I have been so busy trying to keep up with a new change of pace that I often have put the blog on the back burner and now I’m sure it’s burnt. Anyways, I arrived here last Tuesday and haven’t seemed to have had a day off yet. Bob and Lisa have been great support helping me with transitioning to yet another culture. I have really quickly began to recognize that God brought me here because he saw that they need more help here. Sure enough, they have put me in charge of leading all the Bible times.
The ministry, Stockton Peniel, is a ministry that was originally started in the late 1800s for homeless women and children. Since then it changed to a homeless shelter for everyone then back to just a ministry that is designed for kids. Our center is located in the heart of gangland here in Stockton. Within a two mile radius we have 16 registered gangs. Our ministry is an afterschool program for youth. We try to provide a safe environment for youth to go to afterschool from 3-6 where they can get help with homework, play, and learn about the Bible and Christ’s love for them. Last week we averaged about 15-20 kids a day and this week we have had a couple of days with more than 30 kids!
What I do for the ministry is design a lesson plan and execute it during Bible Club time. Each day we have time for the learning center (time for academics) and then for Bible club time (I think you know what goes on there) and then we have time for games. Each week we have a new lesson and it breaks down into four days. The first day is designated for memorizing a Bible verse that has to do with the lesson. The second day is for the lesson out of the Bible. The third day is either crafts, skits, or something that is hands on to help drive home the lesson. Then Fridays are fun days, we either have worship time, or games.
For those who are interested, yes I do live “in the hood” I am in one of the houses the mission owns. And no there aren’t bullet holes in the house. Well not yet. The house was remodeled three years ago by a contractor who was willing to donate the time and money. Just one way we see God working here. I’m sure I will have many more blogs to continue that theme. I am living by myself in a one story, two bedroom house. The best part about it is……it has a dishwasher!!! Ok I am lame but I hate doing dishes. Right mom? I hope to take some pictures of our birthday party and buildings so look for a link in the near future.
-Pray for my safety. The neighborhood seems calm and safe but you never know with all the activity that goes on around me.
-Pray for growth in the children’s ministry as well as someone who will be willing to start up a youth program for Jr/Sr high.
-Pray God’s direction to be revealed as the ministry is trying to figure out where to go from here.
Blessings
Friday, October 3, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Going to California
Thanks everyone for all your prayers. The last few days have been crazy but God has been with me. I left on the midnight flight out of Santa Cruz and arrived in Miami at right about 8 am on Thursday. Moved through customs really easily with the help of Beverly.(They must of thought that she was my grandma) I even got to Indy about 10 minutes early so my brother didn't even have to pay for parking. But of course I crashed last night at 10. This morning I woke up at 8:30 only because my brother woke me up. I called the office at WGM and we have just about everything worked out. I will be heading to Stockton, CA on Tuesday morning. Not sure how the finances are going but it sounds like if I have to raise any, it won't be much.
Blessings
Blessings
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Heading Home
I am sure by now you are think… “It’s Wednesday, when is he going to update us?” Well, how bout I do that right now. Here is what I know. We fly out tonight catching a red-eye. Leaving at 11:45 p.m. on AeroSur (if you know anything about this airline, 11:45 really means 2 a.m.) We are supposedly arriving in Miami at 6:10 a.m. on Thursday. We have to run the marathon in order to get through customs (those who have gone through customs in Miami know what I mean). But we are fortunate enough to have two older ladies coming along with us. Hopefully we get to the head of the line since they requested wheel chairs. I know, your thinking I’m ridiculous for mooching off of old ladies….wait a second. You forget who has to get their luggage. Yeah, I’m sure I will pay my dues before it’s all said and done. Right, back to the schedule. I have a nice layover in Miami which is good because of the typical delay in flights. I don’t leave Miami for Indy till 11:25 a.m. I should touch down at 2:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Now I’m sure you would like to know…”Now what?” Well, I have talked to WGM and am in the process of finding a new site for three months. As of now, it looks like I may be going to CA. I need to work out the details with everyone and talk to the missionary out there but it sounds like a good possibility. The unfortunate thing is….CA is expensive! It may require more fund raising (something I am not fond of doing). I am guessing you may be wondering what would I will do out there. Let me get back to you on that one. Need to talk to the missionary first.
