Time is flying!

It's hard to believe that last week, we had our last week of club for the year. We are taking a break for Christmas and will start up again at the beginning of February. Last week, we had Christmas parties with the kids and youth to celebrate the holidays. For Kids Club, we sang Christmas songs, had a Christmas Bible lesson then played some holiday games like "Decorate the human Christmas tree"(you can see Melissa makes a great tree!) and "Pin the nose on Rudolph". Also, the kids made angels by painting their feet(the body) and hands(the wings) Then Friday night, Melissa and I had the junior and senior high girls over to make Christmas cookies, play games and just hang out. It's so great having a home nearby that we can do that at!
I've started to take some of the youth to church with me at a nearby church called Citadel of Faith. It is only a couple of miles down Woodward, so very convenient. The first week, one of my high school girls, Misha, came with me. She wanted to come back the next week and I also had 3 other high school girls ask if they could come and also one of our Junior High boys. So we jumped in the HPCO van and went. They seemed to enjoy it. I felt bad for DeMarco because he was the only boy. But, he went to Sunday school and came out really excited saying that he wants to come back next week. I'm excited about the prospect of getting some of the kids involved with a local church. Misha's grandma told me last week that she wants to come one of these weeks also. The church is great. It mixed about 50/50 with African Americans and whites, but it is definately a city church. Some of the members however, drive in from the suburbs. It's taking some adjusting going to a church in the city. There are so many cultural differences. I'm still praying about where God would have me land and call my home church. Citadel is good in so many ways, I just want to make sure it's the right one. I'm finding that sadly, it's hard to find a church that upholds the Word of God and teaches it faithfully. It seems so many have resorted to teaching what people want to hear. But there I go on a soap box...:o)
Tonight, we are having a volunteer Christmas party(which means I should stop writing and go clean for!). As I was looking at who all was coming I realized how God really answered our prayers. We went from having hardly any men to now having a majority of male volunteers! Which has been great to have them work with our Junior High boys.
It's just so hard to believe we have finished this semester here already. Thank you all for your prayers. I trust you will have a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

New Volunteers and more

Well, I seem to be having more time to write these days. We just finished up Kids Club and I am upstairs in the office while Frank, one of our volunteers leads the Junior High boys. It's amazing. At the beginning of the year, he was handling the boys by himself. There was one night when he had six of them! And they can get a little crazy, as jr high boys do. However, over the last few weeks, we have four new volunteers who are all guys and working with Frank. It's quite a contrast! The good news is that this means we will probably be able to add more guys to the program. Please pray that these new volunteers can commit to the year. They are all excited about the ministry and seem to do well with the guys. At the beginning of the year one of my concerns(I was going to say worries...maybe at time it was a worry?) was that we wouldn't have enough volunteers. Now we have them in abundance, which is so exciting. It's amazing to see how God works. He always provides, as He promises He will do. The picture is of Tim and his daughter Nicole with a couple of our girls, Carolyn and Catrina. The Davis family has been coming for over a year and helping at Kids Club. They add a lot of enthusiasm and creativity to the evening! The kids really love them, and we are so thankful to have them.
Tonight, one of our girls(who also happens to be my neighbor!) shared with us just before we prayed as a group that her younger brother Abram is having open heart surgery tomorrow. He's only four! We prayed for him. If you read this before tomorrow(Nov 17) please pray for this little guy. During the summer, one of our workers, Cassie, worked with the kids on praying outloud. Each day after Bible time, she had a volunteer come up to pray. It was really neat to see them pray in front of everyone. She encouraged them to pray to God anytime, and that it could be more than just praying before a meal. I have decided to keep this up. Tonight, Ajaia(who's brother is having surgery) prayed. It is so great to hear them pray to God in their open, child-like faith.
We are taking next week off of programing. This Saturday, we are delivering Boxes of Love, which are Thanksgiving food baskets to many of our families. Please pray for this great ministry opportunity. Pray that as the food is delivered families will feel the love of Christ and that those delivering would have opportunities to share more than just food with the families!

