can't silence my love
love must be sincere
Saturday, July 31, 2010
sweetest thing
1st picture=paulo. the troublemaker. don't let his innocent eyes fool you. this one loved to get into all kinds of things.
2nd picture=luis, the needy one. had an eye infection when i took the photo, but got better as the week progressed. he loved getting his picture taken.
3rd picture= quiteria, the diva. the pig costume was put on during playtime. she is a gem. a leader of sorts, making sure everybody is in their place.
2nd picture=luis, the needy one. had an eye infection when i took the photo, but got better as the week progressed. he loved getting his picture taken.
3rd picture= quiteria, the diva. the pig costume was put on during playtime. she is a gem. a leader of sorts, making sure everybody is in their place.
4th picture=idine, the insisten one. 'COME!' was probably the only english word she knew, but it worked every time.
Friday, July 30, 2010
matthew 19:13-14--mozambique style.
after 2 weeks in the most wonderful place in the world i have returned.
life is not what it was, and it will cease to be a mundane, rote experience. i'm sorry that i wasn't able to keep you all updated. i tried to write a blog but then was forced to unpublish due to electronic malfuntion at the internet cafe in mozambique.
i would give you a summary of what i experienced and saw in mozambique but i know i couldn't do it justice. i will say that what i've learned is very different than what i thought i would learn.
going out of my comfort zone to share jesus and serve others is something i know i was born to do. god has called me to be a missionary and i'm more sure of that now than i have been of anything in my life. i learned a lot about what that really means when i was with pieter and rika at all nations mozambique.
just a quick overview: all nations mozambique is located in matola, mozambique--just outside the capital of maputo. the once portuguese colony is poverty stricken and much of the destitute are the children. pieter and rika boersma head up an orphanage of sorts--2 houses that are full of children who have been abandoned, warring with AIDS and generally left to die. each house has between 10-20 kids all under the age of 6. they are fed, clothed, bathed, and they dare to dream of greater things than cleaning the front porch or begging on the streets.
enter: amy fleming. white. middle-class. grove city college student. no children or husband. loves jesus.
where do the dots connect? jesus. more than worlds apart, i found myself connecting more and more to these kids through the love of jesus. seeing him in each of those children. smiles and tears, laughter and games became the melody to my life for 2 weeks. i only wish it was longer. i went to serve, but really, jesus knew me better than that. i got served. i got served. the 4 year old with AIDS taught me more about life and loving the lord than any pastor, mentor, or friend that i've had. i thought i would help them, pray over them, ask for miracles of healing, and lives to be changed.
i got what i prayed for--but it came differently. i couldn't tell you if what i did for those kids did any of those things, but what they did for me answered all of those things.
Help--i've been looking to be a missionary since i was in high school. how do you do that? where do you go? who needs the most help? what would i do? here's what those kids taught me: "it doesn't matter. you don't need to know. Jesus gives us everything--and more. why wouldn't he give you what you need? why wouldn't he direct your path? would we be at this place if he weren't in control?" check. served.
prayer--"you go crying?" was the phrase i heard a lot on my last day in mozambique. yes, dear ones, i go crying. i prayed that god would work through me, that it wouldn't be about me but about them. and it was. "we cry for you." that was the response i heard after saying i would go crying. i feel as though the little i did--playing, cleaning diapers, singing songs, dancing, taking trips to the clinic, feeding--it didn't matter. it didn't matter what i did, but that i was there. i was present. that was enough. that was service to them. to be still, to listen to the birds, having 4 of them in my lap and looking at pictures of my family. that's where the service was done. but not for them. for me. love is a 2 way street. having 17 kids constantly want to sit in your lap and play bubbles is love to me. me doing it was love to them. but that's not what i thought service was. jesus knew better. check. served.
miracles of healing--i wanted to see kids cured of AIDS, and malaria disappear. those are wonderful things, and jesus heals. but that's not what he wanted me to see. he wanted me to see the daily grind, the miracle of life. the life led by 6 year old Telma with AIDS who jumps, runs, plays, smiles, and moves with ease. she lives. her life is a miracle. the life she lives is my miracle. god healed her of the devastation of living on her own, being by herself, not knowing his goodness. god healed and is healing all of those children--they are the miracle. disease does not define them. jesus does, and death has no place in them. they are the miracle. check. served.
