We Love Mountain View: “Showing Up”
My six-year-old son’s class recently had a field trip to Hands on Museum. For weeks leading up to the trip, we counted down the days and talked about what he would be doing when he got there. The week of the trip finally arrived and he looked at me and said, “Mommy, you’re coming, right?” Here is the part where I am honest: I did not want to go on that field trip. As much as I love my child, the prospect of spending the afternoon in a museum with 50 kindergarteners did not sound fun to me. So, I did what any parent would do, I made some excuses.
“Oh, I don’t think the other parents are going.”
“You will be playing with your friends. You don’t need me there.”
“I have a ton of errands to run that day.”
But when I saw the look on his face, I knew instantly that he needed one thing. He needed me to show up.
As we spend the next few weeks looking forward to our next ministry year at Mountain View, the phrase “show up” keeps coming to my mind. In reality, it can be difficult to make the decision to show up for someone. There are a million things pulling at us daily and taking the time to enter into someone else’s life can seem daunting. Since 2010, we have invested in Mountain View Elementary and the community surrounding it. This year, we are continuing to expand our focus as we strive to connect deeper with these families and build relationships that allow us to show God’s love to them in ways they may not have ever seen. I want to ask you to consider “showing up” for one of our key opportunities this next school year. Whether that is volunteering during the week for kickball or the sports clinic, a hands-on arts program, or meeting with a child once a week for lunch as a Lunch Buddy; there are a variety of ways that you can build relationships and serve this community.
I ended up showing up for my son’s field trip. I didn’t do much except walk beside him and experience it with him, but that small act of showing up meant something to him, and also to me.
– Amanda Brown
Local Outreach Coordinator