Ready for a New Week

It's Tuesday, although it feels like Monday! I went home for the weekend and ended up coming down with a bug of some sort, so stayed an extra day. My family totally spoiled me while I was ill! Sunday night, my sister made me some yummy soup and mom baked chocolate chip cookies. Their so awesome! It's great to be feeling healthy again.
We've had a great week here in Highland Park. I've been really encouraged about the time spent with the older girls. We are going through James with the high schoolers. This week, we were in James 2 and had a lot of questions and discussion about the passage. The girls were asking about what it means to show favoritism, how are we suppose to treat those who mistreat us? When we got into our smaller groups one of my girls asked me "If we sin everyday, why do we need to still ask for repentance?" It was a great question and an amazing way to share with her about God's forgiveness and how sin affects our relationship with Him. This week, the passage is on faith and works. Pray about that one! It's a great passage, I just don't want it to be too confusing. It seems that they are still confused about salvation being the result of good works. And yet, there is not an understanding that once you are saved, your life should be changed. It's a hard balance and one that even mature Christians struggle with!
Thank you all for your continual prayers. It was so great to be back at my home church(Forest Hills Bible Chapel) and to receive so much encouragement from everyone. God Bless!

Not in vain

Well, I survived my first "Devil's Night" in Detroit. Uneventful, thankfully. I don't think it's quite what it use to be. There were patrol cars driving all over and well, didn't see any fires!
Life has started to get busy here. I'm beginning to see some of the challenges of inner-city work. Not that I didn't know they were there, but once you experience them, you realize just how much is at stake here and with these young lives. Last night, I found out one of our boys witnessed a shooting/murder. He's only 11Another one of my high school girls is making some bad decisions. She just returned home after being gone for 6-7 months, but then left again. It can all just feel so overwhelming. God just keeps bringing things to mind to encourage me. First off, the reminder that anything these kids learn is not waisted. They may wander away and make poor choices, but at one point, they heard the truth. And God can bring it back to their mind and hearts. Also, that even though the enemy is definately on the prowl here, we know God is much stronger and will be victorious. "What we do in Jesus' name is never in vain" I was thinking this morning about how at one time, I wanted to go into foreign missions. It's so neat how God lead me here. There is such a strong need in the city, yet it is so often forgotten about.
On a more positive note, we had a meeting this Sunday with some young people interested in volunteering. It was really encouraging. At least two of them have already begun to become involved. It is a great answer to prayer to have more volunteers around (and two of them are guys, another answer to prayer!)
Also, my time with the girls is still going great. I took one of our high schoolers out a couple of weeks just to spend some time with her. It was really neat to just talk with her one on one, have some fun and get to know her better. It's something I want to do with all of the girls eventually. Some of the older girls have walls built that it is very hard to get through. It takes time, and a lot of trust building. The junior high girls on the other hand are much more open, but at the same time, your typical goofy junior high girls! Please pray that as we go through the foundations of Christianity with them that they would learn and grow in their walks with Christ, or make a decision to follow Him.
Please keep praying for these kids!!

Yard work!

One of the neighbor boys has been wanting to mow our lawn for awhile, and it really needed it! So on Tuesday he came by and mowed. His siblings(who all come to HPCO) also came and joined in the fun. William racked up the grass and leaves(which included sweeping them with his mom's old broom), and Ajaia helped me bag them(she was all dressed up for her birthday). It was fun being out in the yard, enjoying the nice weather and spending time with the kids. It reminded me of how blessed I am to be here. I also met a couple of teen girls who live two houses down. They came out and joined us for a bit.

Junior High Girls

Last night, we had our first Jr.High girls night. This is something I've been really excited about starting. We have a great group of girls around that age and it's great to start working with them with more mentoring and discipleship. Unfortuantely, my partner in crime (Melissa) was sick last night, so I had the girls on my own. Only four came, which was a good amount. I could tell that at first, they were skeptical as to whether or not they would actually enjoy this. They asked questions like, "Isn't anyone else coming?" "Can I invite a friend?" But once we got here, they seemed to enjoy themselves. It was just a hang out night, since it was our first one. We looked at pics from day camp, had ice cream sundaes and made posters which described ourselves. About a half hour into it, I could see they were having fun. At the end of the night we went out on the swings and played a little game I taught them. One of the girls, Brittany is just transitioning from Kids Club to jr high. Over the last year, she seemed really withdrawn when she was around. I tried to make extra effort to involve her. We played baskeball a lot and hung out(this pic is of her and I)I feel like I can relate with her a lot. She's not very girlly and would rather do sporty stuff. Last night, she really seemed to come out of her shell. She enjoyed being with the girls and was very talkative. Next week, we're starting our Bible study. It's going to be on a series entitled, "Knowing what I believe". One of the girls is totally new to the program, and it does't seem like she has any church background. I'm excited to see where this series takes us and what the girls learn through it.

The Reasons...

