SUSAN TAKES MANHATTAN: Saturday Service Days

I've decided that I want to be more intentional about making my Saturdays days of service. Of course, as soon as I made this declaration, I realized that most of my Saturdays for several upcoming weeks are booked with either visitors or trips. I'll do what I can, though.

I believe that my main (only?) purposes in life are to enjoy God and to glorify Him. So, my first priority is my relationship with Him. To seek it and enjoy it. Then, as I am filled with His love, power, and joy, I pray that would overflow out of me and unto others and that, ultimately, He would be glorified through that. I'm not explaining that well, but listen to the lyrics of the new song on my page...that's what I'm trying to say!

I had 3 different Saturday opportunites to serve others in March. My first Saturday was spent at a March Madness basketball clinic that was being held for the kids in the Chelsea projects. Many of our Kids Club kids came, but there were a LOT of kids we didn't know there - especially older teenage boys. It was great to have them all join in.

Warming up!

Running drills

Losing team doing push-ups

Nakkia did not have interest in basketball, but was the

hostest with the mostest helping us behind the scenes.

She also was the keeper of the medals

Medal ceremony!

L.A. Checking out his medal

Proud boyz

Too cool girls

Chec won the trophy for best attitude

Kendra won for most improved

End of weekend team huddle

Another Saturday in March, I had the opportunity to serve a meal at the Ronald McDonald house at Sloan Kettering, one of the top cancer hospitals in the USA. I loved every minute of this experience. It was very humbling. I assumed that the ill children would be in the hospital and we would just be serving their families, so I was a little shocked when many of the kids were there for dinner. It was extremely sad to me. These families have come from all over the US in hopes of receiving treatment from the best so that their kids may be healed. One family from Oklahoma has been living at the Ronald McDonald house for 3 years! Ugh, I cannot imagine. Another family I spoke with has a baby, 10 months, with cancer. He was so sweet and looked so perfect. He is here with his mom and grandma while his 5-year-old sister and dad are back in South Carolina working and going to school. A family split apart by this awful disease. So difficult.

We did a Saint Patrick's day themed dinner and activity for the children. Becky came up with an awesome dinner menu with Irish foods or green foods! After dinner, we took the kids to the playroom and had a hunt for pots of gold!

Karyn grating cheese! We were serving

100 people...that's a lot of cheese to grate!

Becky & Radhika working on the potato casserole

Annie was my partner for the cooking. We were in

charge of making Irish soda bread. Then, we made

the dressing for the cole slaw.

Becky and I trying to figure out how the potato casserole

ended up so greasy and trying to scoop some of it out

(it was gross, but we drained it and it turned out fine).

Our Irish Soda Bread!

Taking hams out of the oven

Decorating the dining room green

Becky the menu planner, husband Steve and baby

(due any day)! This shows the green fruit

salad and fun rice krispy treats.

We helped serve the families their meal

The whole crew from my church

Sweet boy named Nathan...been here 3 years and

beyond ready to go home! Pray for him!

This guy volunteers at the house each week. He is

a singer and wrote a song and taught this little girl

to sing harmony with him. It was precious.

My final Saturday in March was spent helping with and Easter Egg Hunt for the families of my church. This year, I was just in charge of the gift bags and showing up to help the day of. If you remember, last year we were rained out. This year, we planned to have it the day before Palm Sunday so that if it rained, we'd have 1 more Saturday before Easter to fall back on.

If you are a mom or involved with kids in other ways and do not know about Oriental Trading Company, you need to know! I bought all the fun stuff for their gift bags off this site. Everything was Easter themed...a stamp, bubbles, an Easter Egg craft project, stickers, a notepad, a pencil, an Egg shaped ball. The craziest part? With all that stuff, each bag cost less than $2.00! Such cute stuff for so cheap!

I also made Easter sugar cookies to go in the bags.

I didn't get a picture of the final product all put together, but they were pretty cute and the kids seemed to love them. We had 18 kids sign up for the hunt, but had 24 show up. Amazingly, I had made exactly 6 extra. Pretty sure God was in the details that day.

It was chilly that day, but beautifully sunny! Friend Murph took some amazing pictures, but I haven't gotten my hands on them yet. Here are some one of the dad's took that day.

Rebecca, Esther, their friend, and Chase