I stepped back in the kitchen after my hour of quietness at the cabin. Debating what I should do next on this Saturday afternoon, I picked up the phone to check messages. I listened to the new voicemail. I almost doubted what I was hearing. Multiple times since Daniel passed, Mrs. Lehman had dropped off food for us and, on several occasions, brought supper over, and we enjoyed a meal together around the fire. This time her kindness just went deeper still. Wasn’t she in the process of getting ready for a 10-day retreat at Camp Hope with a hundred people per meal?
Each meal had been carefully planned and every detail documented, the shopping was mostly done. The bounty of her garden was to be shared as well as her canned goods. Many a batch of food had slipped through her fingers the past week in preparation of reaching out to struggling families over the course of these 10 days. There would be no fancy payment in the end, it’s just a team of people with a heart to make a difference where they can.
This past week I kept thinking of her busy schedule and wondered how things were coming together, certainly not expecting to receive a supper invitation from their family in the midst of it. But then I wasn’t going to tell her we can’t come because she’s had too much on her hands these last weeks of getting ready to head out on Monday morning, but how can this be right?
I picked up the phone, “Barbara. How can you invite us, when we know all you’ve been doing!?”
She insisted that they wanted to do something special as a family and wanted us to join. She explained that they planned to have mini pizzas over a fire, she agreed to have me bring mixed fruit.
We were driving back on their winding path to the pond a few hours later. The fire was already going and Nathan was preparing to put the pizzas on.
The boys perked when their son got out of the fishing poles. It took them moments to get the gear together as their bare feet padded over the soft grass to the pond bank. In the meanwhile us adults chatted and relaxed around the fire as the pizzas heated.
It felt relaxing to be with other adults and see my children enjoying themselves. Supper was a hit for all of us, it may have been a first for us to use flatbread for pizzas over the fire, but certainly not the last.
The boys were intrigued with the idea of eating a whole or even a half pizza by themselves. Where do boys get their appetites??
The fire was replenished with firewood slabs, and all of us were toasty warm as we finished up our meal with s’mores and songs. It would have been easier to just stay sitting there for hours, but it was Saturday night and time to get the children to bed and ready for Sunday school the following day.
As we drove back home my heart was filled… I pondered over it all. Nathan and Barbara’s passion for building up families was borne from difficulties they had experienced themselves. It really takes nothing extravagant, no degree, no fancy promises, no pretense of being someone important, or even having all the answers, it simply takes a caring heart willing to love as Jesus did.
As I write, my mind flashes to a friend I spoke with last week. She said, “I am amazed over all the opportunities that have been popping up since I told God to show me how I can bless others.” I listened with keen interest. She went on to explain how there have been times she felt awkward or unsure of herself when she wanted to do something for someone. I smiled. Isn’t that so typical of us humans? I reminded her of the blessing she had been by dropping off flowers for us when they really meant a lot. It was not hard to see that her urges to bless others were not in vain.
I get this picture in my mind of how it would look, should we all take a few steps out of the ordinary and simply demonstrate our care to someone somewhere.
I will pass on to you a recipe the children and I made to send along to Camp Hope with Nathan and Barbara. For a variation, we enjoy putting in some instant coffee or cocoa.
No Bake Energy Balls
• 11/4 cup peanut butter (I use sugar-free)
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oat bran or flax meal (opt)
• 1 cup coconut(opt)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds (opt)
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips(opt)
• 1 cup raisins (opt)
Mix together peanut butter, honey, and vanilla add remaining ingredients. Shape into balls or if you’re in a hurry just press into an air tight container and cut into bars. We generally just do them bar style since we don’t have too much extra time floating around. You can use a large container for flatter bars or a small one for a thicker style. Refrigerate or freeze. I make mega batches and keep some in the freezer.
