volunteers

I work with a group of volunteers who love working with kids…teaching and modeling life for them, being compassionate and loving, choosing to be around infants, toddlers and preschoolers and enjoying it.

They amaze me all the time.

These are the people I get to be around.  To coordinate the schedule of volunteers and (hopefully) support them in this endeavor…this is my job.  This is what I’m honored to do.

Recently we did a “thank you night” where these volunteers could drop off their children for a few hours and do whatever…have a date, get Christmas shopping done, sit in silence, go for coffee…whatever they needed it to be that night, the opportunity was there.  Two volunteers (who had older kids) wrote back saying that they would like to help out. 

Each week I get to watch them interact with children, listen to them, chat with them in the hallways, and laugh together. 

If you ask them why they do what they do you will probably get a host of different answers...all of which will lead to "they believe in it".

They believe in the next generation.  They believe that our interactions with little ones today will matter tomorrow.  They care that children hear stories about a Savior who loves them.  They teach songs, do crafts, listen to a host of random stories.

I can attest that this is no easy job.  I’ve seen them, these volunteers, with vomit on their clothing and with classrooms full of children (half of whom are crying at the beginning of the hour).  They’ve held little ones for many moments as they cry while the volunteer does all they can to help that one child feel comforted and safe.

The job is never done…the task never complete.  And yet, they come back week after week to live out love to children. 

I tell you, these are amazing people.