COS Family Trip March 2026 Day#1
At Woodmen, families with children ages 5 and up have the unique opportunity each year to serve together over spring break on a local missions trip. When there is a heart to share Jesus with a hurting world, the age of that heart is irrelevant. I Timothy 4:12 states, "Let no one look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness and purity." On this year's team, we have eleven incredible "examples" ages 6-15 among six families. These kids have dedicated three days of their spring break to serve right here in Colorado Springs along with their parents. Partnering with two non-profit organizations per day, we come alongside these amazing ministries to help with whatever needs to be done.
Salvation Army was our first stop of the day. This is a powerhouse of an organization that serves vulnerable adults and children in town. We were split into four groups to work on various tasks around the building. While the first group started pulling weeds and cleaning up the parking lot, the second group grabbed cleaning supplies to wash walls and mop floors. Group #3 eagerly volunteered to assist in the kitchen washing dishes, marinating meat and helping to prepare Navajo bread for lunch. Group #4 dusted pantry shelves, checked for expired food and attempted to keep up with our team's youngest member, 6-year-old Elena, as she efficiently reshelved dozens of canned food items. As we watched clients come in for lunch, we noticed that not only do they enjoy delicious food but Salvation Army has created a place for community. We listened as laughter and conversations filled the room. For many, these lunches provide much needed friendship for so many people.
After we enjoyed the food prepared in part by our kids, we traveled to the ACTS resource center which serves as the hub for so many of Woodmen's community outreach efforts. The ACTS coordinators had created multiple stations at which our team could learn about tangible needs in Colorado Springs. Rotating through each station gave us the opportunity to pack snack bags for the homeless, bag up cat food for Crossfire Ministries and bundle up food items for local schools in need. One of the favorite activities was a game called "Spend Your Dollar." Each of our kids was given a bingo-type card and $1 in coins. The bingo card had nine squares which each held the name of a following budget item: car, gas, groceries, medicine, clothing, rent, utilities, cell phone and fun activity. As in real life, each of the items had a cost associated with it. The problem was that the total cost of the items were more than the $1 that was given. The kids each had to pick and choose how they would allocate their precious coins. They figured out which ones they needed most and which ones they could cut out. This is a reality for so many in our community. However, with places like Crossfire Ministries offering free groceries, families have more "coins" available so they don't have to choose between buying food or buying gas to get to work.
As we debriefed this evening, many team members commented on the impact of seeing the specific needs in our community and how God is meeting them through donations and resources across the city. We are so grateful that we get to take part in what God is doing in our city and that our children are learning how to love the community well!
- Sharon Adams