This is the end. . .

So I'm sitting in the computer lab at Providence (still no Internet from Prov in my apartment, surprise surprise), and have groceries sitting in the car in 30 degree heat but I need to send a farewell blog.

First, apparently there was a mix up with my mid-summer and end of summer letters and they never went out. I had some good stuff in them. Not really though; the letter had nothing new to tell you as it was all on here already. Though, a letter received is kind of nice sometimes I suppose.

Second & Third, I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers this summer. God moved as He promises to when we work in faith and for the glory of the Kingdom. You'll remember a while back I wrote that I felt the teens would begin praying with reckless abandon. Well, that has partly come true. Though they never prayed in front of the entire group there was always eager volunteers before meals and lots of questions about prayer and how it works were asked. So, that's a start. Keep praying that they'll keep praying.

Also thanks to those of you that supported me financially. Most of the YFC staff was shocked at how fast I raised my entire support for the summer. In fact, you gave me too much money! The remainder in my salary fund will go to YFC staffers who have had a hard time raising support. So your generosity with me will pour out onto other workers. Good deal, eh?!

Well, I suppose this is it, the end of North End Summer. Perhaps I'll update once more in a week or two when I have time to tell more specifically of the transformation that took place in both the teens and myself.

Word.

Life's a beach :)

Today was the greatest day of my life! Haha, not really, but it was a really good day nonetheless. It is hard to believe that summer is at its end and I am definitely going to miss seeing the youth almost every day.

We were able to take the teens to the beach at Birds Hill as planned today, so I thought I would post some pics. I'll update the blog with a final overview later on.

This is it.

Well, my last day in the North End is only a few hours away. I'll wrap up some office work in the morning and then in the afternoon we'll be taking the teens to Birds Hill to do some swimming and play some games. I'm not really looking forward to it at all in many ways; but all good things must come to an end. And God's work will continue.

I will be leaving for a quick holiday on Friday before school starts in a week and a half. I'll update the blog once or twice more before school starts and that will officially be the end of the North End Summer.

Thanks again for your prayers and supports.

Peace.

"Goodbye" or "See You Soon"?

Summer is officially coming to an end for myself and the teens in the North End. My co-workers and I have 3 days left with the kids before saying goodbye on Thursday. Sadly it most likely will be goodbye for me. With a full course load and two part-time jobs this fall I won't be making any empty promises to these kids that they will see me soon; it just is not right when I know full well that I will probably be too busy to see them often if at all this fall and winter.

This bugs me quite a bit actually. These teens have had enough people come and go in their lives. Parents, family, friends; they come in for a season and then dissapear. Some of the teens bounce around from foster home to foster home. It is hard for a lot of these teens to open up and "let people in" for this very reason, and I am yet another person doing the same. Three of the staff are full-time and will remain, but I have come in, told the teens about the wonder and grace found in Jesus, told them how much they mean to not only God but to me, and now. . . I leave.

It will be hard to say goodbye on Thursday without this guilty nagging feeling inside my head. This sumer has been an amazing opportunity to minister and has given me plenty of ideas for future ministry, but I still can not help but feel perhaps in some ways it does more harm than good to come and go like this, especially with people who have experienced so much of it already. I hope they realize that God will never leave them. I am glad that there are three staff who permanently stay to impact these young lives.

Work Force continues in different ways in the fall with a youth group on Wednesday nights and youth church on Sunday afternoons; there is also an after school homework club that meets twice a week I believe. They are always in need of help! So, if you or someone you know might be interested in an amazing ministry send an email to Teresa Zehr.

Word and word.

Also, an update on the prayer request I sent out on here a couple weeks ago: The situation has not been resolved yet, but I am just trusting God and continuing on the direction I believe He has pointed me on. Thanks for your prayers!!!

T - 2 Weeks

It's Monday morning and I'm having trouble getting words out :) So read with that in mind!

Well the countdown is now on; there are only two weeks left of the Work Force program. Some of us are stressed about winning young souls, seeing the conversions, getting the numbers in! Haha. Me, I'm just going with the flow. We've presented the Gospel and many of its truths, the rest is out of our hands. See John 16:6-16. It is a good passage to use to remind ourselves sometimes that we are not the ones that actually do the convincing when it comes to people's salvation. Just present the message that Christ gives you and then move on in faith. God knows what He's doing and already knows who will accept salvation and who will not. We can not let ourselves get hung up on numbers, relationship checklists, how many times we have led someone through the "sinners prayer," etc. If we do get distracted by such things we can run the risk of forgetting to build real relationships that conveys a message of love. Ministries tend to get so caught up in the latest "Purpose Driven..." formulas we miss out on doing the simplest of things and truly being effective.

Word.

These Children are God's!

First:
Perhaps I link too much to either God trying to bless me or the devil trying to destroy me; i.e. a bug hits my windshield, it's the devil trying to destroy me because he knows a dirty windshield drives me crazy, or I catch a nice size fish and it is God blessing me for my diligent work this summer. But that's the way I am, and that's the way I'm always going to be most likely :)

Today the devil tried to destroy me. I'm not going to say what, I'm not going to tell anybody (not even my girlfriend or parents or mentors). All that I will do is ask you to please pray against this attack (or perhaps just life) and that everything will work out in the end (and quickly)! I have been truly blessed this sumer with my experiences and all the support that friends and family have given me through prayer and financial support and I will not forget this summer for the rest of my days.


Second & Most Importantly:
We are starting a new "step" in our program this summer, one I took from the book Whose Child is This? by Bill Wilson. We have divided up the list of youth amongst the staff and will, on a weekly basis, make a home visit or at the very least a phone call to each youth. While we do often take youth out for lunch or ice cream, a home visit sends a different message, one of wanting to truly experience their lives. It also gives us a deeper understanding of some of the issues that surround the youth each day from the minute they wake to the moment they go to sleep. Some may come from picture perfect families, but many do not have the best home life. Reaching out to the kids in their homes brings Christ into not only their lives but the entire household.

Word!




Some of the teens hard at work this week

Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays!

Technically it's Sunday, but I can imagine what I'll be like tomorrow at 7 am when the alarm goes off. It has been getting harder to get out of bed in the mornings for some reason; the motivation has been lacking. It is still fun and exciting to interact with the kids, but I suppose it is the "other stuff" that isn't exactly exciting. Be sure to pray that I stay motivated. I already have other things on my mind, such as planning for the school year ahead, trying to get credits transferred so I can graduate this year instead of next year, Willowlake prep for the fall, etc.

Also I really want to start impacting the lives of these teens for the better. I want to be able to share Christ with them and the realness of His grace and mercy. It would be a joy to see these young ones in eternity so you all had a chance to meet them.

I'm also struggling with personal sins; just trying to be fully transformed, which can be hard as I'm sure most of you know for yourselves. But I know what areas of my life I have to let the Lord into even more, and that's the important thing I suppose. It just can be hard to present the Gospel to people when you have this nagging voice inside your head reminding you of all your own shortcomings in your relationship with Christ; nobody wants to be a hypocrite. But, I am forgiven.

Well, I should get going, I have some reading to do before bed time at 9 pm. Check back tomorrow or Tuesday for some new pictures!

Grace