lives changed?--i can't tell you if god working through me changed anybody's life, but i can tell you that those kids changed my life. check. served.
how blessed am i? going to serve, and instead, being served. the lord is working powerfully in that place. mozambique could be characterized as a dark, spiritual warzone, disease ridden and poverty stricken, but a ray of sunshine is growing in the All Nations orphanages in matola. "I'm not afraid for when Jesus comes back. I will go with Him. He is coming back." --Quiteria, 6 years.
Check. Served.
life is not what it was, and it will cease to be a mundane, rote experience. i'm sorry that i wasn't able to keep you all updated. i tried to write a blog but then was forced to unpublish due to electronic malfuntion at the internet cafe in mozambique.
i would give you a summary of what i experienced and saw in mozambique but i know i couldn't do it justice. i will say that what i've learned is very different than what i thought i would learn.
going out of my comfort zone to share jesus and serve others is something i know i was born to do. god has called me to be a missionary and i'm more sure of that now than i have been of anything in my life. i learned a lot about what that really means when i was with pieter and rika at all nations mozambique.
just a quick overview: all nations mozambique is located in matola, mozambique--just outside the capital of maputo. the once portuguese colony is poverty stricken and much of the destitute are the children. pieter and rika boersma head up an orphanage of sorts--2 houses that are full of children who have been abandoned, warring with AIDS and generally left to die. each house has between 10-20 kids all under the age of 6. they are fed, clothed, bathed, and they dare to dream of greater things than cleaning the front porch or begging on the streets.
enter: amy fleming. white. middle-class. grove city college student. no children or husband. loves jesus.
where do the dots connect? jesus. more than worlds apart, i found myself connecting more and more to these kids through the love of jesus. seeing him in each of those children. smiles and tears, laughter and games became the melody to my life for 2 weeks. i only wish it was longer. i went to serve, but really, jesus knew me better than that. i got served. i got served. the 4 year old with AIDS taught me more about life and loving the lord than any pastor, mentor, or friend that i've had. i thought i would help them, pray over them, ask for miracles of healing, and lives to be changed.
i got what i prayed for--but it came differently. i couldn't tell you if what i did for those kids did any of those things, but what they did for me answered all of those things.
Help--i've been looking to be a missionary since i was in high school. how do you do that? where do you go? who needs the most help? what would i do? here's what those kids taught me: "it doesn't matter. you don't need to know. Jesus gives us everything--and more. why wouldn't he give you what you need? why wouldn't he direct your path? would we be at this place if he weren't in control?" check. served.
prayer--"you go crying?" was the phrase i heard a lot on my last day in mozambique. yes, dear ones, i go crying. i prayed that god would work through me, that it wouldn't be about me but about them. and it was. "we cry for you." that was the response i heard after saying i would go crying. i feel as though the little i did--playing, cleaning diapers, singing songs, dancing, taking trips to the clinic, feeding--it didn't matter. it didn't matter what i did, but that i was there. i was present. that was enough. that was service to them. to be still, to listen to the birds, having 4 of them in my lap and looking at pictures of my family. that's where the service was done. but not for them. for me. love is a 2 way street. having 17 kids constantly want to sit in your lap and play bubbles is love to me. me doing it was love to them. but that's not what i thought service was. jesus knew better. check. served.
miracles of healing--i wanted to see kids cured of AIDS, and malaria disappear. those are wonderful things, and jesus heals. but that's not what he wanted me to see. he wanted me to see the daily grind, the miracle of life. the life led by 6 year old Telma with AIDS who jumps, runs, plays, smiles, and moves with ease. she lives. her life is a miracle. the life she lives is my miracle. god healed her of the devastation of living on her own, being by herself, not knowing his goodness. god healed and is healing all of those children--they are the miracle. disease does not define them. jesus does, and death has no place in them. they are the miracle. check. served.
lives changed?--i can't tell you if god working through me changed anybody's life, but i can tell you that those kids changed my life. check. served.
how blessed am i? going to serve, and instead, being served. the lord is working powerfully in that place. mozambique could be characterized as a dark, spiritual warzone, disease ridden and poverty stricken, but a ray of sunshine is growing in the All Nations orphanages in matola. "I'm not afraid for when Jesus comes back. I will go with Him. He is coming back." --Quiteria, 6 years.
