I want to take a second to tell you about our amazing leaders. These leaders are all in! They are diving into the projects. They don't just supervise your kids working but they are digging in along side and I have been amazed! They take every chance to talk to your students, to lift them and encourage them. They are getting to know them and building bonds. I am so thankful for all of them and what they have done this week for the kids and for me and most importantly for the Lord! They are great role models for all of us and you can be so thankful. Thanks to their families and jobs for sharing them with us. God has worked through and in them and it has been a total honor to be with them!
Yesterday was a good day. Work projects are in full swing. The neighborhood Bible study was full of kids and the joy on our kids faces was priceless. They were in there teaching and loving on and playing with those kids! The work crew has been so flexible to travel around and work where they are needed. Yesterday they joined the garden crew and today they will work around the Sunshine offices. The sports camp took their crew downtown to the parks and the New Beginnings team continued to build relationships by reading with the kids, teaching them games and playing as well as helping with math and music. The garden crew is consistently our dirtiest team but maybe the most joyful :) They have really taken ownership of their corner and will leave their mark and the love of Christ.
We heard from a few community speakers in the afternoon. Porsha is a young woman from the neighborhood who grew up at Sunshine. She now attends college and has been our chef this week as she interns all summer. Hers is a story of finding the Lord and finding her way through difficult circumstances and through the generosity and love of God's people. We also heard the testimony of Antwon, a former gang leader but now a leader for Christ. He has many fascinating stories of his life before Christ. What sticks with me is that he explains that he was always supposed to be a leader of men. But it was supposed to be in God's kingdom, not on the streets. God gives us gifts and talents and callings and we have to submit them to him or they will be used to hurt us and others. Powerful testimonies of our loving redeemer.
Then we headed to the beach for an hour of fresh air and fun. It wasn't warm but it was great to be at Lake Michigan. We started by spending a few minutes, each of us alone with the Lord, quiet on the shore. Then there was rock skipping, glass collecting and jumping waves before we headed back for dinner. A much needed pause to breath!
After dinner we went back to New Beginnings Church for worship and the final teaching from Joel. The kids really enjoy his teaching so it was sad to have it end. He showed us biblical examples of oppression and what God says about it. He answered questions and then finished with a discussion on how we talk about these complicated issues. Listening is so important. We can have a tendency to want to explain away tough things or worse, if it is not our experience, we want to tell people that it isn't that bad or they are over-reacting. This is so harmful because it is their story. The best thing we can do is listen and try to understand. When we validate someone's experience, "wow, that must be really difficult" or " i can see why that would make you mad", we let them know that we are listening and they can trust us and we open the door for conversation and reconciliation. When we don't fully listen, get defensive or try to explain it away, we do the opposite.
Some big concepts and new perspectives but your kids are critically thinking and allowing God to move. My favorite part is to hear them share their thoughts after Joel speaks!
A pic of Joel and his wife Paula on their front porch where we eat dinner every night.
Here are a few more testimonies on what this week has meant to them...
"The trip has really been an eye-opener. The difference between my neighborhood and the south side isn't that much. I feel as if they only difference is that there is money in my neighborhood. I see so many homeless people compared to my neighborhood it is disgusting. But it is also a motivator to go out in my own community and help." - Cobi
"This trip has given me a completely new perspective and a new way to look at the less fortunate. The meal share was a really cool experience for me. It really opened my eyes and allowed me to see the homeless in a whole different way. Also experiencing the worship practice completely changed my views on worship as we felt God's presence in the room. I thank God for this amazing opportunity to go on this trip." -Taylor H.
"This trip has been more than I could have ever expected. We were told what would happen but there were so many things that were twice as amazing. The experiences on both the EL train and meal share were at first nerve wracking but they ended up being a really cool way of looking at the city and God in a new light. Walking into the room for our first Chicago meeting, there were many people I really didn't know and now I know most of the people that are here quite well. I've learned many things that I never would have expected about them and I am glad that God put them into my life." - HaileySue
"This week has been eye-opening. As a leader I feel that I have learned just as much as the students. The thing I am most excited about is bringing some of the knowledge from Joel's teaching back home. At the same time I am anxious and nervous about passing on this information in a way that they can see it as we did. The kids have been amazing, being on time, staying together. As a leader we don't have to worry because they have been such a good group." - Eric S.
"This trip has been amazing for all of us! Watching these incredible kids serve with all their hearts and step out their comfort zone has been a blessing to be a part of! We have all been challenged in unique ways through this missions trip and have had to rely on God in many ways, and through all of this, we have grown together as a body of Christ in wonderful ways! God has pushed us to serve together beyond our expectations! What a blessing these kids are and what a God-filled missions experience we are bringing back and living out even more back home! God is amazing!" Kari Halling
"This trip has been ground breaking in that God has broken stereotypes that I had in my mind about the homeless and this community. I thought that people would be mean to me but we are here and I say hi to everyone and everyone says hi back and asks what we are doing and they are so friendly. I feel like I am in my neighborhood, just a little tighter. I used to think that if someone was poor they were lazy and they should get a job but now I know that it is more complicated than that and tragedy and oppression are big causes of poverty. This trip has been ground breaking for me." Cole
There is so much more and tomorrow we will be together. A couple of reminders. We should be pulling into Wooddale at 9am if not a little sooner. Can't wait to see you all there! Reminder that Sunday morning is a celebration service to bring the teams together and you are all invited. 9:45 in the Hillside Room. God has been doing a work and we want to help the kids stay connected to be encouraged in their faith all summer. This Wednesday is Boats & Bonfires. Check out the Senior High calendar for more ways to keep your kids on fire for Christ this summer!
Prayer requests: Please pray for energy and finishing well today. For Bob to rest for our travels. My camera was lost/stolen from one of the teams (it was left and then taken so no one was in danger or pick-pocketed - don't worry!) but we are believing that someone might see the pics and that this is a missions trip and return it. They have all day!
Thank you for your prayers and partnership on this adventure. We have felt them and appreciate you so much. See you tomorrow!!
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