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.