Your
heart and commitment to pray for us this summer has born much fruit
for the kingdom.
Thank you.
We are
reflective right now about all God did; we are following up on kids
and families who made critical decisions this summer and saying good
bye to summer interns who are making long treks back home.
And for
me .. I am leaving tonight (Saturday,
August 3rd) with my daughter Heather to
Haiti ... our gift to her
for her college graduation.
Heather loves Haiti and has many dear Haitian friends.
Wayne and Ian are staying behind to hold down the fort. Would
you mind praying for our family as we seek to spend some really
important time together after a great, but long summer.
So
here are some last updates until we
start up again in the Fall.
On May 30th you began
praying for SUMMER INTERNS AND SUMMER STAFF
Thank you for
loving them this way. A few of them had a chance before they left
for their next steps to describe for you what God did with and
through them this summer.
Allison
Nagle, Sarah Leon, John Spencer, Chris Brewster, Rojelio Urias
... you
prayed that they would learn spiritual, emotional and practical
lessons for running the long race ...
John
Kids
Club was amazing ... On the first day, I noticed a kid who didn't
behave as well. He would occasionally talk back to me or throw
pencils across the classroom. At times he seemed angry and at other
times simply sad. But, during the Bible studies and messages, he
would listen intently and occasionally ask questions. There was
another boys who I had a chance to spend time with and talk with on
the us ride to our filed trips. Over time, I realized that he had
never really understood what God's grace was all about. After asking
him if he wanted to have Jesus in his heart, as his Lord and Savior,
he said he wanted to think about it. Realizing it was an important
decision; he wanted to contemplate whether he truly desired to live
for Christ.
So, on
one of the last days of the second week of Kid's Club, I pulled both
of them aside. What began as a conversation about family and pain
and sin, soon turned to the love and mercy of God. I explained how
Christ had died for them how he had risen from the dead and what it
meant to have him as their Lord and Savior. Both of them prayed to
receive Christ that Afternoon.
A few
weeks later, roughly sixty children, grades fourth through sixth
attended Kid's Camp in Payson, Arizona. It was here that I was
reminded that I was a small part of a larger work that God is doing
in Phoenix. I listened to leaders describe break throughs that were
occurring in their cabins and how, being away from their environment
was allowing kids to pray about and process what was going on in
their lives. I began to look forward to the morning and evening
worship service, because of how passionately the kids would sing
praises. Although I typically work with sixth graders, I had a group
of fourth graders. Yet the depth of their answers surprised me.
After the first two days, kids began to open up about their families
and would request prayer for their parents or brothers or sisters.
On one night two kids who have grown up in our ministry chose to
receive Christ. Again, it was a great reminder of how God can heal
whole families, how he can work miracles and how he is a Father to
the fatherless.
There
were difficult moments through this summer, as well. Although I have
reason to rejoice, I had moments of breaking up fights or
disciplining kids for misbehaving. One of the kids that I typically
work with was sent home from camp after a few days. But I've been
learning that the heartache involved in loving these kids will lead
me to trusting God with reckless abandon. It's true that times can
get difficult, but we serve a sovereign God who knows what he's
doing.
Allison
This summer I have truly seen the difference of Jesus changing
lives. During Kids Camp I co-counseled a group of 6th grade girls
who all have extremely difficult problems at home. One girl,
"Leslie" comes from a family entangled in drug use and gang
violence. The entire camp I marveled at the way Jesus Christ is
changing the heart of this precious girl from anger and
defensiveness to trust, forgiveness and love. She worshipped with
joy in barn time and listened intently to the Bible stories of how
God gives his people courage. When asked what she'd do if Jesus came
to Phoenix, she sincerely replied, "I'd wash his feet". She told our
cabin that 2 Corinthians 5:17 ".. if any man be in Christ he is a
new creation ... the old life has gone, the new life has come."
means to her that God is taking the hate away from her life.
It
does not matter who comes to Jesus or how terrible their past. Jesus
seeks the broken, the lost, the wounded and turns ashes to beauty. A
real encounter with Jesus is life-changing. He continues to rescue
and change us all. Thank you for your loving commitment to prayer.
Your sister in Christ,
Allison
Chris
Mark 8:34-35
" -- If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up
his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will
loose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save
it."
Besides the selfish longings for the comfort of home and for the
security of orderly and predictable life, I had to deny myself the
desire to force children through fleshly manipulation to conform to
my "biblically informed" standards of conduct. Not that my desire to
help provide an environment that was loving, safe, respectful, fair,
etc was wrong in itself ... but the flesh-powered method of doing
so, with the critical and impatient state of my heart, constantly
tainted efforts that really weren't bad in and of themselves.
Loosing my life for the gospel proved to be more than giving up
selfish wants for comfort and ease, but also loosing my grip on the
tools of human effort. When I threw myself at the foot of the cross
and found that my best efforts to clean up my life, and the lives of
others was what brought Christ to the cross, His ministry was
powerful. When I manipulated, yelled, threatened, then my heart was
poisoned. However, when I prayed, "Lord help me die!", servant
leadership flowed out of me.
