Occasionally, Eldera has a special guest and invites the families and mentors to join in. I was able to “meet” an astronaut and my granddaughter logged in to meet with a children’s author. Last week a doctor met with the Mentor Council to talk about developmental issues and how to build trusting relationships with children. Eldera is always on the lookout for mentors. They currently have a waiting list of over one hundred children all over the world. The founders said that when one parent has a good experience, they tell all their friends and many more children sign up. As we enter a new school year with many children learning virtually, there is a great need! Is Eldera something you would be interested in? The founders - Dana, Kate, and Jules are great at matching mentors to children that will work well together. I asked for younger children. Kate called me “the toddler whisperer,” but working with the littles is easy for me because I have taught Kindergarten and work with twos and threes in Sunday School.
Alone By The Water’s Edge
by Karen Ruhl
During the winter of 2017, we visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We were just below Buxton and stopped to look at Pamlico Sound. Only a small stretch of land separates this island from the sound on one side and the ocean on the other. We were looking out over the sound, enjoying the Visit Eldera’s website and explore. They make view. I took a walk, crossed the highway, climbed the stairs everything easy. They email you and the parent to over the sand dunes, and was on a magnificent stretch of introduce you, help you choose a time that works beach. As I walked along the beach, I started picking for you, set up the Zoom meetings and respond to up bits of shells and sea worn rocks. I was taking photos, emails quickly. The idea behind Eldera is as old as our enjoying the sunshine and ocean, and was in my element. ancestors’ villages and it brings back intergenerational bonds! Each Elder Mentor is vetted with a backIt was a perfect temperature for walking on the beach. I ground check similar to the ones used in schools. continued to pick up small rocks and shells, stopped to take This intergenerational community now includes pictures, and all of a sudden, I realized there were no people people in 37 states and 12 countries. around. I was totally alone. The beach was empty as far as I could see in each direction - miles of empty beach. Who would you like to work with? What wisdom and skills can you share? I encourage you to invest in a I remember talking out loud and thanking God for the child. One of my former bosses always said, “Every blessing of visiting this area and for a beautiful day to child needs someone who is just crazy about them.” I explore the Outer Banks. I thanked Him for the ocean and am rapidly becoming crazy about some children that then I remembered a verse I love. I may never meet in person. Genesis 1:9-10 tells us that God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” Check out Eldera at https://www.eldera.ai and the gathered waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. And it is so good. God is amazing. When He created the ocean, He said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’ Oh, what a great and powerful God we serve. Amen!
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