A row of tin cans sat drying in the sun, each one filled with hollow stems and small openings. What had been headed for the recycling bin was now something else entirely. A child held one up and asked if bees would really live there. An adult nearby smiled and said, we’ll see.

A few days before Earth Day, fifteen people gathered at Resurrection Overland Park to spend the morning outdoors. Some walked slowly through green spaces, picking up trash nestled between blades of grass. Others knelt in the soil, pressing Easter lilies into the ground, along with packets of wildflower seeds chosen to attract pollinators. There was dirt under fingernails and the steady rhythm of simple work. Not complicated—just attention, care, and time.

Off to the side, a table filled with old materials became something like a workshop. Tin cans were transformed into bee hotels. T-shirts, once worn and set aside, were cut and tied into sturdy tote bags. The projects were small, but they carried a certain kind of imagination. Nothing here was wasted. What had been overlooked was given new purpose.

One participant reflected on why it mattered: 

The Earth is God’s creation, and we are invited to take part in its care. We might plant the seed, but God is the one who brings it to life. 

There was something grounding in that idea as hands moved between soil and stems. In a world that often feels marked by chaos and loss, there is still the quiet, steady work of restoration. A flower bud forms. It opens. Life continues.

By the end of the morning, the changes were visible but not dramatic. A cleaner stretch of green space. Freshly planted flowers that had yet to bloom. A few new homes, waiting for bees to find them. It would take time to see what comes next.

For more about how Resurrection engages with care for creation, check out EarthCOR.

Take your next step in serving—locally or globally at Resurrection Missions.