This post is shared with ministry families in mind and on my heart : )

October is Pastor Appreciation month, a time when many Church families extend appreciation in various forms to their Pastor and ministry family. It is a time of encouragement and kindness; truly a blessing for the whole family!

I was reflecting this past October on our children, on the behind-the-scenes sacrifices that Pastor’s children make for this position that God has called their Daddy to fulfill. Our children are familiar with having plans change at the sound of the phone ringing…being buckled up in the van, ready to go on an outing then hurriedly getting out so Daddy take the vehicle to go and help someone in need. We have witnessed how God has used this to produce understanding into these little people! Their Daddy is very good at rearranging things so he can still make up for a lost outing and they accept last-minute changes without fuss, a characteristic of the kids that God has opened my eyes to, made me more aware of this year – something to show them appreciation for indeed!

There is also the ‘waiting’ to take into consideration…as PKs, they are the first to arrive at Church on Sundays (9am, long before Sunday School begins) and usually the last to leave (1pm, a good hour after the Church service has concluded) ~ this equates to a lot of waiting around! We have witnessed God at work in them during what adds up to hours of waiting each month. God has cultivated patience in them as they wait around…and our church family has never made mention of their after-church snacking or the crayons or scrap paper or toys that are floating around the Pastor’s office! 🙂 (The picture below still makes me chuckle! We took it a few years ago of our youngest son – the result of waiting around the Church for Daddy one day, he fell asleep in a pew! : )

With the sacrifices, there are also many positives of ministry family life. It is really wonderful for them to see that Daddy can provide for his family with a job of helping people, praying, studying God’s word and sharing God’s truth with others! God has also used this lifestyle to build understanding and compassion into their little lives. They are very quick to pray for others! They often have a  front row seated to answered prayers!

All of this to say, this past October, we celebrated our first ‘Ministry Kids Appreciation Night’. Really, the only difference from our regular planned Family Night was that as Mom and Dad, we talked specifically about what we appreciate about them as ministry kids – the characteristics we see in them as they continue to grow up both physically and spiritually. We expressed to them how their patience, understanding and compassion blesses us and how it makes it easier for Daddy to have the freedom to do his job. An evening all about them – they loved it! We wanted it to serve to encourage them for their roles in our family. It will definitely be a ‘to-do’ each October now : )

The way to absolutely delight our children tends to be through a trip to the kitchen! A new favorite recipe in our family that we made that night is ‘Hot Vanilla’. I read this somewhere and jotted it down but cannot remember the original source. It is so good, too good not to share!

Hot Vanilla:

– 1 cup of milk (per each serving)

– 2 tsp sugar (per each serving)

– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (per each serving)

Topping:

– 1/2 cup whipping cream

– 1 tbsp chocolate syrup

– dash of cinnamon

———————–

Start with the topping. In a medium bowl, whip the cream until it’s frothy. Add the chocolate sauce and cinnamon, then continue to whip the mixture until everything is well blended and peaks form. (Makes enough to top about 6 drinks)

For each Hot Vanilla, heat up the milk and sugar in a pot on the stove top. Stir in the vanilla extract. Top with a dollop of the topping, drizzle with chocolate sauce or a dash of cinnamon.

This special drink sealed the deal for the whole evening : ) It doesn’t take much to bless children – children are typically wonderfully enthusiastic! As it always seems to happen, having this evening with the intention of blessing them, blessed us as parents. It felt great to give them recognition and appreciation for their roles in our ministry family!