Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4
With the holidays in full session, decorations are rampant. Lights, tinsel, Christmas trees, sparkles, red and white galore! With the holidays also come more opportunities to help others. So I've been thinking of how my family can serve together. The girls are 4 and 2, so honestly we would be more destructive than productive when it comes to organized community programs or soup kitchens of that sort. The bathroom runs, the snack breaks, arguing who gets to help first etc. would probably take up most of the time rather than actually being helpful. So what could we do as a family to serve others?
Well, you know if you pray for an opportunity (that of course aligns with His will), God will surely answer. This weekend the Chien family had the privilege of helping out the Brewers with their move. They had a house packed with stuff to put into a 26' long truck. They were relocating from Lake Forest, CA to the state of Washington and they had to leave that Saturday night. How awesome it was to be of service to our church family that needed practical, real hands on help. My hubby knew Jim from Men's Bible Study and he asked for help with the move. So obviously Hubby would be the one to physically help the Brewers. It crossed my mind that Jim and Rachel would need help watching the kids. I don't know why but I was hesitant to ask them at first. I thought, maybe they have neighbors watching their kids or maybe some family members came to help or maybe they hired a babysitter. They don't need my help.
So lesson learned, just ask. Don't be afraid if they say no. It wouldn't hurt to ask if help is needed. So when I made that call to Rachel, she indeed needed help. Having her kids out of the way from the packing and moving streamlined the process so much more smoother with less stress. So praise God for the opportunity that the kids and I could be helping hands! Honestly this opportunity to serve was truly a blessing to me and my kids. Not only were we able to physically help the Brewers by entertaining their kids, but my girls got to see what it's like to put others first and lay aside their interests for others' interests.
So onward we go with our adventure of having a 18 month old Little Karen, 2 year old Babester, 3 year old Holden and 4 year old KA.
A stroll around the neighborhood. The above picture really shows KA's joy in helping 18 month old Little Karen. (Yep, same name as me, how special huh?) KA really stepped up and amped up her game of being the oldest one. She's such a little mommy. She was with Little Karen from the moment they got dropped at 11am to 8:00pm. She would help her up the stairs, feed her lunch, push her in the stroller, help provide toys and entertainment, do silly things to make her laugh and just, be there with her. And did you notice Holden ran the wheel up on KA's foot? Yea, she's still smiling!
Here is Babester and KA helping Little Karen finish her lunch. It was pretty darling to see Babester step up her game too and act like an older sister. She helped Little Karen with diaper changes by grabbing her diaper and wipes and asking if she needed anything else. I had cooked some "Nian Giaos" which is a Chinese dish made out of stir fry rice ovelettes made with sliced beef and bok choy for lunch. It looked like it was their first taste of Chinese food, haha. But they enjoyed it, phew! :)
So after lunch and bike ride around the neighborhood, we cooled down with some Trader Joe's Mango sorbet and Caribbean popiscles. Ice cream brings everyone to a happy place!
After some active play and running around, everyone needed some down time. They got to watch some Word World and SuperWhy. It's funny what television does to kids. They're zombies!
Oh Little Karen, she was such a trooper! She wasn't whiney or cranky at all when it approached her nap time. She was such a little adventurer walking around everywhere, following the big kids, climbing up and down the stairs, but it was finally time for some ZZzzs.
Holden was such a big boy. He held up really well too. He wasn't cranky or whiney at all. I would have to say that these Brewer kids are perfect for babysitting! Didn't complain about the food, was obedient and compliant upon commands and got along with everyone! The Brewers have really done an awesome job with parenting and are so blessed! Here is Holden making a new friend and entertaining 12 month old Aiden with his ball skills while dancing around!
I have to give props to my sister -Genelle. She came over at 5:30pm to join us for dinner and she was an awesome help. My girls usually get ready for bed around 6:30. I was wondering how this whole bedtime routine was going to work with 4 kids and just myself. I didn't know what time the Brewers would be done with their packing. So by having Genelle over, I was able to put my 2 exhausted but overjoyed daughters to bed while "Aunty Gen Gen" entertained the Brewer kids. They had quite the bonding experience as you can see from the video :) Yes, there's music in the background but unfortunately all you can hear is my not so pretty voice! haha
So again, what it comes down to - don't hesitate to offer help to others even when you think they don't need it. Because they just might be the one who really needs it. ATAPAT, a phrase that my pastor, Mike Fabarez uses to stand for "Anything, Any place, Any time." Serving others isn't just about when it's convenient or when it would benefit selfish motives, but when it honors God and when it helps others in their time of need. It truly was a blessing and joy to be a part of the Brewers lives and have the blessing of friendship blossom among the children.
Wishing you all the best and safe travels Brewers! Till we meet again!
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