Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Damar Experience
I have almost complete all four weeks of my internship at Damar. I remember the very first day I heard what my job would be I got butterflies in my stomach. I was told I would be working with boys ages 15-18. I didn't expect to be working with just boys especially boys that are not that much younger than me. The first day I just followed one of the staff members around and probably seemed pretty shy. (I guess I probably was.) I would ask the occasional seemingly shy kids a few questions, but for the most part I was all about stepping back and observing. I wasn't sure how the rest of the summer would go, but I prayed from the beginning for respect from them and for fun times with them.
As the weeks went on, I got more accustom to their summer school schedule. I got to go on outings with them and just get to know the guys more. It took awhile for some of them to warm up, but after they did it became easy to joke with them and have fun. For some of the boys it wasn't until this very week. My heart breaks for these boys who have awful backgrounds and broken hearts themselves. It has been an emotional experience for me. I wish I could just put all these kids into loving families, but that's just unreal.
Even during Mission Indy weeks I think about the Damar boys. Seeing how well the youth groups bond made me think of the Damar boys and how different their lives would be with families that love them and even more changed with Christ!Last week I became frustrated with myself because I hadn't told the Damar guys about what's truely important to me, Jesus! However, this week I was able to do that with some of them and I found out one of them is getting baptized! I am so excited for him. I pray that the Lord plants a seed in all of these boys lives and waters them somehow. It seems impossible, but nothing is impossible with Christ!
Prayer Requests:
I have two more days with these boys and then we are putting on a VBS for them. I am working on teaching the lessons with Andrew. I am nervous, because it's older kids and a lot of times they have a hard time paying attention, but I pray God speaks through us. Please be praying for us!
As the weeks went on, I got more accustom to their summer school schedule. I got to go on outings with them and just get to know the guys more. It took awhile for some of them to warm up, but after they did it became easy to joke with them and have fun. For some of the boys it wasn't until this very week. My heart breaks for these boys who have awful backgrounds and broken hearts themselves. It has been an emotional experience for me. I wish I could just put all these kids into loving families, but that's just unreal.
Even during Mission Indy weeks I think about the Damar boys. Seeing how well the youth groups bond made me think of the Damar boys and how different their lives would be with families that love them and even more changed with Christ!Last week I became frustrated with myself because I hadn't told the Damar guys about what's truely important to me, Jesus! However, this week I was able to do that with some of them and I found out one of them is getting baptized! I am so excited for him. I pray that the Lord plants a seed in all of these boys lives and waters them somehow. It seems impossible, but nothing is impossible with Christ!
Prayer Requests:
I have two more days with these boys and then we are putting on a VBS for them. I am working on teaching the lessons with Andrew. I am nervous, because it's older kids and a lot of times they have a hard time paying attention, but I pray God speaks through us. Please be praying for us!
Mission Indy week 3
I can't believe we are already done with week three. Only one more week of mission indy for the summer 09 staff. This last mission indy took place (7/12-7/18) at Chapel Rock C.C.
The very first day we met the four different youth groups, I felt like they were already warming up to us and excited about the week. It could have been because one of the youth groups had come the summer before. It was great to see them return and be excited about what we were going to be doing. There were about 12 people in each youth group. 3 groups from Illinois and one from Indy. There seemed to be so many names to learn, but I got the privilege of being in charge of the name game so I learned them pretty quickly.
When it was time for our skit of the night, they actually laughed...on the first night! (All the interns were pretty excited about that!)The first night I prayed that the youth groups would learn something from this week and take it back with them.(By the middle of the week it was obvious they were learning)
The second day for me started at 5:15 in the am. I actually woke up to run with some of the other interns. It definitely takes discipline, which is something I hope to work on starting now, but especially this semester at school.
Our daily wake up routine, POWER UP, went great especially for a Monday. They laughed at the skit, participated in our "yoga", and enjoyed the songs. Then we broke off into our groups for the week. This was my first and only week not to do a VBS. Tracy and I had the worksite that we started on the first week. Let me remind you that the first week of Mission Indy (after VBS) was an entire week of scrapping for our group. It was hard work, especially because the house looked worse when they left than when they came. (If you scroll down there is a picture of the little white house)The third week, our group of 8 was ready to prime and paint the house. I had fun working with them as well as playing 21questions all day! I learned a lot of NFL and NBA history.
