{Regina Jennings}
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| { Listen to Regina’s interview here } |
Learn more about Regina at her website: www.reginajennings.com. Visit her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReginaLJennings and Follow her on Twitter @ReginaJennings.
Enjoy more from Regina below as she shares four reasons to take your kids on a mission trip this summer!
Four Reasons to Take Your Kids on a Mission Trip this Summer
Some of my fondest memories of childhood were when we had missionaries at our home for dinner. Hearing their stories, listening to their prayers—sometimes in lilting accents that felt exotic on my Mid-American ears—they were living proof that God’s Kingdom was bigger than I could fathom.
But we don’t have to wait for missionaries to visit for our children to become involved in the great commission. There are opportunities for your children to serve the international community right here in America. Giving up vacation time to volunteer with a ministry has many benefits for families.
Children gain a new perspective on their faith.
Have your children ever been in a community where Christmas is not celebrated? Have they played with children who don’t know what a cross symbolizes? Spending time in an immigrant community allows them to see the church with fresh eyes. They can worship with believers from other cultures and share with unbelievers. And most likely they’ll feel more comfortable sharing their faith at home, too.
Mission trips teach them teamwork.
After Hurricane Katrina we took our four children to Louisiana with a group of retirees. There are no nurseries on mission trips. Our four-year-old helped carry debris, put batteries in flashlights and hand out new gloves. She took pride in being with the adults. Instead of being entertained while the grown-ups worked, she was part of a team and she did her best not to let the team down.
When we put on a basketball camp in a Vietnamese community in South Texas, many of the neighborhood kids hung back, afraid to get involved. It wasn’t until our kids took the court and began playing that the other kids found the courage to come inside the playground. God used our children to open a door for the gospel that we adults were unable to crack.
Mission trips are affordable even if a vacation is not.
Not only are you serving God and laying up treasure in heaven, but in most cases the accommodations are cheaper than a tradition hotel. We’ve stayed on air mattresses in church gyms, on cots in empty Sunday school rooms—not a five-star hotel, but still creating priceless memories. And don’t forget the tax benefits.
The experience could be the beginning of something big.
Coaching, puppet shows, first aid, sharing testimonies, construction—there’s no limit to what a child can learn on a mission trip. They could discover a talent that you never dreamed they’d have or God might even bless their service by giving them a calling that will change their lives. How incredible would it be to witness that revelation?
While making your summer plans, consider taking your family on a Kingdom adventure, perhaps even coordinating with a group of families. You can contact your church, denomination or favorite mission organization for possible opportunities. This summer give your children the opportunity to do more than collect seashells.
{Julie Cantrell}
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| { Listen to Julie’s interview here } |
From Editor to Writer: Can You Wear Both Hats?
I’ll never forget the first time I was identified as a writer. Mary Beth Lagerborg called from Colorado to congratulate me for winning the MOPS, Intl. writing contest, one I had entered on a dare from a friend. That phone call changed my life. After a wonderful conversation, I not only had a modest check coming my way for the contest, my poem was going to be published, and I was asked to write content for MOMSense magazine.
That first writing gig lasted nearly a decade, and it lead to many additional writing assignments for magazines, newsletters, and websites across the country. I was able to stay home with my children and write about everything from mothering to healthcare. Plus, I was getting paid for doing something I loved – researching, interviewing, writing, and editing.
Years later, I accepted a position as editor-in-chief for an online literary magazine, The Southern Literary Review. While I had served as an editor in various capacities, this job was different. I not only had to check for typos and run a grammatical screener, I also had to schedule content and manage the editorial board. Occasionally, I had to request a full rewrite, or worse, remove a scheduled post because it was not a good fit for our audience.
Serving as an editor helped me prepare for my journey as a debut novelist. Primarily, I have a much greater appreciation for my editors than I might have had without that experience. I understand their challenge to make a work the best it can be, and I know not to take their criticisms personally. I also respect their time and feel extreme gratitude for all they contribute to the process.
The leap from editing to writing seems a natural one to me. When I wear an editor’s hat, I enjoy approaching a piece of writing with fresh eyes and making suggestions. Sometimes, the tiniest tweak can make a tremendous impact. As a writer, I understand I can’t complete a book without wonderful editors. It’s a team effort that has proven beneficial for generations, and I hope I never have to publish a book without a savvy editor on my side.
Whether writing or editing, I encourage you to try on each hat for a while to fully appreciate both sides of the publishing process. What have you learned from each role?
Mission trips will irrevocably change you and your children for the better.
We experienced that first hand when our daughter started going every summer with our church teen group on Group Workcamp mission trips. Our church also hosts Workcamp weeks every three years in our community.
Blessed, humbled, grateful, more deeply connected to God are just a few of the many benefits of being a part of these trips. If you have never been a part of a week long mission, I encourage you to do it this summer!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kim. It’s wonderful to grow in Christ together as a family.
We’re going on our 3rd mission trip as a family this summer. I’d excited!