After our first night of Kids Club, I am reminded of why I am here. Or better put, why I WANT to be here. I am ultimately here because it's where God has lead me. He has me here for a purpose. It's so amazing to see His plan and the way He works!
Seeing all of our kids again last night energized me like nothing else. I loved it. I was extremely excited to pick them all up and hear all about what they've been up to and all their crazy stories. They are the reason that a white little suburban girl like me moved to a Detroit 'hood!(I've put some pics of my little ones so you can see just how fun they are!) A few days ago, I was calling families to let them know about club. Those I couldn't reach, I went to visit. I saw quite a few of our kids. They were all so excited to be coming back. One of our little boys ran up to me and said "Miss Sawah(has trouble with his "r's"), I remember the song!" and he went on to sing a song from day camp called "I've got confidence", which talks about confidence in God's protection.
The energy level was high last night. The kids all come after a long day of school. They played outside for awhile and enjoyed one of our last beautiful evenings. One of our volunteers, Jennifer, taught the Bible lesson. She presented the Gospel by talking about sin and how it destroys us. The kids then broke up into small groups with the volunteers and went over questions about the lesson.
It is definately stretching for me to be in a leadership position. I am more comfortable with people telling me what to do! But, it is and will be a good growing experience. I realized this week how much being taken out of my comfort zone really forces me to rely on God. John, my boss, has been great about coming along side of me and showing me the way.
Tonight, we start our senior high girl mentoring. I'm getting ready to pick the girls up soon. It's so great to be in the swing of things here. Please pray as to how God will use this school year in the lives of our youth. We really want to build off of all that the kids learned this summer and continue the momentum that we had with them. Also, pray for more volunteers who are willing and committed to the work here. We are especially in need of good strong male leadership to work with our boys. Last weekend, John and I presented HPCO at a couple of churches and got some response from people who were interested in helping out. It was very encouraging, so we'll have to see how that works out.
Well, I better go finish getting things ready for tonight. God bless!

Stories from the 'hood

I thought it would be cool to show off the house God has provided for us here in Highland Park. Besides a few inconvenices (having to take baths, wash hair in sinks etc), it's really been a great place to live! We haven't started programs yet, so things haven't been to exciting in that area. I've just been doing a few things at the office and then working part time at GFS. However I am learning a lot as I am now living in the 'hood and getting adjusted. So I thought I would share some experiences:
1- My first full day of living in Highland Park, I decided to go grocery shopping at the local Save-a-Lot...seeing how saving a lot is exactly what I need to be doing! It was an interesting experience. I had a man offer to help me when going into the store, and a young boy while coming out. I almost took the boy up on the offer, but I only had 3 bags. Plus, I wouldn't even know what to pay him! I am getting use to being one of the few white people around. But sometimes, I notice it more than others. That same day, I went to another grocery store and saw another young white lady. We both walked in that the same time and I'm sure were wondering the same thing "What's she doing here?"
2- Yesterday as I was driving home from work I experienced first hand the affects of bad roads and lots of rain. It was pouring outside and I chose to drive side roads home, thinking it would be quicker. However, John R (a road that runs through the city and into the suburbs) was flooded out in multiple areas. I honestly didn't think my little Corsica would make it a few times. But it pushed through and now I even have a remnant of trash hanging from under my hood. Needless to say, a normally 15 minute drive took over 45
3- The one thing that is really hard to get use to is that I can't just step out the door and go for a walk, or ride my bike. Well, I guess I could...but probably not the safest thing to do.
4- Melissa and I know the family who lives 3 houses down. The kids all came to camp and youth club. It's so fun having them right there. One day, one of the boys William rang our doorbell. When I came down, he said "Ajaia wanted to see you. She didn't believe me that you lived here" So his sister Ajaia came running up and gave me a hug and we sat on the porch and talked for awhile. It's just so cool to be able to live here in the neighborhood with our kids. I know it speaks volumes to them that we are here. At the same time, I know their wondering why we are chosing to live in an area that everybody else is wanting to get out of!
5- As far as what I am learning...I can just sum it up in TRUST TRUST TRUST. There are so many unknowns and scary things about moving here and pretty much starting a new life. But at the same time, I know this is where God has me. He provides daily. He certainly is Jehovah Jirah, my Provider. My best friend really encouraged me last week when we were on the phone. She reminded me of how God PROMISES to provide for His children. He will give us all our needs, it's not an option. Just this week, I have seen God provide in little things. Little reminders that He has not left me alone. Financially, I was able to find car insurance cheaper than what I thought I could (let me tell you, moving to D-town does not normally bring down insurance rates!), and some more financial support has come in. Knowing that He has brought me this far and provided, why do I doubt that He will contine? Yeah, I'm a slow learner... I also am trying to find a home church and small group to get connected in. It's a process for sure. Yet, God keeps bringing little encouragements as needed. I am so thankful for the friendships and relationships He has blessed me with!
All that being said, please pray as we start up programing the first week of October. I am really excited and pumped about being with the kids again. HPCO is really focused on discipleship and small groups. Pray that God will use this year in the lives of all our youth to grow them closer to Himself.

