Perspective?

I've heard I'm supposed to keep perspective. I don't know.... I lose it. I find it. I lose it again. Maybe it's more about viewing a situation from several vantage points then deciding on one that seems right?

This week I've been planning for the Under 13s soccer tournament coming up on the public holiday Monday March 8. It's all in the details. Which field works best for kids who play barefoot? Who pays for transport? How many coloured vests do we need to distinguish the teams since they're not wearing uniforms? What is a reasonable deposit for loaned equipment that will encourage the coaches to take responsibility for the balls, pumps etc? How does this activity line up with our organisation's values of empowerment, accountability, equality, servanthood, partnership and sustainability?

When I heard that the NGO I thought was going to provide some lunch wasn't able to do so anymore, I considered a number of options. Bananas? Snacks? A shorter program?

There will be about 100 kids and some of them will have traveled for over an hour to get there. I don't want them playing outside in 30-degree heat for 4-5 hours and then send them home nothing more than a banana in their fist. This time we're booking a restaurant. For some of these kids it may well be their first time to eat in a restaurant. We'll turn up sweaty, dirty and wearing whatever combination of ragged shorts and T-shirts we can find and we'll eat rice with four hot dishes and clean drinking water. (It's US$1.75 per person.)

I don't know if this is the right perspective but I hope the kids have a great time... and maybe that this little party makes God smile too. I want to show these kids that they are highly valued. So this time we're doing lunch not bananas (and lots of soccer too!).