Ideal Days Don’t Have to be Rare
While we can’t control the weather (this week’s late summer mid-70’s temperature was perfect), we can be intentional in defining an ideal learning experience.
Our two co-op classes are just enough to get information into our young learners AND into our parent’s minds as well. Bible and Personal Leadership, and Anatomy and Physiology, are both essential courses for every child, youth, and family member. How we perceive God, ourselves, and our bodies go together in allowing us to become that body of Christ that the Bible speaks so fondly about–as if it could become real. In fact, it is real! We individually are a temple of God, and collectively the body of Christ. It is so incredibly awesome to be able to build them up. And this is what it looks like in real life!
Our goal is for service to not just be an activity we randomly fit into our busy schedules. Our goal is for service to be a rhythmic part our lives. The truth is, we all are quite busy, and it is hard to develop a lifestyle of continual service toward the poor. What we are experimenting with at our Highest Education co-op is to simply make it a part of every Wednesday. If we can do it once a week, we are much closer to serving as a lifestyle.
We decided that the best way to serve was to plant ourselves in a place where we are not completely sheltered from the poor of this world. At The Center in Vancouver, we can help with the garden and have encounters with real people who are “the least of these.” The facility is fenced and gated, which is nice, but it is not insulated by people who are just like us and who think just like us. We connect with people who desperately need physical, mental, and spiritual help. Our learning curve will be steep in understanding how to minister to the poor.
What a joy it is to see kids enjoying the outdoors in an ideal community setting! The group of parents with their children really enjoyed spending time at the Salmon Creek Park. One of our co-op members designed the event to include a scavenger hunt. The kids searched for items, played together, and had a wonderful time being free to explore the outdoors.