Gonna try to do better with keeping up!

Well, so I haven't really been using this blog. But now that I am actually living in Highland Park and the ministry is starting to roll, I'll try to do better!
That's right, I have moved to Highland Park! Melissa (who also works at HPCO) and I found a great house in the area. It is actually nicer than anything I ever thought I would be living in. It's a huge answer to prayer! It seems nice to finally be settled in one place. But, I'm still getting use to the fact that I live here. It's exciting to be so close to the ministry and also close to the kids. Some of our kids live three houses down from us. They've already been by a few times to visit.
I love how God works. I NEVER EVER thought I would be living in Detroit. It's probably the last place I would have wanted to go. However, right now, it's the one place I want to be. It's a great feeling knowing God has called you somewhere, and then even more amazing to see how He opens the doors for you to be there.
Right now, I am getting settled and learning the ends and outs of my new job at the ministry. Programs don't start until the first week of October. It feels like my job right now consist of support raising. Which is not something I enjoy doing, but need to at the same time!

The summer is ending...

I started this one awhile back, but never actually posted it! Wow, it's neat to look back on how God answered prayer!

It's so hard to believe that we had our last day of day camp almost a week ago! It was seriously a whirlwind of a summer. I am so thankful for all that took place. We averaged around 30 kids a day, which was really, just the right amount! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Today, it's 95 degrees, feeling like 102. It would have been so rough to have camp in this weather. I think the hottest it got was 85-and it only rained once! I love seeing God work in even the little things. Camp could have run with bad weather, but it wouldn't have been as pleasurable!
Next week, we have overnight camp. To be honest, I am dreading this. Last year was rough and I am dreading a repeat. I ended up in the ER with 5 stitches on the last night. Not such a good memory. If you think of it, please pray for us! I want to have a good attitude and not walk in expecting the worse. I'm hoping this week will give me an opportunity to get to know some of our girls better.
I'm also beginning to panic, but only slightly, about my living situation in the fall. Currently, I don't have any set place, only some possibilities. I also don't have a lot of support in, so will probably need to start off with a part time job. It's kinda scary to have so much up in the air. But, God has been leading one step at a time. He doesn't like to show me what's gonna happen a mile ahead, only a foot. Trust Trust Trust- don't you love it when He leaves you with no other option?

Purpose of this blog

So I'm slowly becoming one of those people who blog in hopes that somebody actually cares about my life...or something like that! I've actually decided to start this blog in order to keep everyone updated on what is happening at Highland Park Community Outreach this summer during day camp. So many great things are going on, and I want to be able to share them. I'm also excited about working at HPCO in the fall and continuing the amazing ministry that is taking place there.
HPCO is a ministry in Highland Park, MI (a suburb of Detroit) that reaches inner-city youth in that area. Highland Park is a struggling community that has been overtaken by poverty, alcohol abuse and drugs. This is what our youth here are surrounded by everyday. It is so exciting to be able to work with them and give them hope, which ultimately comes only from Jesus Christ. God has given me a heart to reach these young lives. I love them so much and want to share the love of God with them. I know that is the only thing that can change them and cause them to lead better lives.
God brought me to Highland Park in the fall of 2004. I had felt called to work with inner-city youth so was more than happy to get involved. I've worked with the teenagers on Friday nights during the school year and with the younger kids during the summer at day camp (which is what we are in the middle of now).
Day camp is great because we are with the kids for a longer amount of time and can not only encourage them spiritually, but we also spend time on education, art, sports and praise dance. The kids love it! They look forward to coming everyday. Their enthusiasm is contageous and I look forward to seeing them! We also have a great group of staff who all love the kids and do a great job with them.
Due to the fact that I graduated this spring (yeah!!), I am able to work at HPCO on a more full time basis this fall. I plan on raising support and Lord willing, starting in September. This is such an answer to prayer. It's so neat to see how God leads and then opens doors! It truly is my dream job!!
So, I am going to attempt to keep this updated on what God is doing this summer as well as what He will be doing in the fall and what my roll will be in Highland Park.
God Bless!