Check. Served.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
bon dia em mocambique
bon dia!
i'm here, safe and sound in mozambique! i left on sunday from DC, arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday morning. I spent the day in the airport in Brazil. Crazy experience to be all by yourself. God was awesome and I had some sweet Jesus time while I was waiting to fly to South Africa. I've met the nicest people while traveling. I was the first one to the gate at South African Airways--the airline didn't have anyone at their desk to take check boarding passes, but that might have been because i was about 8 hours early for the flight. I didn't get any sleep on the first flight and Sao Paulo's airport is not a good place to try to sleep.
While I was waiting I recognized some English...there were 2 women who were on their way to Kenya. We had a nice chat about what they were going to do (working with orphans for a non-profit, but not religiously affliated). Their boss gave them 80,000 miles each to volunteer for 2 weeks. How awesome is that?! They were nice enough to sit with me and talk about life for a while.
After I got my boarding pass for South Africa (about an hour before the actual flight) I sat with some guys from Angola who talked to me about Africa and life. I got to talk to them about Jesus, it was pretty sweet. They guy from Angola totally picked up on relationship vs. religion and I felt like he was really blessed. His name was Nico.
The flight to South Africa was super long and I didn't get any sleep. I sat next to Fernando--a Brazilian who was the kindest guy EVER. He showed me all kinds of things on the plane and described some differences about the African life vs. the Western life. He even gave me his card if I was ever in Sao Paulo to go and visit him. CRAZY! He prayed for me and everything. God's hands have seriously been on this trip. It's awesome.
I arrived in South Africa on the most beautiful morning--I saw more stars than I could ever have imagined and the sun shining. I can't describe the beauty in Africa. Something that you can't compare to.
The flight to Maputo was very short--only an hour. I met a guy who was an American traveling all over Africa and I also talked to him about Jesus. I prayed for moments like that. It was AWESOME. This was probably one of the first times I told somebody that I want to be the church and not go to church. He was pretty astonished but very accepting of the idea. He told me about how he grew up "hot-boxed" and since then has tried to find his way in other religions but holds his Bible in his backpack because "Jesus, he's a sweet dude." Yeah, that was my awesome flight.
Maputo is unlike anything I've ever seen before. You have huge buildings next to shanty-towns. Kids without shoes and women carrying babies permeate the metropolis. Pieter came to get me at the airport. When we drove to the orphange (which is a little outside the city) I thought I might die before I even got to the orphanage. The driving is like it is in Europe and it's as crazy as it is in Latin America. I probably almost peed my pants like 5 or 6 times.
We finally pulled into the house at mid-day on Tuesday. As we entered the driveway there were 20 kids who crowded the car to see the new visitor. I couldn't even open the door. When I finally got the chance to get out every limb of my body was covered with a hand or an arm. There was no free space. They all wanted a hug or a kiss. BEST GREETING EVERRRR!
Children in Mozambique are ridiculously precious. They have huge hearts but no one seems to want them. I do. They remind me so much of how we are with Jesus. They are the perfect example of open hearts to Christ. Constantly seeking love. I wish you could be here and see them. They are so wonderful and full of love. I think they are giving me more than I'm giving them.
There is much more to be said of Mozambique. The internet cafe only gives me about an hour--and my time is almost up. I will only give a short excerpt of the past couple of days--which have been extremely draining but rewarding.
Tuesday--we had a party for one of the kids who just turned 3. Probably one of the most precious moments of my life. They sang with each other and prayed together and he opened a present (a toy car and a football). We gave all the kids dolls that my mom made and they were overjoyed. It was amazing.
