Elementary blessings

"Love your neighbor as yourself" Leviticus 19:18

Who knew that 5 little words could have such an impact on a Friday night and Saturday morning?!?  Each year our church puts on a children's camp.  It's a "spend the night" camp for the elementary kids.  They get their early Friday morning and their day begins immediately with service projects, bible studies, and mission work (and of course fun activities like swimming, relay races, and PIZZA -- can't forget the pizza)  This is my 3rd year helping out and I can not begin to put into words the true blessings I walk away with each year.  

Our community has a home for developmentally disabled men.  Each year, as a part of our children's camp, we invite them to VBS put on by the elementary kids who come to camp.  The children work so hard to prepare food, decorate their class rooms, and actually teach/instruct these guys from the Stegall Home.  It's so amazing to see these innocent boys and girls willingly helping these amazing guys with no fear at all.  These 5 special guys from the Stegall Home just absolutely melt my heart each year.  As if spending time with an amazing bunch of elementary kids isn't enough reason to want to help, watching the joy in the faces of 5 guys who enjoy every minute of VBS and spending time with these kids is a feeling i can't begin to explain -- it's one of those things you just have to experience. 

This years verse was from Leviticus 19:18 and it says "love your neighbor as yourself."  It couldn't have been a more fitting verse.  Society would label the guys from The Stegall Home as retarded.  One of our leaders pointed out how we throw that word out so easily now.  We say "that's so retarded" or "Man, you're a retard" but she explained to the kids that retarded actually means "a special blessing from God" (thanks Mrs. Terra for that!) and told the children that these guys are one of the most special blessings God gives.  God calls us to "love our neighbor as ourself" and in reality -- we ALL love ourself.  Just because someone may look different or talk different or dress different doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of God's love and  it is our job as Christians to show them God's love.  God's love is unconditional and has no face to it.  It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 100, big or small, pretty or not so pretty, rich or poor, His love never fails. 

I'm thankful for the blessings a bunch of elementary kids and 5 amazing guys had on my night.