It has been a great learning experience here. I’m going to miss all the kids here. But the Lord has decided on other plans so I trust that everything is under control and he will guide me in the right direction.
Please pray for:
-Safety in travels for the five of us who are leaving tonight.
-Those that are staying back in Bolivia, doesn’t look promising right now.
-Students at the school. With all the rumors it’s hard to focus. Everyday they get up and ask the question “I wonder if we have school today?” It’s especially hard on the seniors not knowing if this day will be the last time they see all their classmates.
-That everything will fall into place and that the direct me to a new PRIME site.
Blessings
Now I’m sure you would like to know…”Now what?” Well, I have talked to WGM and am in the process of finding a new site for three months. As of now, it looks like I may be going to CA. I need to work out the details with everyone and talk to the missionary out there but it sounds like a good possibility. The unfortunate thing is….CA is expensive! It may require more fund raising (something I am not fond of doing). I am guessing you may be wondering what would I will do out there. Let me get back to you on that one. Need to talk to the missionary first.
It has been a great learning experience here. I’m going to miss all the kids here. But the Lord has decided on other plans so I trust that everything is under control and he will guide me in the right direction.
Please pray for:
-Safety in travels for the five of us who are leaving tonight.
-Those that are staying back in Bolivia, doesn’t look promising right now.
-Students at the school. With all the rumors it’s hard to focus. Everyday they get up and ask the question “I wonder if we have school today?” It’s especially hard on the seniors not knowing if this day will be the last time they see all their classmates.
-That everything will fall into place and that the direct me to a new PRIME site.
Blessings
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Flight
Well it's official. I received word today that they were able to get a ticket for me and it's quicker than I thought it would be. I leave on Wednesday night flying to Miami. I will land into Indy on Thursday afternoon at 2:20. After that...well that is now the question needed to be answered. Stay tuned for more info...
God Bless
God Bless
Saturday, September 13, 2008
On the road again? I just got here
I’m sorry if this update isn‘t the joking lighthearted blog that you are used to. But news came this morning that I will be heading stateside. The U.S. embassy has recommended that citizens should get out. The executive board has agreed that it is time to move some people out. And as they look at the evacuation plan, I am first on the list. This means that they hope to have me on a plane next week. So as of right now, I am waiting for more information. I will continue to keep you posted on the situation. I ask that you pray for safety of all the missionaries here in Bolivia. Pray for discernment for the missionary boards as they determine what is best for everyone. Pray for the Bolivian leaders that they can come to a peaceful resolution.
God Bless
God Bless
Thursday, September 4, 2008
No Coffee For Me Please
I forgot to mention this in the previous blog but I am sure you love to read stories of 22 year old guys turning into 8 year old girls. (Me!) Today we had a cold front come through and with it came rain. The house I live in tends to have drainage problems when it rains a lot. I tell you this for another purpose. In the shower today, I noticed something coming up through the drain. I bout dropped a load in the tub as I jumped out of it. Good thing we have shower mats, I am sure I would of slipped on the floor and smacked my head if we didn’t . Anyways, there was a huge black spider trying to come up the drain!!! AHHH!!! It was so big that it couldn’t get up through the grate in the drain. But his legs were feeling around the tub. Anyways, I grabbed the plug and stuck it into the drain and had the quickest shower known to man. Then after I got out and dried off, put some clothes on (in case I had to run out of the bathroom screaming like a girl…ok I wouldn’t do that but I did want my clothes on), I pulled the plug and let it water go down only to find he had been washed away. Wheeew!!! Ok, so I am slightly embarrassed but am positive you laughed. Let’s just say after that ordeal, I didn’t need any coffee today! At least something good came from it.
God Bless
Apologies Are In Order
For all of those who get on a regular basis, I am sorry for the two and a half weeks of dead silence. It wasn’t meant to be this long I promise. I have actually written three blogs posts but have messed up and lost them in the process of posting them. GRRR! So now with the advice of my dad and brother, I write my blog out in Microsoft word and then copy it over to the blog site. And without further ado...