The third day began to get a little challenging. It was the same work as Monday and it was harder to keep us all motivated. Tracy and I had a hard time keeping positive. That night we decided we needed to examine ourselves and pray. We wanted to be encouragers and not just focusing on getting the house done. Although that is a great goal, that is not Mission Indy's goal. It's more about making relationships and learning together about serving the Lord. The next day we apologized to the group and prayed with them. Like I've said before, it's always amazing to watch God work after being vulnerable with one another. Tracy was a huge encouragment to me the whole week. God knew I needed encouragement and it came at just the right time. I am so glad she was on the site with me.
Wednesday I gave my devotion in the morning about Honor. I talked about worldly honor vs. Godly honor. In this world we honor celebrities, athletes, rich, successful but God honors the poor, the meek, the persecuted, and the least of these. (Matt. 5:3-10) Total opposites. As i was doing these devotions, Kelsey helped me and we just were shocked at how blind we can be to these things. The whole time I waa preparing I was praying God would speak to even just one person in the room. Later, that night one of the boys came up to me and told me it really spoke to him. God went even farther than I expected by showing me he used me.
The rest of the week went well. We finished the house and the house owner, Mrs. Regulus, was very happy to have us there! The kids only got to meet her once, but it was enough to help them feel purposeful. The youth groups mixed well together..so well that I could hardly identify which group was which. The kids enjoyed the week and some said they would even consider being Mission Indy interns! God continues to bless us each week. I am getting pretty tired and am ready for a break, but I will be sad when it comes to an end. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Gal. 6:9
Prayer Requests
-This past week was a great week of growth and bonding, but there were also many trials. One father and daughter, Chris and Bridgette, lost there wife and mother this past week. She had been sick for several years and the family was trying to live an as normal life as possible, but her death was not expected. It was very sudden to them and sad that they weren't there. They left early along with their good family friend and youth minister,Andy. It was a hard time for them as well as the youth group. We were all shocked. It was great to see the other youth groups mourn with them and come along side them. The group left early for the visitation. Please pray for encouragement and comfort through the Lord! Thanks!
The very first day we met the four different youth groups, I felt like they were already warming up to us and excited about the week. It could have been because one of the youth groups had come the summer before. It was great to see them return and be excited about what we were going to be doing. There were about 12 people in each youth group. 3 groups from Illinois and one from Indy. There seemed to be so many names to learn, but I got the privilege of being in charge of the name game so I learned them pretty quickly.
When it was time for our skit of the night, they actually laughed...on the first night! (All the interns were pretty excited about that!)The first night I prayed that the youth groups would learn something from this week and take it back with them.(By the middle of the week it was obvious they were learning)
The second day for me started at 5:15 in the am. I actually woke up to run with some of the other interns. It definitely takes discipline, which is something I hope to work on starting now, but especially this semester at school.
Our daily wake up routine, POWER UP, went great especially for a Monday. They laughed at the skit, participated in our "yoga", and enjoyed the songs. Then we broke off into our groups for the week. This was my first and only week not to do a VBS. Tracy and I had the worksite that we started on the first week. Let me remind you that the first week of Mission Indy (after VBS) was an entire week of scrapping for our group. It was hard work, especially because the house looked worse when they left than when they came. (If you scroll down there is a picture of the little white house)The third week, our group of 8 was ready to prime and paint the house. I had fun working with them as well as playing 21questions all day! I learned a lot of NFL and NBA history.
The third day began to get a little challenging. It was the same work as Monday and it was harder to keep us all motivated. Tracy and I had a hard time keeping positive. That night we decided we needed to examine ourselves and pray. We wanted to be encouragers and not just focusing on getting the house done. Although that is a great goal, that is not Mission Indy's goal. It's more about making relationships and learning together about serving the Lord. The next day we apologized to the group and prayed with them. Like I've said before, it's always amazing to watch God work after being vulnerable with one another. Tracy was a huge encouragment to me the whole week. God knew I needed encouragement and it came at just the right time. I am so glad she was on the site with me.
