Get Up! Get Up! Get Your Praise On!

Hello there friends! Its been awhile since I have been able to update.

The past week has been quite an adventure. Things are finally starting to settle back down a little after the shooting in Overtown, but this tragedy definitely took its toll on our children. Immediately after this event, there was a marked difference in their behavior. There still is, and I am afraid that this is something that these kids will continue to deal with for quite awhile. Although it is hard to have that extra bit of patience, grace, and compassion sometimes, I have learned a lot from the experience of having to dig way down deep and rely on God to find the strength to deal with this situation. I began to think though... It was so hard for me to give even a little extra patience and compassion to these children who needed it so badly. But each one of us IS that child to God. We are the ones who need the "extra patience and compassion" from God. No matter how much extra we need from God, He never ever runs out of patience and compassion for His children. If we are truly to be like Christ, oru patience and compassion toward others should never run out. We should have a never ending supply of it, overflowing out of our hearts for others.

So as I said before this week has been filled with adventure and it's funny how things happens sometimes. Here's the story... On Monday last week I was filling out my mid summer evaluation. One of the questions was, If you could change one thing about your experience what would you change? My response was something to this effect: "I wish I could spend a little more time with the kids at camp." As the saying goes... You get what you ask for. The next day, one of our interns had to return home suddenly. Because I am the only person who is trained to run the food service, I had to continue my old job, as well as taking on the job of being the leader of the 3rd and 4th Grade group of campers. To those of you who I asked to pray, Thank you so much! Your prayers were definitely felt. This group of campers, who have a reputation of being the worst behaved group at camp, was as angelic as anyone could have asked them to be for the entire week. There is only one word I can think of to describe this: miraculous! Last week could have been so disastrous, hectic, and stressful for me. But instead, I was able to handle all of my jobs without going completely crazy. All I can say is, GOD IS AWESOME!! So now I have 20 absolutely beautiful children to take care of for the remainder of the summer... and I am PUMPED about it!

God is really working in the children and teenagers of Overtown right now. He is daily increasing their hunger for the Word and their passion and desire to worship Him through song. Last week, our Music time had a bit of a HipHop/Gospel feel to it. The kids learned dances and lyrics to the music and were given CD's with all the music at the end of the week. This past weekend when I had the chance to take some kids on a special outing, that CD was all they wanted to listen to. Not only did they remember the dances and lyris they had learned, they also knew which songs corresponded to which track numbers. My favorite song says this... Get up! Get up! Get your praise on! You got a reason to lift up your hands! Hearing my kids sing this song over and over and over again made me smile the biggest smile you have ever seen made my heart feel the warmest its ever been. I Cant even begin to explain the feeling to you. It was music to my ears, and I know, without a doubt, that God was overjoyed to hear those little voices singing joyfully!

A few other side notes about this past week:

--I got to take four awesome kids to some Marlins games over the weekend. We got 17th row seats behind home plate and reserved parking! We treated them really special and had a great time!!
--I am really excited that I got to write a thousand + dollar check last Thursday on our field trip to the Seaquarium!
--I cant believe that my time in Miami is almost up. Sad day.
--I am taking a day trip to Key West this Saturday. Wooo!
--In case you havent heard, I went out on a boat last Saturday. I got 3rd degree sunburns from head to toe (literally), despite the fact I put on SPF 50 suncreen 3x. I was so burnt that I couldnt even walk without limping. Ouch.
--Sorry I am such a slacker and dont put up pictures on here. Honestly, I dont know how to and am too lazy to try to figure it out. Maybe if I find some motivation in the next few days, I will put up some super cute videos for you to see. :) Get excited!!

Please pray for:

--My team and I as we continue our ministry in Overtown
--A smooth transition for me as I continue to juggle two job positions at camp
--My fellow summer missions friends who are also getting ready to come back to NC
--the TML staff who will remain after we have gone back home

Grace and Peace.

Joy Comes in the Morning

Words to describe this past week: rough, emotionally draining, sad, crazy, fun, awesome, awful, wonderful, devastating... REALLY??

Here is a short summary of the happenings:

On Monday morning, my team and I all got up, eager to start a new week with our kids. As I was driving the six of us to work, I noticed that there were police cars and crime scene tape ahead. We took a detour and wondered what in the world might have happened. The crime scene was about 5-6 blocks in area. We prayed. Not too long after that, the news came. Some folks had shot up a birthday party the night before. Twelve people were injured, but everyone seemed to be doing okay based on preliminary reports. Then, one victim died on Wednesday-- a 21 year female.

The week continued on and things started to get better... until this morning. The second shooting victim died.

(http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1135777.html) He was a popular kid in the neighborhood, the boyfriend of an active TML teen, a star football player at the local high school. How much worse could things get?

Many of the teens who help run our day camp ended up going home for the day. The news was too much for them to swallow... too much for anyone to swallow. Many of the teens were at the party. Some were still there when the shooting happened. They are shaken. They are upset. They realize that any of the injured or dead just as easily could have been them.

