Ministry and Enrichment

I have found that one of the greatest encouragements as a "newbie" in the world of inner-city ministry(or just in missions in general) is talking to those who have been in it and can share experiences and words of encouragement. I have so much to learn and so many areas to grow in!
Today, the Weidman's and I spent the day at a conference here in Detroit. One of the main emphasis of this conference was discipleship, particularly with African Americans. It was so perfect and pertained so much to what we are doing here. I loved how one speaker pointed out that discipleship is a journey, not a program, it's a process, not a product. He then went on to share how Jesus' incarnation was an example to us on how to disciple. He came and lived among us, He didn't just tell us how to live, He showed us.
That is really my goal here. I felt that this speaker spoke what was in my heart and verbalized what I was feeling but didn't know how to put into words. That is how I want to live among the kids and teenage girls I am with. I want to live with them, share life with them, and show them Jesus. Sometimes, it can be discouraging and feel like I am getting no where. But that's when I put things on my time table and not God's. Relationships take time. It cannot happen over night. As far as how things are going in the ministry itself, we had a great week this past week in Kids Club. One of our families came and pretty much ran the events and Bible lesson. It was so great as everything tied into what was being taught during Bible time. Their lesson was called "Good Dog/Bad Dog" and they spoke on how we need to feed the good things and good desires in our lives, not the bad. Because whichever one you feed, will grow. And you want the good dog to be good, not the bad one! The kids really loved it. This is a pic. of them "feeding" the dog in an outdoor activity Tim set up.
I've also had the opportunity this week to get to know one of our neighbors. I've invited the girls to our Bible studies(they are in jr high and high school). I met them in the fall when we moved in and they always greeted me in the morning on their way to school. When I went over to their house to talk to them, their mother invited me in. I talked with her about what we do and she invited me to one of their "Block Meetings". I'm really excited about this as it will be a great way to get connected in the neighborhood and get to know my neighbors. It's amazing how the spring weather brings people out!
Today, I went over to a street that some of our kids live on because the weather was so great and I thought they might be out. Plus, they've wanted one of their friends to come so I thought it would be good to meet her mom. I went over and they were outside. We played some basketball on the street court(a hoop set up in the middle of the street). I think the neighbors were wondering what was up with this white girl playing B-ball with the kids in the 'hood...but some of them already knew me. It was a lot of fun. I love it. I love being here!!
I'm excited about it being spring because it's great being outside, hanging out with the kids... just being here, living life with them.

Yesterday was such a crazy, exhausting, but really good day. It seems that when we schedule to do updates and reports, we like to just get it all done at once! Yesterday, the Weidman's were featured in the morning services of Highland Park Baptist along with other city ministries. We had a table set in the back which I helped "man". It was fun to talk to various people about the ministry and also receive a lot of words of encouragement. We had a few that were interested in helping out. After two services, we went out to lunch with a family who work for Youth for Christ in Detroit. They have been in the city for years(they Weidman's and their family go way back!).
After a very enjoyable lunch for them, we headed back to HP. I got home around four, took a short nap, then we headed back to the church at 5 to do a presentation at Shiloh, the Sunday night service. Three of our volunteers came from this group, so we wanted to give an update and have Kristen(one of the volunteers who is staying on for the summer)share about her experience. It went very well, and again we had some interest. I couldn't believe how exhausted I was at the end of the day though! Talking can wear me out...haha...but it was all worth while. It's always exciting to share about the ministry because it's something I love and believe so strongly in!

Encouraged

I am sitting here writing this after a great night with some of our high school girls. This afternoon, I found myself very discouraged. I was working on the Bible study for tonight and in the process, calling girls to see who was coming. For the second week in a row, a lot of them couldn't make it. It looked like we were down to one girl(and Melissa is gone for the week, so I was the only leader), so I was deciding whether or not to cancel. It was frustrating because it just seemed like we weren't getting any where and the girls were losing interest in coming. I have honestly seen how Satan can bring discouragement to keep us from doing what we're suppose to. So, inspite of how I was "feeling" we had our study. Three girls came, and we had a great time! I was concerned that they wouldn't have fun because of the group dynamics. But they really seemed to. We talked a lot, had a good study in which they were very involved and just enjoyed being together. It reminded me of how important it is to just be there for them. It doesn't always have to be extremely deep or spiritual(though this is good and NEEDED!)-but if they can just see that I genuinely care-and that the love I have for them comes from God-then they will be more open to what I have to say about God. On the way home, Misha was sharing about a boy who she had a class with who was shot and killed over the weekend. I could tell that it really bothered her and she was still dealing with the shock of it. It hurts me to see these young ones have to deal with such struggles. It makes me want to protect them from anything like that. I just have to continually remember that God is bigger than anything they may face. His grace is sufficient-for all things!!
These pictures really don't have anything to do with what I'm writing about...but I thought they would be great ones to share! The first one is the kids following Christ's example of washing each other's feet. The lesson was on servanthood. "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many" The second picture is of HPCO's great leader (and founder!) John Weidman teaching a Bible lesson to the children.