Mama First-Then Team Leader

Today I decided to stay back from camp and just spend some time with the kids. Last night I could sense very much that my kids just wanted my attention.

It's really easy to get swept away with making sure the team is taken care of because there are 20 other people right in front of you always asking questions or needing directions. Balancing team time and family time is a challenge. I am learning new things this year about how to prioritize, delegate and be prayerful about how to handle both family and team. We really enjoy being team leaders but at the end of the trip we are still parents so to neglect our children or each other (John and I) would really only hurt our family. 

So this morning while Elisabeth napped Will and I made a salvation necklace, baked some corn bread, played and jumped on the trampoline. It was so good to just sit with him and see his eyes and smile. He is such sweet boy with a soft heart. Even just being able to focus specifically on him and listen to what he had to say brought so much joy to my heart.

Ministry and children are a delicate balance but we always must remember as mamas that the ministry in our home should come before the ministry outside of the home. These little ones are our first disciples, even out here while doing missions. God has given us a great ministry to protect and nourish. Let us stay focused and do whatever it takes to tend the flock that God has so graciously put right in front of us. 

-Nichole 

Biblical principles must be in our hearts. We are to guide our lives by God's precepts and give Him joyful obedience. God wants our lives to be rich and saturated [in Him]. This is a truth we should share often with our children. We must believe that God's wisdom is vastly superior to our own and that we could never improve on His instructions. 

-Nadine Brown