52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Seven

My family’s act of compassion this week is going to make care packages for a few soldiers.  This may not be something that everyone can do because of cost but there are many ways to put one together very affordably.

Following is a list of items that are great to send:

·         Commercially prepared snacks and/or treats. Examples would be, gum, nuts, trail mixes, granola bars and snack crackers. (Canned goods and home baked goods are not safe to send)

·         Toiletries. Examples would be (sample or travel size) lip balms, lotion, hair gel, shampoo, soap, dental care, nail files and eye drops. (Hotel samples are not allowed)

·         Entertainment items, such as puzzle or game books and small craft kits.

·         Random items such as pillow cases, pre-paid phone cards, air fresheners, laundry detergent, small flashlights and stationary.

Unfortunately there are also many things that CANNOT be sent overseas to our soldiers and they include:

·         Home baked good

·         Glass bottles

·         Aerosol cans

·         Canned food

·         Expired food

·         Candles, lighters or lighter fluid

·         Hotel samples

·         Contraband items (tobacco, live plants, knives or nudity)

·         Prescriptions

·         Used or dirty/stained clothing 

If you need more ideas of what to send in a care package, both “Google” and “Pinterest” offer many great ideas.  Remember that these do not need to cost a lot, in fact, chances are you have a few of these items laying around or hanging out in your pantry.  The United States Postal Service has even made it easy to send care packages by offering free boxes with a flat rate.  As of March 26, 2014 the cost for flat rate boxes starts at $5.80 (for the small box).

What would you include in a care package?        

Practicing Hospitality

In many of my previous blogs I have mentioned that I love to have people over; for family dinners, game nights, coffee and dessert, you name it I love to have people over for it.  Entertaining is one of my favorite things to do and over the years I have learned how to be a proper and prim hostess.  As hard as it is to admit this, I have not always been a genteel host.  When I was younger, after buying my first home, I had to have it perfect.  I didn’t invite anyone over because I was always worried about how my house would look.  You must remember this is previous to having children, so having a house in perfect and flawless condition was actually attainable.  At this point in my life I was able to get up and have a regular cleaning regime every morning and my house was as squeaky clean as it could possibly get, yet I was still fearful of having people over.  I wanted perfection but I never felt like I could achieve that perfectly clean and spotless house.  Now almost 10 years later, I feel like I have achieved my goal of being a refined hostess.  Of course having children may have been the turning point.  I have come to the realization that my house will never be spotless.  I will always have toys strewn about, a sink with dishes in it, stains on the carpet and crumbs on the kitchen floor.  It has taken me a while to be okay with such things but I am finally there.  I will invite people over now regardless of the condition of my house, and I don’t worry about what they are thinking when it comes to my house, now I am worried about whether I was a hostess as God’s own heart .

If you are like me, you may have or currently view hospitality as a succeed/not succeed accomplishment.  Viewing hospitality is not a way to show off our most precious treasures and elaborate food, but rather true hospitality is just merely sharing our true selves with other people.  When someone visits your house make sure they feel at home.  It is better that you have a guest who feels comfortable while noticing a few toys on the floor than a guest who feels completely uncomfortable but praises you for your housekeeping skills.   

The Bible talks a lot about hospitality; in fact, it is stated very clearly in I Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another...”  Just like we are told to love one another and to pray continuously, we are also told to be hospitable. When you dig deeper into the meaning of “hospitality” you discover that it comes from the root term “hospital”.  People visit hospitals when they are sick, when they need healing and when they are hurt.  It is possible that God wants us to provide hospitality to those who are sick, who need healing and are hurt?  I am not talking about someone who needs stitches, or who needs their gallbladder out, I am talking about the single parent next door who is tired and worn, or the lady who just lost her husband a few weeks back.

If you are ready to become the hostess that God intends for you to be a good place to start is following the directions that God laid out before us.  “Then Jesus said to His host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed.  Although, they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteousness~ Luke 14:12-14 I think this scripture is trying to say, don’t be hospitable because you want the favor returned, but do it because it is asked of you. This scripture isn’t saying that we can’t invite family and friends over for family dinner, because I truly believe God loves it when families get together, but more specifically, look around you and see where your hospitality is needed.   

How do you practice hospitality?