Wednesday--Woke up early and took the 6 year olds to school at 6 am. Told the kids a Jesus story--the one Meredith made me practice in front of the adults at SAMS. They sort of didn't understand even with translation. It's ok. They drew pictures. In the afternoon I went to the clinic with the women to pray for the newborns. They were so small. That was really rough. One of the babies had gone into shock and couldn't breathe. I prayed for him and God was totally healing him...more on that later.
Thursday--
Today I woke up at like 6 to go take 2 busses to the downtown area with 2 of our AIDS kids to get checked up. One of the kids who had just got reinserted into his family (some of the kids come from terrible families and when the family can provide for them they get the kids back but the Boersma's are still responsible for the child's health). This one child, Nichols, was just reinserted and we met him and his mom at the hospital to get checked up. Turns out he has malaria--along with AIDS. He looked awful. Apparently he had started getting a fever last Friday but the parents didn't think it was too big of a deal to take him to the doctor right away. That's how it is here...AIDS isn't seen as a huge deal neither is malaria. This poor kid. Usually you only last like 7-8 days with the Malaria without care...but he has AIDS. I had no idea what was going on until after we had left. I was praying for him silently while we were at the hospital but I'm praying that God will do a miracle. They might come back tonight to talk to Pieter and Rika about reinsertion and how it's going. Unfortunately when these kids get reinserted their health starts to dwindle. No surprise there. Children aren't allowed to have fun or do anything like that. I walked into the hospital and there was an empty playground but tons of kids sitting with moms. They didn't smile, talk, or do anything. They just sat. (an except from an email to my parents)
There's so much more but it's hard to sum up everything. I've seen a lot of fruit, especially with traveling. Prayer is becoming so important in this place. There's always something to pray for and always something to be thankful for. Today, we were offered a ride back to Matola from Maputo by an Indian man who saw that we couldn't get into a taxi. He worked for a Pepsi factory and drove us about 20 mins back to the orphanage. He gave us a package of Pepsi for the kids. Asked if I wanted to be taken around Maputo...we'll have to see about that...but he was such a nice man. The Boersma's (the missionaries) are starting to call me Pepsi now because they said taht it's unheard of for that to happen. In Mozambique you don't get anything for free.
God is awesome and he's totally blessing this place. Pray for us. Pray for Nichols.
Will try to update soon.
i'm here, safe and sound in mozambique! i left on sunday from DC, arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday morning. I spent the day in the airport in Brazil. Crazy experience to be all by yourself. God was awesome and I had some sweet Jesus time while I was waiting to fly to South Africa. I've met the nicest people while traveling. I was the first one to the gate at South African Airways--the airline didn't have anyone at their desk to take check boarding passes, but that might have been because i was about 8 hours early for the flight. I didn't get any sleep on the first flight and Sao Paulo's airport is not a good place to try to sleep.
While I was waiting I recognized some English...there were 2 women who were on their way to Kenya. We had a nice chat about what they were going to do (working with orphans for a non-profit, but not religiously affliated). Their boss gave them 80,000 miles each to volunteer for 2 weeks. How awesome is that?! They were nice enough to sit with me and talk about life for a while.
After I got my boarding pass for South Africa (about an hour before the actual flight) I sat with some guys from Angola who talked to me about Africa and life. I got to talk to them about Jesus, it was pretty sweet. They guy from Angola totally picked up on relationship vs. religion and I felt like he was really blessed. His name was Nico.
The flight to South Africa was super long and I didn't get any sleep. I sat next to Fernando--a Brazilian who was the kindest guy EVER. He showed me all kinds of things on the plane and described some differences about the African life vs. the Western life. He even gave me his card if I was ever in Sao Paulo to go and visit him. CRAZY! He prayed for me and everything. God's hands have seriously been on this trip. It's awesome.
I arrived in South Africa on the most beautiful morning--I saw more stars than I could ever have imagined and the sun shining. I can't describe the beauty in Africa. Something that you can't compare to.