The start of school has come with a dose of sports. The kids are in the swing of soccer and volleyball season. The teams have all played two games and I am pretty sure everyone has won at least one of them. I never really have cared for soccer but I am impressed with these kids and their skill level. I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave our college team a run for their money. No disrespect to the college but when you live in a culture dedicated to a sport, you have some good players. I guess I could say it would be the same as having a high school basketball team come down here and play their college teams. (if they have any)
We have also had the pleasure of having our first Jr. High event. We started out the semester with the Jr. High Olympics. The events included the torch relay (running balls from one bucket to another using only a plunger... aka... the torch), hammer toss (panty hose with a ball at the end of it), and gauntlet (crazy game involving a cone on someone’s head and a bunch of balls flying everywhere). On a side note, imagine two guys walking around a market gawking at women’s underwear looking for stockings. (Mike didn’t know that word in Spanish, I don’t know why he would.) Let’s just say that was a very awkward position to be in. And if you haven’t noticed by now, I did load up some pictures of the Olympics already.
This weekend we are having the Senior retreat. (no, I don’t mean senior citizens, Seniors in high school) We are going out of town about an hour to a ranch. Some activities that are available include: golf, swimming, horseback riding, volleyball, soccer, ultimate frisbee? (I hope, I miss that a lot), card games, team building activities. Etc. Should be an awesome time. Oh..I am sure you’re wondering why a retreat. Well, we get the Seniors together to talk about transitioning out of high school and into college. What to expect when it’s time to leave here and head to another country, entering a new environment, and leaving an old one without regrets. It should be a great time for building relationships and setting up for a great final year of high school. It runs till Sunday night so I won’t be around this weekend. I hope to blog early next week with some sweet pictures and videos.
Continue to pray for:
-Seniors as they will be getting a lot of information this weekend.
-The school as they are in need of a high school English teacher.
-The Bolivian field, we are in need of a treasurer.
-Bolivia. There are some political issues that seem to keep mounting the pressure here. Could turn ugly but let’s hope it doesn’t.
God Bless
The start of school has come with a dose of sports. The kids are in the swing of soccer and volleyball season. The teams have all played two games and I am pretty sure everyone has won at least one of them. I never really have cared for soccer but I am impressed with these kids and their skill level. I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave our college team a run for their money. No disrespect to the college but when you live in a culture dedicated to a sport, you have some good players. I guess I could say it would be the same as having a high school basketball team come down here and play their college teams. (if they have any)
We have also had the pleasure of having our first Jr. High event. We started out the semester with the Jr. High Olympics. The events included the torch relay (running balls from one bucket to another using only a plunger... aka... the torch), hammer toss (panty hose with a ball at the end of it), and gauntlet (crazy game involving a cone on someone’s head and a bunch of balls flying everywhere). On a side note, imagine two guys walking around a market gawking at women’s underwear looking for stockings. (Mike didn’t know that word in Spanish, I don’t know why he would.) Let’s just say that was a very awkward position to be in. And if you haven’t noticed by now, I did load up some pictures of the Olympics already.
This weekend we are having the Senior retreat. (no, I don’t mean senior citizens, Seniors in high school) We are going out of town about an hour to a ranch. Some activities that are available include: golf, swimming, horseback riding, volleyball, soccer, ultimate frisbee? (I hope, I miss that a lot), card games, team building activities. Etc. Should be an awesome time. Oh..I am sure you’re wondering why a retreat. Well, we get the Seniors together to talk about transitioning out of high school and into college. What to expect when it’s time to leave here and head to another country, entering a new environment, and leaving an old one without regrets. It should be a great time for building relationships and setting up for a great final year of high school. It runs till Sunday night so I won’t be around this weekend. I hope to blog early next week with some sweet pictures and videos.
Continue to pray for:
-Seniors as they will be getting a lot of information this weekend.
-The school as they are in need of a high school English teacher.
-The Bolivian field, we are in need of a treasurer.
-Bolivia. There are some political issues that seem to keep mounting the pressure here. Could turn ugly but let’s hope it doesn’t.
God Bless
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