If it's June, it must be summer.
'Tis the season of building formidable fortresses of sand at the beach. Of slicing shimmering mountain lakes in quiet kayaks. Of cool mornings. Sweltering afternoons. Hot nights.
There's a lot to be said about spending this season building sandcastles and paddling kayaks. But there's even more to be said about considering it a time to change the world. I'm not talking about negotiating world peace here. Or finding
a way to ensure that no one living on this globe goes to
bed hungry.
Significant change can happen simply--one person, one family, one community at a time.
I saw that happen in New Orleans several summers ago, when I witnessed American Baptist Home Mission Societies' work week there. Close to 200 volunteers cleared overgrown properties, scraped paint, installed installation and tended gardens. Their work enabled some property owners to move back to their homes for the first time since
hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Lower 9 th Ward in 2005. For those homeowners, it was tearfully clear that the volunteers changed their worlds.
This summer, you, too, can change someone's world. Join our work week in
New Orleans
(July 31-Aug. 6). Or lend your time and talents in
New Jersey
(July 9-16), which is still
recovering from Hurricane Sandy's coastal battering.
There's so much work still to be done. And so many people who need to see the incarnation of God's love in their lives.
How will you spend your summer vacation?