Learning Time

The past few weeks have gone by quickly and so much has happened already! In case you didn't read my first post, I'll just give you a little intro to what's going on here. The adults in English classes that meet every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday bring their children and grandchildren along, and we have learning time together.  We do different academic activities, devotionals, have some free time, and play some games and things as well. We don't necessarily have the same kids consistently, but we have definitely been having fun together!

Last Thursday Fern brought her parachute, and we played parachute games with the kids.

  Some of the games were challenging because there was significant height differences between the kids, but we still had many laughs and lots of fun! 

Of course we had a little time on the playground too! The kids are quite the climbers!

 

 

Then, we made cards for Father's Day. The kids wrote really thoughtful messages to their Dads, and I'm so grateful that they have such wonderful men in their lives.

While it may look like all we do is run around, play games, and have fun, we have been doing many other things as well! This past Tuesday we took eleven kids to the public library and had the chance to see IPTV's Dan Wardell. He did a interactive story time with kids from all over the community, and they each got to choose a book to take home with them! They all had a good time, and they were excited to have us read their books with them when we returned. We're hoping to start the kids on the library's summer reading program this coming week.

We've also been using IPTV's Electric Company curriculum. This encourages them to build their vocabulary, reading, and math skills. Even though the show is for kids, I actually really enjoy watching it too!

Although academic learning is great, I love doing devotionals with these kids. Today we read a story version Daniel and the Lion's Den with pictures from my iPad, and they were completely zoned into it. It was the first time we used this website resource (http://bibleforchildren.org/), and I'm excited to continue with it.  We have had some really great conversations with the kids, and they have asked some pretty challenging questions about Jesus, heaven and hell, and God.I love that they're discussing things and trying to understand what we tell them, rather than just blindly accepting it.

This isn't exactly "my story," but I have to tell it because it's so great. Allison had a talk with a couple girls while putting together a Beauty and the Beast puzzle. The girls' analysis of the plot was that the Beast was mean at the beginning of the story, but then he got to know God and became nice! These are the conversations I love - the ones that turn to God unexpectedly but allow you to speak truth into these kids' lives.

Please continue praying for us as we continue learning and growing this summer! Blessings!

Why I Quit

I have been running most mornings, and it seems as though God reveals something new to me each day as I trudge along. As some of you may know, I quit  my positions with Student MOVE and Residence Life after being with them for two years. I felt like God was leading me to quit, so I quit. I told people I did this because wanted to be able to do more with Campus Ministries and The Bridge, and I honestly believed that was the reason.
Today, God showed me that the reason I am no longer involved in those things has nothing to do with ME doing more of anything. God wants ME to do LESS so HE can do MORE. He's got all the power, so surely much more incredible things will happen this way. Pretty cool, right? Just thought I'd share that with you :)

The Lord Provides!

I knew today was going to be a great day right off the bat! I have been getting up early to spend time with the Lord and then go running, so I've been able to really reflect on what God is teaching me. By the end of my run, I was so full of joy I couldn't help but sing along to my praise music :)

After a morning of planning and a little time at Park Center in the afternoon, we picked up food for food distribution tonight. We haven't been getting food consistently from BV because the servery isn't open regularly, which means we mostly only pick up from Pizza Hut and KFC during the week. Well, no worries! The Lord provided the food today! There was freshman orientation at BV, a surplus of pizza from Pizza Hut, and some other donors as well! Quite a few people who usually help out were unable to be here tonight, but it was really great to be able to come together as a team and get everything done.

 Marathon to Marathon was this weekend, and they donated many loaves of bread and some spaghetti with meat sauce! We haven't gotten as many bread donations lately, so it was great to be able to give these out!

 

These are the same loves...I just thought it was funny to see them all piled in my car! I didn't get a picture of it, but a nice gentleman who helped me carry the donations to my car buckled a pail of spaghetti into my front seat (just to make sure I didn't get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt!)

OH NO! All this food and only one box of freezer bags?! Have no fear! Jonathan and Anna: Here to save the day!!

