal for us brings some great conversation about God's children all over the world. Some research says that nearly half of the world's population eats rice 2-3 meals a day!!

 There are many, many resources online, books, etc. that talk about ways to help families see the world outside of their own, and we are just at the tip of figuring out what works for our family. But I love the things I see occurring already. And I must say that while these things are great in my kids, they have also done wonders for my own heart.

So what do you do in your house? I would love to glean more ideas from you about how you help engage your family to see the world around them!

Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."