Sorry that I havent written in awhile... last week was so much busier than I ever anticipated that it could be. Let me just say, though, that God has been doing some really awesome stuff and I am so excited that I got to be a part of it this summer. I have loved being the leader of the 3rd and 4th graders over the past few weeks even though it has been very stressful at times. I have grown to love those kids in a way that I thought would never be possible and it has been so wonderful to see God working in their lives and changing them throughout the summer. I could write for hours and hours about the many ways I have seen this, but I just want to share with you one short example for now. I am sure more will come as I process all that God has allowed me to experience this summer.
Let's go back to the first few weeks of camp when Miss Maria was only known as the Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Lady... not as the leader of the Dolphins group. Each morning as the kids came into camp and got their breakfast, I always made to take time to have a short conversation with each child, hoping that this would help me build relationships with them even though I wasnt going to be around the kids very much. As relationships grew, many friendships were formed, trust was built, and some kids even let me them a hug before I handed their breakfast over. However, this was not the case with a young lady from the Dolphin group named Wilniya. Wilniya has lived a very difficult life thus far, and has a very hardened heart and personality. So on several occassions throughout the first three and a half weeks of camp, I would greet Wilniya with a pat on the back and say, "Good morning Wilniya! How are you today?" And each time, she would jerk her shoulder and in her raspy voice respond, "Don't touch me!" Sometimes I really began to think that there was no hope for this little. She was defiant and disrespectful in every way possible. When I became the Dolphins leader, things didnt get any better. She refused to do anything I asked and tried her hardest to make me lose my cool with her. If I got anywhere near her she would start yelling at me to get away from her and to quit following her around trying to get her in trouble. I was so frustrated with Wilniya. Im not sure words can even express how frustrated I was. I tried to let her know that I loved her very much just like all of the other children. That was hard to do though. Then, one day, I felt something squeezing me so hard around the waist that I could hardly breathe. I looked down and who was it? Wilniya. I think I just about went into shock when I saw her! This happened again several more times. Her behavior also began to really improve. She still had her days every now and then, but she really began to become a different child. One day during the last week of camp, she came up to me during breakfast and began to help me serve the other children. I simply couldnt believe what I was seeing: a once defiant and seemingly hopeless child who began to transfrm into a very sweet and respectful child full of hope. This wasnt just any hope my friends. I am convinced that God is doing huge things in Wilniya's life. He is forming her into a beautiful woman of God full of the hope that only He can offer. And I got to see and be a microscopic part of the process!
This past weekend I went on a trip with the TML Youth to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. We had a great time and it was so wonderful to get to spend some one on one time with them outside of the camp setting. They are an outstanding group of teens who are really learning what it means to live for Christ every day and becoming motivated to do their best in all that they do. I should mention that while in the park, I rode a roller coaster called the Sheikra, which goes 200 feet up in the air and has two 90 degree angle drops. So much fun! Before we left, one of the prayed a prayer which I thought was so simple, yet so profound... it has stuck with me ever since I heard it:
Dear God,
Thank you for waking us up today. Thank you for putting food on our table. Help keep us safe today. In Jesus' Name We Pray, Amen.
I am so sad yet so excited that I will be heading home tomorrow. I have loved Miami and Overtown. I also know that God has some awesome things in store for me this coming semester. I cant wait to find out what they are.
Please continue to pray for all of my fellow student missionaries as they finish out the summer and return to their college campuses to continue their ministry there.
Please continue to pray for the people of Overtown and for TML as they share the love of Christ with this needy community.