Wednesday I gave my devotion in the morning about Honor. I talked about worldly honor vs. Godly honor. In this world we honor celebrities, athletes, rich, successful but God honors the poor, the meek, the persecuted, and the least of these. (Matt. 5:3-10) Total opposites. As i was doing these devotions, Kelsey helped me and we just were shocked at how blind we can be to these things. The whole time I waa preparing I was praying God would speak to even just one person in the room. Later, that night one of the boys came up to me and told me it really spoke to him. God went even farther than I expected by showing me he used me.
The rest of the week went well. We finished the house and the house owner, Mrs. Regulus, was very happy to have us there! The kids only got to meet her once, but it was enough to help them feel purposeful. The youth groups mixed well together..so well that I could hardly identify which group was which. The kids enjoyed the week and some said they would even consider being Mission Indy interns! God continues to bless us each week. I am getting pretty tired and am ready for a break, but I will be sad when it comes to an end. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Gal. 6:9
Prayer Requests
-This past week was a great week of growth and bonding, but there were also many trials. One father and daughter, Chris and Bridgette, lost there wife and mother this past week. She had been sick for several years and the family was trying to live an as normal life as possible, but her death was not expected. It was very sudden to them and sad that they weren't there. They left early along with their good family friend and youth minister,Andy. It was a hard time for them as well as the youth group. We were all shocked. It was great to see the other youth groups mourn with them and come along side them. The group left early for the visitation. Please pray for encouragement and comfort through the Lord! Thanks!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Fill us up and Send us Out
It's time for another Mission Indy week. This week we will be packing up and heading out to Hazelwood Christian Church.(in a rural setting) Elizabeth Heuss and I will be leading the VBS in the mornings. I found that out last Tuesday, so please pray for our week and specifically for our VBS lesson to go smoothly. I will let you know how the week goes when we return! Matt. 28:19-20
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This update is way past due but I just haven't found time this week. I'm sure you guys were anxiously awaiting my next post. Last week (6/28-7/4) we had three youth groups come to mission indy: Hazelwood's own youth group, a group from Grayson Kentucky, and one from Hunington. There were about 50 kids and a lot more names to learn. We were more prepared for this week since we had already done one. However,It took a little longer for these groups to understand our humor. But there's no doubt that when we rapped our good night song to wish them a peaceful sleep, that we broke them in.
Monday morning came around and we made our way to the Country Mannor tailor park to prepare for VBS. Most of the kids had never experienced something like a VBS before, which was the point of doing it there. A few people in management at the tailor part go to a church down the road and are trying to make more of a community at Country Mannor than just a place to live. It's really a great mission and I'm glad we were a part of it. Seeing the goal of the ladies in management showed me that you can work for God even in every area of your life.
Elizabeth and I were a little nervous to perform our VBS lesson for the Grayson youth group, but even they seemed to enjoy it so we were more excited for the kids to come. The first day, Monday, is always a day to prepare for the week. A boy named Eddie (9) and his sister, Cassidy (6) came on the practice day. I was worried they would be bored seeing the same lesson the next day, but they loved it espcially the attention from the whole youth group.
The first day was great even though they expected at least 50 kids and we got 20ish. We've found that's how is usually turns out, but we are then able to get to know kids better. When we asked questions about creation,Adam and Eve, and How God made us special they seemed to understand and were quick to answer questions. But when we talked about Jesus a lot of them didn't know about Him, which kinda surprised us. The next day was the last and we knew we would need to say just the right things so the kids would start to understand what Jesus did for us. We prayed a lot about it and had others praying for us. We practiced a little the night before and let God work the next day.
We're not really sure if all the kids understood, but we know a few got it and that in itself was an answer to prayer. A lot of the kids did not want to leave. We just pray that those kids stay connected to the church that's trying to reach out to them. It was such a blessing through the week to watch the Grayson youth group interact with the kids. They also didn't want to leave at the end of the week. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
PRAISE:
We were excited to see a mother of one the of VBS kids get baptized. She said she had been thinking about it for a long time and it was time. We didn't see the mom after that, but she is connected with the church.
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