So you might be asking yourself - all this food to pack, and why is Fern not here helping? 

 

Oh there she is! She was just working on making a THIRD trip to pick up food when the first photos were taken! (Remember, my car was full too - that's four carloads of food in one day!)

 

We had many pans to wash, and only one dish washer! He just kept plugging along...what a trooper :)

 

A definite highlight of the night: bagging pasta! Who wouldn't want to squish their hands into a five gallon bucket full of noodles?

 

After helping serve food for 279 people, Allison and I returned "home" to Ron and Deb's, quite exhausted and hungry for some food for our own bellies! Our gracious hosts were both busy tonight, but they each left us a note on the counter and pork loin ready on a plate! 

Earlier in the day, we had been reminiscing about the number of times we had cereal for supper last summer, and I think these memories helped us to appreciate our hosts so much more! God not only provided food for those we were serving, but blessed us with a great meal as well!

Week 1: Summer 2012

I'm back! I arrived back in Storm Lake after a week with family, and the summer began on Sunday. So much has happened since then! All of us gather together to pray every morning, and God has blessed us so much in this first week.  I apologize because I haven't gotten a chance to take any photos of my own, but I'm hoping they come soon!

Allison and I are living with Ron and Deb this summer, and what a blessing it has been! We have a quiet place to come and relax after busy days of ministry, and there is always the most amazing and refreshing food for us to eat!  It has also been really great to be able to learn from Deb about how she keeps her relationship with the Lord strong. I've been encouraged to spend more time with the Lord daily and really listen to the truth He has to speak to me.

Allison and my team of two from last summer has multiplied! We have been joined by Fern, Jonathan, and Anna for the summer - and Kevin will be serving with us sometimes too! I'm excited to learn from our new team members and to reach so many more people in the community!

We had a little orientation Monday, followed by food distribution. We had quite a bit of food to pack, and we distributed for about 285 people (I think...there were a few who trickled in at the end).  I love seeing the smiles and hearing the gracious thanks from the people who come in. When they say "Blessings to you" as I give them their bag, it feels so true - like they are actually sharing God's blessings and joy with me. How great it is to share Christ with each other :)

Tuesday morning we had the first learning time with the children of the women in our adult English classes, and it continued Wednesday and Thursday.  Their ages range from 1 to 9, so finding activities to do together is a challenge, but I'm really looking forward to spending more time with them as the weeks go on.  We do a devotional each day, as well as read books, do some IPTV curriculum, and go outside to play.  I have known most their mothers for a while now, and it has been really special to see how they have raised their children to love the Lord and each other.

Tuesday night we also began a women's Bible study on the book of James. I have always thought James was a really great book, so I'm excited to learn more about it! The study has the women from our summer team and a few others as well. I'll tell you more about it as I continue learning!

And Wednesday night...the night I have been waiting for since August. THE RETURN OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD NIGHT! We met at Nellie and Renato's - the neighborhood center in the trailer park - for some taco meat made on the disco, homemade tortillas and rice, and cupcakes made my some of the kids in the neighborhood. Delicious!

Okay so I have to tell this story...I seem to always do something embarrassing at the first neighborhood night. I'm obviously still learning about cooking. I brought the ladies who were making the meat some onions and tomatoes. While I was standing there, I saw a bay leaf in the disco...they were under a tree...I thought it was a leaf. Obviously the smart thing to do would be to remove the leaf, right? WRONG! They explained to me what it was, we all had a good laugh, and they proceeded to tell probably everyone there what happened. Glad I could bring some joy to the evening!

In addition to all this action, we've been planning for the Fourth of July and Summer Sizzle, putting together some forms for VBS registration, and hanging out with the kids at the neighborhood centers as much as we can.

Through all of this, God has really been teaching me to depend on Him more and more. I'm excited to grow closer to Him this summer. Please pray for our ministry here this summer, and if you have any requests for prayer, let me know. I would love to pray for you as well!