Joy, Junk, and Jesus

Going with something that we did in high school. Naming something that brought joy, something that wasn't the greatest, and something that you give credit to God for in your day, in this case, my week.
Joy
My heart melts every time I see these kids, seeing a sense of peace over them as they come in, knowing this is their safe place. Nothing really tops their warm hugs and joyful smiles when they are super excited about something. They have no idea what an encouragement they are to this heart of mine! This week they blew me away! I was left in charge of the class while the other teacher ran an errand. (Keep in mind, these kids don't quite see me as a true authoritative figure yet, so it's like leaving a group of kids with a substitute teacher. You never know what's going to happen!) As I expected, those ornery smirks came on their faces and they were determined to do what they wanted. After a few time outs, tears, and little tantrums things started to calm down. We had just finished the exhausting bathroom break and were all settled down for lunch. However, lunch was not quite ready so we had to wait. So Ms. Wendy had to figure out something to entertain them with... Best of luck Wendy! I taught them a finger play game that Ms. Pearl had shown me, and they wanted to repeat it about a hundred times. But every time they would laugh and giggle and squeal and I couldn't help but go along with them! But that wasn't the best part, we started singing random kids songs and then little Darchae caught my ear. All I heard was "Y yi yi yi yi is for you, you, you, and you." I asked what she was singing and she said the song that I sang when our group came up in June. With all the groups that come through the daycare, I couldn't believe she would remember that song! So I asked the rest of them if they wanted to do the whole song and a huge "YYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!" filled the room! Its just a normal VBS song, but it is by far one of their new favorites and they know all the words and love to dance with it! Ms. Pearl was so excited when she came in and heard them singing "J is for Jesus, O is for Others, and Y yi yi yi yi yi yi is for you, you, you, you, and you and you!" We sang it all through the hallways, the sanctuary, lunch time, free time, all day long! My heart filled with joy as I saw their excitement, heard their praises, and felt the love God has for His children! So a big shout out to Tracy Haddock for helping me with VBS songs that week, you truly left an impact on these kiddos!
Junk
I don't know if anyone else has a certain day of the week where it seems like everything that could happen usually does. Well that day seems to be Fridays for me up here. Last Friday I backed into the dumpster and broke my taillight. (Yeah I know, shocker, Wendy had a fender bender! However, I'm not used to maneuvering in an alley just yet, so please cut me a little slack.) And this Friday I was taking breakfast to the construction workers at the house and had to bring back a couple of pans to the church. Well I'm running around getting stuff together and I get to the car, throw the pans in the front seat and grab for my gloves in my pockets. Apparently there was some chicken noodle soup in one of the pans and it had spilled all over my coat and into my pocket! And of course by this time it had already spilled all over the seat in the car.... Awesome! Not that any of those are major things, but they just added to the craziness! Praying next Friday doesn't have any new surprises!
Jesus
It is rare to have an evening to ourselves at the house, Ms. Pearl is always pouring into either her family, a mom, myself, or whoever may be visiting with us. She takes full advantage of every opportunity that God places in front of her to reach other people. We had dinner with the construction workers one evening and just spent some time getting to know them better. One of them was a younger guy who had some wild stories and couldn't quite figure out why things have turned out the way they have in his life. As he was speaking, I could see it in her eyes that she was about ready to ask some deep questions. After a couple of hours discussing what it means to be a Christian and the hope that he can find in Jesus Christ, the man gave his life to God. Praise the Lord! I keep thinking about how she told him the angels rejoice when even just one person comes to know Christ. People may not think it's a big deal, they may not see the point, or they just might not fully understand; but God does. The whole heavens rejoice for even just one person's decision. It's a huge deal to the One who created each and every one of us when we decide that life with Him is far greater than life without Him. I was humbled by the reminder of the love He has for His children and I am so thankful to be called His own!

Made You Smile!