The flight to Maputo was very short--only an hour. I met a guy who was an American traveling all over Africa and I also talked to him about Jesus. I prayed for moments like that. It was AWESOME. This was probably one of the first times I told somebody that I want to be the church and not go to church. He was pretty astonished but very accepting of the idea. He told me about how he grew up "hot-boxed" and since then has tried to find his way in other religions but holds his Bible in his backpack because "Jesus, he's a sweet dude." Yeah, that was my awesome flight.
Maputo is unlike anything I've ever seen before. You have huge buildings next to shanty-towns. Kids without shoes and women carrying babies permeate the metropolis. Pieter came to get me at the airport. When we drove to the orphange (which is a little outside the city) I thought I might die before I even got to the orphanage. The driving is like it is in Europe and it's as crazy as it is in Latin America. I probably almost peed my pants like 5 or 6 times.
We finally pulled into the house at mid-day on Tuesday. As we entered the driveway there were 20 kids who crowded the car to see the new visitor. I couldn't even open the door. When I finally got the chance to get out every limb of my body was covered with a hand or an arm. There was no free space. They all wanted a hug or a kiss. BEST GREETING EVERRRR!
Children in Mozambique are ridiculously precious. They have huge hearts but no one seems to want them. I do. They remind me so much of how we are with Jesus. They are the perfect example of open hearts to Christ. Constantly seeking love. I wish you could be here and see them. They are so wonderful and full of love. I think they are giving me more than I'm giving them.
There is much more to be said of Mozambique. The internet cafe only gives me about an hour--and my time is almost up. I will only give a short excerpt of the past couple of days--which have been extremely draining but rewarding.
Tuesday--we had a party for one of the kids who just turned 3. Probably one of the most precious moments of my life. They sang with each other and prayed together and he opened a present (a toy car and a football). We gave all the kids dolls that my mom made and they were overjoyed. It was amazing.
Wednesday--Woke up early and took the 6 year olds to school at 6 am. Told the kids a Jesus story--the one Meredith made me practice in front of the adults at SAMS. They sort of didn't understand even with translation. It's ok. They drew pictures. In the afternoon I went to the clinic with the women to pray for the newborns. They were so small. That was really rough. One of the babies had gone into shock and couldn't breathe. I prayed for him and God was totally healing him...more on that later.
Thursday--
Today I woke up at like 6 to go take 2 busses to the downtown area with 2 of our AIDS kids to get checked up. One of the kids who had just got reinserted into his family (some of the kids come from terrible families and when the family can provide for them they get the kids back but the Boersma's are still responsible for the child's health). This one child, Nichols, was just reinserted and we met him and his mom at the hospital to get checked up. Turns out he has malaria--along with AIDS. He looked awful. Apparently he had started getting a fever last Friday but the parents didn't think it was too big of a deal to take him to the doctor right away. That's how it is here...AIDS isn't seen as a huge deal neither is malaria. This poor kid. Usually you only last like 7-8 days with the Malaria without care...but he has AIDS. I had no idea what was going on until after we had left. I was praying for him silently while we were at the hospital but I'm praying that God will do a miracle. They might come back tonight to talk to Pieter and Rika about reinsertion and how it's going. Unfortunately when these kids get reinserted their health starts to dwindle. No surprise there. Children aren't allowed to have fun or do anything like that. I walked into the hospital and there was an empty playground but tons of kids sitting with moms. They didn't smile, talk, or do anything. They just sat. (an except from an email to my parents)
There's so much more but it's hard to sum up everything. I've seen a lot of fruit, especially with traveling. Prayer is becoming so important in this place. There's always something to pray for and always something to be thankful for. Today, we were offered a ride back to Matola from Maputo by an Indian man who saw that we couldn't get into a taxi. He worked for a Pepsi factory and drove us about 20 mins back to the orphanage. He gave us a package of Pepsi for the kids. Asked if I wanted to be taken around Maputo...we'll have to see about that...but he was such a nice man. The Boersma's (the missionaries) are starting to call me Pepsi now because they said taht it's unheard of for that to happen. In Mozambique you don't get anything for free.
God is awesome and he's totally blessing this place. Pray for us. Pray for Nichols.
