I am reminded that we can honor and glorify God in many ways. My friend Kelsey is doing it through her work. Can you imagine the joy God feels when he watches Kelsey serve “the least of these”?

NOTE: I received the following email from Kelsey’s proud husband. Make sure you read the last paragraph.

The past few years, as summer has begun to wind down and the kids begin to trickle back to their schools, I am again reminded how lucky we all are to have the lives that we do. On Friday, I made my first visit to Kelsey’s school to meet her newest Kindergarten class. Every year it just breaks my heart to see what little these poor kids have. What little amount of love they are shown, what little amount of food they are fed, what little amount of support they are given, what little amount of stability is in their lives… I could go on and on.

For instance, Isabella is a sweet little, brown hair, brown eyed doll of a girl who is being raised by her Grandma. She is doing her best to raise sweet little Isabella and is working the graveyard shift to try and provide for her. Yesterday Isabella’s mom was released from jail and showed up at school to pick her up. Kelsey said that her mom opened the door to her classroom and Isabella said “MOMMY!”. I have it in my mind kind of like the videos you see of soldiers returning home from war. Our hope is that the mom, who is 22 years old, can get herself on the right path and make life a little better for Isabella. Like Isabella, every kid in her class has a story…like the one whose mother is in the state prison and whose father was murdered by his uncle. Countless other stories will surface, as this is only the second full week of school.

BUT, here is the good news for you. Every single Monday thru Friday these kids come to school and walk into their classroom to a teacher with a big bright smile, open loving arms and a passion for getting these kids on the right path towards an education. The way that Kelsey puts them in her lap or kisses their dirty cheeks and accepts them unconditionally is beyond anything you can imagine. I can’t imagine waking up every day knowing that I am being counted on by 19 five-year-old kids to be the teacher/parent/support system  in their day. And every year, as school comes to an end, I approach Kelsey about moving to a different school. A school in a safer neighborhood, a school where parents help with their kid’s homework or a school where kids can focus on learning because they aren’t distracted by hunger. And every year Kelsey thinks about it for a few weeks and then says “these kids need a teacher that cares about them and I’m afraid if I leave, the next teacher might not care.”

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”