God Calls Us to Be Faithful, Not Successful

Praising God for getting me through this week!
         It has been a mental and emotional rollercoaster ride. I'm dizzy from all the loops, climbs, and drops! But no worries, I kept my seat belt on and my hands and feet in the ride until it came to somewhat of a complete stop! (It never stops around here)
        I've mentioned before some of the kids come home with us until their parents get out of school or off work; so in the mean time we take "work" home with us, as well as the bank, the gas station, the store, or to dinner. I finally understand all the stories that moms talk about when they take their children shopping with them! Janiyah and I spent some quality time together at Wal-Mart one night after work. So many questions, "What is that?" "Where's Ms. Pearl?" "Can we get this?" "I want this one." "Is it time to go yet?" "Where's Ms. Pearl? Are we ever going to find her?" "Let me tell you what's in the cart!" As tiring as it was, I can't help but look back on it and smile. I praise God for those precious moments, they are so few and far between some times and we are usually too busy to appreciate them.
        I have been blessed by these children. Each morning I find myself looking forward to seeing them, to bracing myself as they come running toward me for a hug, to hearing them say "Good morning Ms. Wendy," or the sense of peace that for the day they will be safe. Working with them distracts me from what tries to bring me down and reminds me of why God sent me here. Even when they are at their worst, I can still feel a smile upon my heart. Nothing takes away from the joy God shares through those precious children.
        For the next couple of months on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will be attending the "Say Yes" program at the Agape Center; the goal is to learn as much as possible about how an after school program works. Ms. Pearl is trying to help me be prepared as possible for this endeavor. We attended a seminar about mentoring youth in the urban community that was truly eye opening. The amount of people I have met and the mountain of information that has been presented has slightly overwhelmed my brain! There are so many different aspects to the program, different options to try, and a whole different group of kids to work with. Nothing like mixing up something that is already so new and different. However, I believe God has placed me where I need to be in order to complete the project to His standards.  
      There is no denying God is at work here, almost every situation has His mark upon it. As I have been brainstorming ideas and trying to figure out where I fit in all of this, He shows up yet again in our Friday morning bible study. Romans 12:5 in The Message says, "So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t." I am completely humbled by the fact that He knows just the right words to say to reassure my doubts and questions. I may think I'm unqualified for my position, but He has placed me here with the exact tools to help me fulfill it. I feel like someone else could do a better job, but He made sure there wasn't anyone else to do it. Just as I am doesn't seem to be enough, but He is using me just as I am to accomplish this task. He has called me to be faithful, for one day He will show me just how successful He is with all I give Him.

Follow Jesus, Not Me

What a whirlwind this week has been!
         It had been a while since my last week long visit, so I had forgotten a few things. It's amazing how different life can be just three hours away. I was reminded of the suppressed environment, how real the threat is, and how I don't really know what God has gotten me into! But oh how wonderful it was to see those beautiful faces again, they made everything else just fade away! I got so many hugs the first day, those smiles warmed my heart, and then all their energy sucked the life out of me!
        My day usually starts at seven with setting up the room and getting breakfast made for the kids with the help of Ms. Pearl, Ms. Tay Tay, Ms. Henry, and Ms. Estelle. Ms. Roberta comes later in the morning. (I am blessed to work with these women, they truly welcomed me in this week! Something I needed more than I thought) We have a schedule of normal daycare activities: Lego time, praise and worship, calendar time, snack, a lesson of some kind, lunch, and then praise the Lord for nap time, and then the afternoon is filled with snack and some type of activity to keep them preoccupied!
        However, after five o'clock, it's anybody's game! No evening is the same. One night we stood by the window praying over the construction workers as they worked and worked in order to get the concrete pump to work to fill in the foundation for the new facility. Despite their efforts, they couldn't get it to work so they will have to try again next week. A minor set back, but Ms. Pearl is trusting in God to work through this! If you get a moment, lift up a prayer for the whole project. Some evenings we have kids still with us until their parents can pick them up due to schedule conflicts. It is never just a straight drive home from work, we could be on our way back and see someone along the street, pick them up and take them where they need to be. I am blown away by Ms. Pearl's servant heart and the generosity that radiates from her! She claims so few things as her own and shares all the rest!
        The second morning she dropped something huge in my lap! She has asked me to start up the after school program that will be ran in the new facility. I tried to hide my gut reaction of panic as she spoke to me. Nothing like picking the most ill equipped person for the job! However, with God's help, I believe He can turn it into something more than I ever thought. It is supposed to be set up for twenty kids, but Ms. Pearl would like to be prepared for thirty students. I'm not sure on all the details yet, but she has a vision for it and the state has guidelines for the program as well. One of my main resources will be the Agape Center just down the street. It hosts a "Say Yes" program that implements Godly values along with resources to help students with their schoolwork. I will be in contact with quite a few different people in that facility and going into the public schools to find students with the greatest need as candidates for the program. I ask for extra prayer as this is truly unknown territory in my life.
        One final note about this week, was the weekly Bible study on Friday mornings with the staff. It may have been an hour earlier than when we normally meet, but it truly made a difference. Talk about an inspiration as Ms. Pearl discussed the Word of God and the power that comes from it. I desire to be the example God calls us to be and to share His gracious love with others. I pray that they only see Him and realize they are to follow Jesus, not me!