Will try to update soon.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
sour patch missionary
Probably one of the most interesting things I'm learning this summer is how mistaken I've been about the world we live in. God has turned everything I've thought I've acquired quite upside down. Revelation has been my song. This week has brought even more of those challenges.
I can remember being a freshman in high school and thinking that the world was a mess, but totally redeemable. I will definitely stick by that statement as a now junior in college, but I will say that the way to that change I'd envisioned is seriously different than what I thought it might be. Our lives are becoming busier and busier. Our fears mount as we begin to understand the severity of the danger our sin has caused.
After a bit of reflection I've noticed that since coming here my eyes have been blown open. I am not the idealistic fifteen year old I used to be. The deeper I've gone down the rabbit hole to find the root of suffering in this generation the more problems I see. What is the solution? The world holds so much potential but we (and I am generalizing) don't seem to be up to the challenge to explore those possibilities. Where has our apostolic mission gone?
We have let the hurricane of fear, doubt, insecurity, money, comfortability and complacency rule us out of the world that God has told us to keep for Him. What are we doing? What are we spending our money on? Who have we let down? I am not fifteen years old. I realize there is much left to learn and that not everything is a one-stop fix-er-upper. You have to build relationship, bathe everything in prayer, and be in constant communion with Jesus. It is not by our will or our power that the world changes but rather by Christ in us.
Are we letting Christ work through us? Are we too afraid to let Him because it might take us farther from what we know? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Live the words you read. Follow the Lord. Don't let fear rule you. We are all the idealistic 15 year old. The world holds that potential still. God is sweeping the nations. Why aren't we helping?
Today I was doing a lesson with Meredith on missions and what the world looks like today. The Sour-Patch Missionary.
I will hopefully post something else about this before I leave.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
ambridge youth ignite.
Since my last post I have been quite the busy bee.
I've spent a lot of my time working with the youth of Ambridge, PA, a town just outside of Pittsburgh. Although the town is simple and quaint, with a few urban rustics, the people in it are quite different. Here, childhood and urban scandal mesh with ease. I've spent the last week working at a sports and arts camp called Ambridge Youth Ignite which was started by a couple of JPers 7 years ago.
I worked with kids at a sports camp last year, but my experience was quite different. The kids were dropped off by their parents who would give them lunch, a kiss and a hug and say they would be back at 4 to take them home. Ambridge kids have a little less than that. Some walk a good ways to get to camp (which is on the side of the high school because that was the only place that could be donated for a non-profit) and don't see their parents until late at night. These kids come from unimaginable backgrounds--being tossed from foster home to foster home, watching parents spend more money on drugs than on groceries, and of course growing up without anyone giving a hoot about them. The point of Ambridge Youth Ignite is to allow these kids a safe environment to play in, and to grow with people who love them. The leaders are fully invested; there is no pay for an 8-4 shift and the kids aren't the easiest to work with.
I'm amazed by God's goodness everyday. I will not say that it's been easy or that I've seen too much fruit but God is faithful. I've seen improvement that I didn't think would be possible in 4 days. This week is basketball week. While I'm probably not the most skillful basketball player, I could probably shoot a hoop or two. These kids are amazing, but lack self-respect, self-esteem, and the nurturing relationships that would help these qualities blossom. We stand by, watch, and do our best to give helpful instruction and fun with drills and games. Some kids could care less about the games we plan or the drills we do, but others have started to see that there is a purpose to all of it. I come home everyday completely exhausted from watching and giving piggy-back rides and endless games of Knockout. It's worth it though.
