The aftermath of the Haiti earthquake is on all of our minds this past couple of weeks. The earthquake exacerbated the already poor country's ills beyond our limited ability to comprehend! Jennifer wrote about their family response to the tragedy. What a great learning experience for children to participate in the relief efforts.

But poverty in the world is not limited to those areas that are experiencing natural disasters. They do get a lot of our attention, but we need to remain aware that poverty is a world problem - all the time! After the Vietnam War we were part of a church group that sponsored several Mien refugee families from Laos. At the time we signed up, we had just added our third child to our already- busy family and I wasn't sure we would be able to be involved deeply. How would we juggle the many balls we already had in the air and add this new commitment?

What I wasn't prepared for was the impact this involvement would have on our family. Over the years we became friends with many Laotians - first in teaching them the ways of the U.S. - then eating in their homes, loving their children and extended families, helping them find jobs, and expanding our own view of the world. Rather than taking time away from family to "serve," our entire family was a part of the team.

My husband and I have just returned from a trip to El Salvador. This was my 4th trip to the village in El Salvador that we support through our church's involvement with Agros International. It's called "Journey with a Village" and our team spent time working alongside the people, playing games, laughing, eating, sharing Veggie Tales movies, holding babies, and witnessing a signing ceremony as two more village families gain ownership of the land they have worked hard to own! It was an amazing experience. Check out this slide show of one of our trips!

This relationship with El Salvador has come about after our children have all grown. We would love to have shared this kind of trip as a family, but that wasn't possible for us at the time we were raising our children. If it is a possibility for you, do consider taking your school-aged or older children along on this kind of adventure! What an amazing experience it would be for them and what a great way for your family to talk about the world and its problems. It also helps children gain more perspective on material possessions and our place in the global economy.

Have you, or anyone you know, undertaken such an adventure? If so, please let us know! I'm very curious to hear how a family with older children who could volunteer alongside their parents found such an experience as a family and as individuals.

If a family trip isn't possible for you, please do consider other ways that your family can get involved locally. Don't look on "serving" as something you do without your family - find a way to involve everyone.

Terry McNichols is a Marriage and Family Therapist who also blogs at Grace and Gravity and Are We There Yet?