A Giant Leap of Faith

        Never in my life have I thought that there would be something worth writing about. Little did I know, God has held the pen the whole time and I'm just over here doodling what I thought my life should be! I post this today with a grateful heart that I am not in control, that my plans are not His, and that He is with me through it all!
         This past June I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip with our high school youth group to South Side Chicago to help at Roseland Community Daycare Center. The center is run by a true woman of God, Ms. Pearl Willis. For the past 20 years, she has provided daycare services free of charge for young women who are trying to turn their lives around by getting jobs or attending school in order to start providing for their families and to have the opportunity to leave the dangerous environment. She asks that the mothers attend a weekly Bible study in order to receive childcare, trying to instill in them godly values with which they can raise their children and to help shape the mothers’ faith as well. This all takes place in the middle of a violence stricken environment, full of alcohol and drug abuse and poverty. I would have never guessed that in the middle of the streets and with the sounds of sirens all around would I have heard God's voice calling to me.  

 

         We spent the week chasing around toddlers, building Lego towers, singing praise and worship songs, learning about insects, understanding the value of play time at the park, getting our second winds during nap time, drying tears, and hugging the beautiful children to pieces! God's hand was upon each of us, steering us out of our comfort zone and into His will and we couldn't have been happier! 


A field trip to the Children's Museum

        With tearful goodbyes we pulled away from the daycare, and I can remember posting on Facebook that I left my heart in Roseland. I instantly felt like a part of me was missing. I prayed fervently for those children, for Ms. Pearl's ministry, and for God to open doors and make a way. I went back to work at the hospital and cried through the first three cases in my room, knowing that this wasn't where I belonged and asking God to make missionary work a reality in my life.
            I was overwhelmed that after waiting for so long, maybe God was actually revealing His plan for my life. I did my best to be content with where I was, being a young single adult, serving in my church and helping the kids we have here. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of joy that comes from being a part of a ministry that helped shape my faith and see it in action in the kids attending, but there had to be something more for me. I was giving of myself but not necessarily being fulfilled spiritually; but I held on, knowing that God would show up in some way shape or form and tell me where I was headed. (And that period of time, waiting for answers or direction, is probably the hardest part about being a believer in God. His timing is perfect whether it's on our schedule or not!) 
          In November, after months of prayer, tears, emails, and encouragement from some of the dearest friends God has blessed me with, I told my boss that I was quitting in January. I know a two months notice is a little much, but I have a hard time letting go. And even though it has been one of the most challenging and difficult decisions I have ever made, I am convinced that serving alongside Ms. Pearl is where God is calling me. With every fear and doubt that I have had, He has supplied reassurance and answered every question. The only thing left for me to do is to take that leap and soar on His promises and watch Him work! I write this on the day before I take the first step of the greatest walk of faith I will ever experience!

I think I'll fit in just fine! :)

 

Dedication:
 My life was blessed by a missionary named Helen Taylor, a heart of gold, a compassionate soul, and the most inspiring great grandmother I could have ever asked for! Her generous spirit touched so many lives of those in true need, not just of clothing, food, or shelter, but in need of their heavenly Father. Her life was a shining example of complete trust in God to provide for her every need and how that pure faith can move mountains if you allow it. I praise God for her example and true inspiration that lit the fire in my heart to give Him all I have so He can shape me into all that I'm meant to be!