Today as we rotated age groups (we split the 50 kids into age-groups of 6-7, 8-10, 11-13) and the older kids got to my station I decided to try something a little different. Usually we'd play some knockout or 2 on 2, but I figured we'd spice things up a bit. I've typically had a bad track record with the older kids. I butt heads with the older boys especially who give me that "I'm too good for this" attitude. If you know me, you know that I'm not one to back down, nor am I one to take that kind of disrespect. All in all, it has been a challenge for me to see where they're coming from and what kind of a place their attitudes have grown from. Anyway, today, I thought we should try some Steal the Bacon. Thank you Audrey Moore ReCenter and Fairfax County Park Authority for giving me some background in these kinds of games. I was shocked to see that the 16 thirteen-year olds that I had actually liked the game. They played for about 30 mins, which is a lot for them. They got excited and started cheering for their teammates and were engaged. Now, this probably doesn't sound too exciting to you. However, when all you hear is negativity, bad words, and complaints, this game was something even I was excited to play. It was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dreary place.
God smiled on those kids today. Watching them play showed me how I should be loving them and what God has actually been seeing all along--I just never took the time to look the right way.
Yet again, another life lesson from the eyes of the Beholder. You are wonderful, Father. Thank you for showing me how to love. Send your love in a visible and passionate way to those who have yet to understand what love can really be. They're desperate for a taste.
Pray for Ambridge. Pray for the youth. God is listening. And answering.
I've spent a lot of my time working with the youth of Ambridge, PA, a town just outside of Pittsburgh. Although the town is simple and quaint, with a few urban rustics, the people in it are quite different. Here, childhood and urban scandal mesh with ease. I've spent the last week working at a sports and arts camp called Ambridge Youth Ignite which was started by a couple of JPers 7 years ago.
I worked with kids at a sports camp last year, but my experience was quite different. The kids were dropped off by their parents who would give them lunch, a kiss and a hug and say they would be back at 4 to take them home. Ambridge kids have a little less than that. Some walk a good ways to get to camp (which is on the side of the high school because that was the only place that could be donated for a non-profit) and don't see their parents until late at night. These kids come from unimaginable backgrounds--being tossed from foster home to foster home, watching parents spend more money on drugs than on groceries, and of course growing up without anyone giving a hoot about them. The point of Ambridge Youth Ignite is to allow these kids a safe environment to play in, and to grow with people who love them. The leaders are fully invested; there is no pay for an 8-4 shift and the kids aren't the easiest to work with.
I'm amazed by God's goodness everyday. I will not say that it's been easy or that I've seen too much fruit but God is faithful. I've seen improvement that I didn't think would be possible in 4 days. This week is basketball week. While I'm probably not the most skillful basketball player, I could probably shoot a hoop or two. These kids are amazing, but lack self-respect, self-esteem, and the nurturing relationships that would help these qualities blossom. We stand by, watch, and do our best to give helpful instruction and fun with drills and games. Some kids could care less about the games we plan or the drills we do, but others have started to see that there is a purpose to all of it. I come home everyday completely exhausted from watching and giving piggy-back rides and endless games of Knockout. It's worth it though.
Today as we rotated age groups (we split the 50 kids into age-groups of 6-7, 8-10, 11-13) and the older kids got to my station I decided to try something a little different. Usually we'd play some knockout or 2 on 2, but I figured we'd spice things up a bit. I've typically had a bad track record with the older kids. I butt heads with the older boys especially who give me that "I'm too good for this" attitude. If you know me, you know that I'm not one to back down, nor am I one to take that kind of disrespect. All in all, it has been a challenge for me to see where they're coming from and what kind of a place their attitudes have grown from. Anyway, today, I thought we should try some Steal the Bacon. Thank you Audrey Moore ReCenter and Fairfax County Park Authority for giving me some background in these kinds of games. I was shocked to see that the 16 thirteen-year olds that I had actually liked the game. They played for about 30 mins, which is a lot for them. They got excited and started cheering for their teammates and were engaged. Now, this probably doesn't sound too exciting to you. However, when all you hear is negativity, bad words, and complaints, this game was something even I was excited to play. It was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dreary place.
God smiled on those kids today. Watching them play showed me how I should be loving them and what God has actually been seeing all along--I just never took the time to look the right way.
Yet again, another life lesson from the eyes of the Beholder. You are wonderful, Father. Thank you for showing me how to love. Send your love in a visible and passionate way to those who have yet to understand what love can really be. They're desperate for a taste.
Pray for Ambridge. Pray for the youth. God is listening. And answering.
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