The Missional Family—

Chuckling and shaking my head, I recently retold the account of the time my oldest son re-broke his arm the same day he got his cast off. I had signed up through Meal Train to take dinner to not one, but two foster families with new placements and was also watching four of my friend’s children that day. It was Midwest-end-of-August-humid-hot, and I was thirty-four weeks pregnant. I had just finished nestling rolls into the boxes I had prepared to deliver when my son’s best friend came bursting through the front door, shouting, “Miss Becky! Brendan needs you NOW!” Inside my house were several noisy, busy, happy little children. Outside, I found my dear twelve-year-old boy standing in the yard, his face a shade of pale and fear, and his right arm dangling at the same grotesque angle it had seven weeks prior.

That was twelve years ago. It was as chaotic that day as it sounds, but I absolutely loved making meals for families with new babies or new placements from foster care. It was a way for me to use my gifts in a season with littles, to serve and share the love of Christ in my community. Maybe making meals isn’t your thing, but you still have the desire to go into your “Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8) and serve with your family. I’d like to share some ideas with you that I hope you find practical and inspiring.

Does your church financially support any parachurch organizations in your community? I have found that, oftentimes, those organizations have needs which are very feasible for families to meet. For example, our church supports a local organization that provides various types of aid to families affected by substance abuse. I reached out to the director and asked her what the families in our children’s ministry could do to help them. She told me that children they come in contact with often do not get birthday celebrations and told me about the “Birthday-Party-in-a-Bag” project. We collected candles, cards, cake mixes, icing, foil cake pans, gift bags, a few simple decorations, and $25 gift cards. On a Saturday morning, families gathered together to assemble birthday bags and enjoy a breakfast fellowship. I simply told my children, “These are for children whose parents need some help celebrating their son’s or daughter’s birthday.”

I have taken my children onsite with me to workdays at the food pantry that our church supports and other types of workdays. Most children as young as four or five can help with light cleaning tasks: raking or other yard clean-up and placing cans or boxes of food on pantry shelves. We may just be there for an hour or so, and that’s okay. I communicate clearly with whomever is in charge of my availability. If other children are going to be present, they can all play together, and that can be very helpful to other parents. It’s also a good idea to toss some snacks and juice boxes in a bag to take along to share.

One of the most practical ways to be missional when you have young children is towards other families with children of similar ages. When my second child was born and I was home with him, I had spent time during my pregnancy becoming an approved childcare provider for foster care families in my county. Not many people are willing to do this because of the requirements involved, but they are not as intense as becoming an actual foster parent (at least not twenty years ago). It led to our family developing to a several years’ long relationship with a foster care organization in our area. This opened a lot of doors for me to meet and minister to people who had no church affiliation or relationship with Jesus.

If you’re a parent or have ever been around little ones for any length of time, you know how much they love to help. It’s our duty as the adults in their lives to nurture and foster that character in them in a way that shows love to others. They can tuck napkins, plates, and plasticware into the bags when you’re preparing a meal to deliver. As they get a bit older, they can wash veggies and fruit and stir and dump the ingredients into the crockpot with your help. (Don’t forget to make double for your own family!) Have them color a picture or write a card that simply says, “We hope this meal is a blessing to your family.” Pray together for the family you made the meal for or the people you served in whatever way.

How the story ended: My son didn’t know what was coming the first time he broke his arm. He didn’t know the pain of the doctor setting his broken bones. The second time around, he knew exactly what was coming and he was terrified. I called my husband at work and told him what had happened and to meet us at the hospital. I called one of those friends (that I hope you have too), who was able to deliver the meals for me and take my younger two children to her house. The friend whose children I had been watching had to call her mom to come pick up her kids. God provided the needs for all involved.

He is our ultimate Provider, yet He invites us to join Him in the work He is doing to call a people to Himself and demonstrate His love to a hurting and needy world. Let’s do it with our babes in tow, discipling them as we walk along the way.