Today my oldest (Torie, who just graduated from college) leaves to lead a group of college students in Kitale, Kenya. When she gets there she’ll be greeted by my 19 year old son, who has been living there since January (a gap year type experience). Obviously, I’m deeply proud of how they’ve chosen to follow Jesus and I thought I’d share something from Cody’s most recent blog:

“Here in Kitale there are hundreds of kids who are living on the streets, some as young as 3 years old, having no possessions other than what clothes they are wearing, and are rejected and looked down upon by the people of the town. These are the kids that my heart breaks for and I want so badly to see them off of the streets.”

“We went into town and placed blankets on about 50 children while they were sleeping on the hard cement floors. Some of these children were bundled up in potato sacks while others were sleeping with just the clothes they had on. We placed a blanket on them got back in the car and went to the next group we would come across. We didn’t wake the children but just placed a blanket and moved along.”

“I have gotten to interact and become friends with many of these street children… I hang out with these kids during the day but then when we go our separate ways I go back to the compound to a mattress and blankets and they go try and find a place to sleep where they can stay warm and wont be mugged or beaten when they awake. Pray for these children that they would find a way off the streets and that they could have a new life in Jesus Christ who loves and adores them more than we could ever imagine.”


To read the rest of Cody’s blog…go HERE.

As I think of the many ways I’ve been blessed, my family is at the top of the list. Honored to be in a healthy and growing marriage for 26 years and thrilled to the dad of 3 kids (22, 19, 16) who deeply love Jesus, want to follow him, have great relationships, are very fun, and love their parents. Really, I am so unworthy!

When my kids were younger, I always wondered, “I wonder how they’re going to turn out growing up as PK’s…always at youth ministry events…exposed to the words and values of teenagers at such an early age. Are we doing the right thing?” Well, the journey isn’t over, but if the future is an indicator of the past…I’m pretty confident.

To those of you in youth ministry with younger children…having our kids grow up in the youth ministry environment has been the best thing for our family. They saw the good and the bad and learned from both. Keep loving them, put them before your ministry, strengthen your marriage, model your “new life” in Christ and let them know you’re crazy about them.

Do the possible as you trust God for the impossible. That’s what I’m trying to do today as half my family serves Jesus on the other part of the world.

Question: What’s your biggest fear about raising your children in ministry? You can leave a comment here if you’d like.