30 Days of Serving and Sharing: Peace & Hope

This post is the second part of our series, 30 Days of Serving and Sharing: Peace & Hope. This post offers over fifteen ideas for your family on ways to share a little peace and hope.

Peace and Hope

It’s something everyone wants . . . everyone needs. How on earth can we possibly offer something of such significance to someone else?

“The Lord doesn’t ask about your ability, only your availability; and, if you prove your dependability, the Lord will increase your capability.” -Author Unknown

Gather your family and talk about the people you know who need hope and peace. When you serve others, the Lord may provide an opportunity for you to share the hope and peace that only Christ can give. Or it may simply be a time of softening or blessing by easing a burden. Whatever happens, showing someone you care gives them hope. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The Hungry and the Homeless

Serve at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. Some do not allow children, but some do when accompanied by a parent. Many tasks go into serving a meal. Consider what your family members can do. Setting up tables, prepping food, cooking, serving, delivering meals, washing dishes, bagging trash, and other clean up chores after the meal. If you have children too young to volunteer, have them make cards or color pictures to place on the tables.

Have your children design a printable to distribute electronically to people you know asking them to donate canned food items to a shelter or soup kitchen. Set a pick-up date and take the whole family to pick up the items. Kids love running to the door to collect the food. Perhaps they’d enjoy making little thank you cards to give to each person who is donating. Then, deliver the food to the shelter.

Gather toiletry items, gloves, crackers, juice pouches, and other things that will be useful to a homeless person. You may want to include two or three dollars and a small devotion book. Pack the items in large Ziploc bags. Keep one or two bags ready to distribute from your car window when you encounter someone at a stoplight. Always exercise caution.

Children in Need

Pack shoeboxes for children through Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child program. Teens and children enjoy selecting items for the box. Encourage them to do some extra chores to earn money to help buy the items.
When you’re shopping, and your kids are drawn to all things colorful and shiny, allow them to pick out an item for toy collection sites such as the Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army. Or let them pick out a warm coat  or blanket to donate to a child in need.

Sponsor a child through Compassion International or Amazima. Get the whole family involved by writing letters and helping to earn some of the money to send and help fund their education.

Serve as an advocate for a child in the court system. This requires commitment from the volunteer, but the rest of the family is serving as well. They must work together while sharing their parent with another child who needs him/her.

Consider foster-parenting or adopting. I know. That’s a big one!

Offer to care for a couple’s children while they go for marriage counseling.

Allow your home to be a safe, peaceful haven for your teen’s friends who need one.

Veterans

Sew a freedom quilt for a veteran. If that sounds like too large of a task, then how about sewing one square? Quilts of Valor accepts single, eight-inch quilt squares.

Call your local veterans center. Ask what their needs are or if your family can help with an event for the veterans.
Encourage your family to express gratitude to the veterans who are sitting in front of a store collecting donations for disabled veterans. Some veterans have difficulty finding peace after serving in a war zone. Kind words mean a great deal.

Sell baked goodies and send the profit to the Wounded Warriors Project.

More Ideas

If you have older kids, consider serving on a mission team together. Many organizations require kids to be at least twelve-years-old but you can develop and implement your own mission trip. Family mission trips rank in my top ten of favorite family activities!

Donate blood or volunteer at a blood donation site.

Share the inspirational magazines you’ve finished reading by donating them to a local library or medical office.

Adults and teens can volunteer for disaster relief service.

Write out verses about strength, courage, peace, and hope to give to someone undergoing medical treatment.

Be brave and look for ways to share your testimony. Keep it simple and sincere. What was your life like before you had the eternal hope and peace of Jesus? What is life like now that you securely have it?

Finally, one of the greatest ways we can serve others is by praying for them.

Do you have more ideas on families sharing peace and hope?

Other posts in the “30 Days of Serving & Sharing” series:

Part 1: Goodness and Kindness

Part 2: Peace and Hope

Part 3: Patience & Self-Control

Part 4: Faithfulness & Joy