Hands-on missions

Seventeen fourth-graders from Perimeter Christian School spent a recent morning doing a hands-on missions project at the Huntington Ridge apartment complex in Norcross, Georgia. The youngsters built and planted a flower garden, and they did a thorough cleanup of the “tutoring room.”

The first step in building the garden was to place a border of cinderblock pavers.

Then it was time for some “heavy lifting” – carrying 40-pound bags of topsoil to the garden site.Next task was to add and mix the topsoil with manure for a good growing environment.Then it was time to plant. Two hostas form the centerpiece of the new bed.The process of planting six dozen pansy plants consisted of digging a hole for each one, adding plant food and water, loosening the roots, and setting the plant. Students worked as a team to accomplish the job.As the work continued outside, half of the Perimeter students stayed busy cleaning the tutoring room. About two dozen Huntington Ridge children attend the weekly Tuesday afternoon “homework help” sessions, which include a snack and a Bible lesson.Have brush, will travel in the cause of missions.Every folding chair got a good cleaning.At the end of the morning, the Perimeter students posed by the new garden before heading back to school, knowing their efforts had made a difference at Huntington Ridge. The group will return twice more this school year for missions projects.