This week has been a hard one for our kids, as well. Behavior problems and discipline issues were at an all time record high... during a week when my patience was already running low.

Its hard to make sense out of a tragedy like this. Its hard to make sense of it especially when it hits so close to home. Its hard to make sense of it when you look both to the left and straight ahead, and all you see is crime scene tape and people loooking on trying to figure out what just happened in their neighborhood.

Some people say that this is nothing new for Overtown. That everyone is used to stuff like this happening in the inner city. True. They are used to it, but that doesnt make it any easier to deal with. That doesnt make it any easier to lose a friend, a neighbor, a family member.

Thats why I am here though. I am here to be extra patient with children and teenagers, even when I dont think I have any patience left in me. I am here to give extra love to children and teenagers, even when I dont think I have any love left in me. I am here to encourage, support, and be the caring, kind, and compassionate face of Christ to the hurting, the grieving ,and the broken who surround. I am here to hurt, grieve, and be broken right along side those who are experiencing those emotions. And when someone rejoices or celebrates, I will rejoice and celebrate right along with them.

This is what the body of Christ does. We rejoice with one another in the good times, and we grieve with one another in the hard times.

Now is a time for grieving. But wait! Lets not forget... "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again. Rejoice!"

So in the coming days, we will be grieving alongside the community of Overtown, but also ministering to and supporting them, reminding them that "joy will come in the morning", and reminding them of the healing power that can be found in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the myself and the other TML staff members as we seek out an appropriate response to the events of this past week, and do our best to be Christ for those around us during a tough time.

(Still LOVING it here!!)

Grace and Peace.

Life in the Hood

Welcome to Overtown.

Here's a link where you read about last night's adventure in Overtown. It happened one block away from the TML building where we have camp. Three whole blocks are still surrounded by crime scene tape.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1129143.html

Pray for Overtown and TML.

And Justice for All?

Hello friends! I hope this finds you well. I am loving Miami and I am loving what I am doing! I truly believe that God has me right where He wants me for the summer, and although things aren't always easy, I am finding myself to be always filled to overflowing with the love of God. I just wanted to share with you, a conversation I had with a sixth grader at camp yesterday. I can't seem to get it off my mind.

This past week I was blessed by some wonderful help each morning as I did my daily breakfast duty. Her name was Angie. Yesterday morning, as I served breakfast, one of my favorite (oops! Youre not supposed to have those!) campers and children of God, Titi, came up and stood in between us with his hands wrapped around our shoulders. We carried on some casual "Hows the weather?" type conversation with him for a few minutes and then Angie began to ask Titi something about the shirt he had on. Since I was trying so diligently to make my tally marks at just the right angle to please the feds (not kidding. they care.) I tuned the conversation out for a few minutes, content knowing that Titi was being given the attention he deserved. Upon reentering the conversation this is what I hear...

Angie: You know what happens when you go the swamp dont ya?
Titi: (shaking head) Nope.
Me: You get eaten by a gator?!?
Titi: You knows what happens when you come to Overtown?
(Angie and I throw out all kinds of answers trying to find the right one. Fail.)
Me: Oh Titi! Is this some kind of silly riddle youre telling us?
Titi: You get shot.

You get shot? To some this answer may seem exxagerated and shocking, but others know full well that this answer is the all too common reality of life for Titi and the other children of Overtown, Enderly Park in Charlotte, Waco Texas, East St, Louis Illinois, and the other unnnamed inner city areas and pockets of poverty that are becoming all too common right in our own backyards. Please dont tell me that allowing children, teenagers, or any other person for that matter, to live under these conditions is just. Where is the "justice for all" that America has promised. I dont see it. If allowing these children and their families to continue in the cycle of poverty that they were born into or found themsleves wrapped up in is just, then I wonder what "unjust" conditions look like. And whats worse? Our federal government cares more about whether I follow the crazy rules of their food service program (see previous post) than they do about actually giving people the empowering assistance that they need to get back on their feet.

This is why Touching Miami with Love, Mission Waco, Hyaets, the CAC, and many other unnamed ministries and charirable organizations exist- to share with others the love of Christ and the freedom that can be found in that unimaginable love, and to loosen the chains of injustice that plague our society in order to be able to better share the freedom that can be found in Jesus Christ with those around us. We cant simply sit back, say that we support a certain ministry, and expect them to bear our portion of the workload for us. We ALL have to do our part. Until then, injustice will remain a part of our country and world, and the name of Jesus Christ will continue to be unheard of in the marginalized parts of the Earth.

Complacency is NOT an option.

(This post probably seems a little incomplete... because it is! Another post will follow which explores the Christian response to the poor and what the Bible says about this issue. This is something that I have been thinking on a lot lately, and hope my thoughts have raised some questions in you mind, as well.)

Please pray for:

--the people of Overtown

--people who live in poverty all over the world

--TML and other ministries who work to advocate for and empower the poor.

Grace and Peace.