Day 3 and 4

Yesterday...on the menu was pizza, homemade no toppings just cheese (this is a sacrifice for my kids and us).  Ben came up with a fun way to further our little challenge.  Right before dinner without the kids knowing he turned off the water to the house.  We sat down for dinner and tried to fill their cups with water from the fridge but "oh no, no water!" Conversation goes as follows...Kids what are we going to do, we'll have nothing to drink tonight...Ben's mom who was over comments well don't kids in Africa have no water in their homes?...What do they do?....We then proceed to tell them that the kids who may receive our boxes have to walk a half day sometimes to get water and even then it's not clean.  Ben's suggestion... Jack, why don't you go down to the Golden village (our neighbor) and get water for the family and of course take off your shoes while you do it.  Kate jumped right in, Jack was a little more hesitant but went also.  This is how Kate came back from the neighbors.

Today day 4 was a different story we started the morning off really rough.  Jack and Kate both opted for oatmeal with chocolate chips and brown sugar.  Ben made it and they both threw the most royal fits.  Ben only put 4 chocolate chips in, not 5 and Kate refused to eat.  Jack tasted his and did the same.  I was honestly a little shocked they should be way past this throwing fits stage, right.  But I think what I would've done most mornings is appeased them and said fine here are more chocolate chips, but not today.  It was sad to me that I hadn't help instill a more thankful heart for the things in front of them.  Now in the midst of this I am reminded how sinful I am also I don't want to stop and take time to have character building conversations and to gently remind them of where they could grow and change.  So in the end of the morning it really wasn't about the oatmeal anymore but what was going on in their hearts.  This week is showing us as parents how we still need to grow and change also.

Dinner tonight I made a vegetable soup that was actually a winner in Kate's eyes, how about that?  The other kids weren't fans by any stretch.  We told the kids that we and aunt Kerry were going shopping for our boxes tonight, Jack was pretty excited and wanted to know if this would be the end to our simple meals, nope not till Saturday buddy.  We all packed up and headed to the store.  Let's just say Meijers and all their customers didn't know what hit them when our two families entered the store.  Boy are our kids loud!  Thanks Kerry for the pics.  

                                                 Dear Africa we got your oil for cooking- Lucy

After all was said and done we ended up spending what we normally spend on groceries for the week with my $23.00 we spent earlier in the week plus the cost of all our boxes.  That felt good that a small sacrifice will really mean a lot to others in this world :)  Hopefully they can see Christ's love in the hands that deliver it!