Six boys and six girls gathered in the kitchen at the recreation building over the weekend. They measured cups of flour and sugar, carefully poured vanilla extract, and stirred in chocolate chips by the bag. For some of our youth, baking cookies from scratch was a first time experience. For youth with more culinary experience, it brought back happy memories of helping a beloved grandmother or aunt in the kitchen.  As ingredients were measured, poured, and mixed, we talked about who the cookies would be given to. Fifteen dozen chocolate chip cookies would be lovingly baked, packaged, and delivered to Covenant United Methodist Church in Lafayette, then given to inmates at a prison in Louisiana as part of Kairos Prison Ministry. This Christian ministry is a special weekend retreat that takes lay volunteers inside of prisons all over the world to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to prisoners and their families. As the kids scooped the cookie dough onto baking sheets, we talked about the Greek word “Kairos” which means “God’s special time”, indicating an opportunity for Kairos participants to reconsider life choices.

Twelve girls residing in the Scott building were given activity bags full of colorful paper, stickers, foam shapes, and glitter glue so they could contribute to Kairos Prison Ministry weekend by making encouraging cards for the inmates. When asked, “why would we make cards for prisoners?” it was an opportunity to open the Bible and read from Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus explains that whatever we do for “the least of these brothers of mine”, we are actually doing for Him.

The chocolate chip cookie recipe used for baking Kairos cookies will be printed in a future Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home cookbook, but the secret ingredient is prayer! Our youth chefs have prayed that each person who eats a cookie at a Kairos retreat will feel the love of God and come closer to experiencing the fullness of His grace.