Selina
Alonzo, Ian Danley, Ulises Sandoval, Dallas Ryan, Kristen Martin
.
... you
prayed that these leaders who were carrying major camps or programs
would be strengthened in stamina, leadership, decision making and
protection from the enemy ...
Selina
Thank you for your prayers. I started out this summer believing that
God would use me. Even though I was tired, afraid and uncertain of
things to come I knew that God had freed me up to have this
opportunity this summer. The amazing thing is that God, in his mercy
and grace, taught me many life lessons this summer.
Jr
high camp was great. We had a blast and although I was caught up in
the worry of directing a camp and details it is only the sweet
memories that I will forever remember. The holy spirit was alive and
at work there. Watching the kids and leaders worship, laugh and play
together was a real gift. Throughout the whole camp God reminded me
of how he takes care of me and loves me. I felt like everyday there
was a visible and tangible answer to prayer.
I
signed on this summer feeling that my responsibility was Jr. High.
But as that camp came and went I soon realized that God intended to
teach me this summer just not use me.
During kids club my little sister was able to come. This is a huge,
huge deal. She was in the 5th grade class and was able to hear the
Gospel. Her heart fell in love with this place. When I came to
Christ I always felt like it was my responsibility to bring it home.
I always felt like I had to save my family and when it didn't work I
grew frustrated. But yet I had forgotten that Jesus Christ's death
on the cross was not only big enough but the only way to do it. So,
my sister came and my parents noticed. My family was blessed by it.
In fact they loved it. My sister had such a great time and everyday
was so excited as she shared the things she had done that day. My
parents even came to the office one day to pick me up and they met
my other family here and shared sweet words of gratitude for kids
club. They were actually only in the office for about five minutes
but for eternity I will remember it. I will remember because its not
about me or anything I did this summer with Jr High, Kids Club,
Mexico or Kids Camp. It was all about the precious gift of God,
about His sacrifice.
thank you for always praying for me and for my family!
love, selina
Dallas
I think one of
the biggest things God has been showing me is that he wants us to
love each other. Obviously, right? but, really, I think that it can
be the first thing we lose sight of. Sometimes the task at hand, our
busyness in preparing for the next thing, can get in the way of just
simply loving someone else. I don't want to lose sight of that.
Also, I feel like
God is calling me to serve him with the talents he's given me. I
don't really know what that means, whether it is with photography or
music, or something else, I just know that he's put something inside
me that makes me want to tell others and show others the piece of
God that I understand. Right now I believe that one of these ways is
in the form of a Community Art Center that a group of young people
and I want to start here at Neighborhood Ministries -- to be able to
share Christ, and nurture and encourage the artistic spirit and
expression of people who don't have opportunity. And also, I love
Jesus and Jesus loves me.
Andy Allen,
Diane Crew, Sarah Curry, Andrea Magri, Victor Lopez, Joy Turner
... you
prayed that their hearts would be tested for the kingdom, for
direction, for rest, for reflection and for breakthroughs ...
Andy
This summer I came into this internship seeking to try something
new. I had an almost, "been there done that" mentality, meaning that
I thought I knew it all since I have been around for so long. So
it's always funny because I bet God was up there with a big smile on
His face knowing what was ahead for me. This summer stretched me in
so many different ways and tested everything I knew. I was faced
with so many new challenges and obstacles. Looking back that is very
awesome because even after doing this ministry for 6 years I am
still being stretched and taught new things by God. I loved getting
to plan and be in more of an administrative role this summer. Kit
always gives me a hard time because always around this time I say
how this is going to be my last summer ... well I know now that most
likely this isn't my last summer because I have a home here.
Sarah
I've
learned a lot about love ... learning how to attempt to love these
kids in a Christ-like fashion has created a ripple effect in the
other areas of my life (future plans, relationships with family and
friends) where the love from this community I have received and been
trying to reciprocate has washed over the plans for my life --
purifying and changing them intentionally -- slowly and calmly.
Joy
I have been
overwhelmed this summer with the vast extent of God's grace and love
for ALL people. The opportunity to serve with Neighborhood
Ministries has opened my eyes and heart to a world I never knew
existed before. As I go home to North Carolina, I hope to share with
others all God has taught me this summer and put into practice in my
own life the love and grace I have experienced here.
Kids
Camp was our last organized event. I noticed that this camp is now
a familiar place for our kids, as they casually walk their
belongings to their cabins, or play in the creek. They aren't
afraid of the media images of the mountains where monster men with
chain saws lurk behind the wooded trees anylonger. In fact, they
tell the story of the mother skunk with her babies or the year a
bear was outside the Hill cabin, or the rattle snake Dallas
As
the week went on kids would come up to me to recite their "verse"
... this courage challenge! I would smile and hope these words
would live beyond camp ... the last morning of worship while I was
cleaning and sorting left over clothes, I heard the barn time was
rocking with worship. "Now who would lead us", Dallas asked "in our
courage challenge". A young man, one of the older at camp, one who
has been invested in greatly and who had a rough summer, until camp
... rose up, "I will" .. He went to the mike ... and he shouted
louder than I ever had leading the 65 kids and their leaders ... "I
have many challenges" and all the kids shouted back 