So here is our last post. The previous ones were written by my gost-writer Emily Wilson (She is a huge blessing). So I will now write the last one so bare with me as writing is not my specialty, especially grammar for those of you that know me.
Day 8 continued...
Well as you read previously we had an amazing Princess night on day 7 as well as some great time with kids from some of the ghetto neighborhoods in at Atlanta (it's called kids day out) we went to the the roller rink, which was an adventure for me since it is the once sport that scares me to death. I only fell hard 3 times and then decided it would be safer for me and everyone at the rink to just watch! The two boys I was assigned to hang out with A.J. and Spencer tried their best to teach me but in the end I took them to the arcade so that I would actually be able to spend time with them since keeping up with them on the rink really was not an option.
On day eight we woke up and worked mainly on words of life after having breakfast and a 30 minutes of worship. Every morning we would spend at least 30 minutes to and hour in worship with the purpose of allowing God to challenge us and fill us up before we ever attempted to minister to others. This included worshiping through song, reading scripture, praying over each other and just listening to God. I know for many of the students this was a new experience for them and my prayer is that they will continue with this habit when they get home.
After we had weeded the neighbors business property we continued with words of life and finished all of them except Rod's which we would finish on day 9. Then at around 8pm we went to do our second compassion night. On compassion nights we go to areas in the city with homeless people an offer them food and prayer as well as a chance to get off the streets and get their life right with the Christ. It is always amazing to hear the different stories of people. Well we drove about 15 minutes away from the Dream Center and ended up near a rehab center for people overcoming drug addictions and financial difficulty. As we pulled up we could see about 20 or so homeless people mainly men outside and in the parking lot we were in. We broke into groups of 5-6 people and headed out in a 2 block radius to encourage and minister to those we would encounter. My group consisted of Emily W., Sage B., Jenna W., Breanna and I. The first man we encountered was hilarious and we spend about 20 minutes with him he told us to pray for a friend that had cancer and then proceeded to give a sermon to us about how God was like the parts of the body, I instantly became his human example. Thankfully he kept it appropriate other than embarrassing me by having me wave my hands in the air and telling me that my forearm represented Jesus , my upper arm God and my hand the Holy Spirit. From their we were able to pray with a man that had lost his job, he didn't appear homeless like the others but was just needing a place to stay for the night as he was trying to get another job at the local trucking company. We gave him some food and the number for the Dream Center he was thankful and said he would contact them soon. We ran into a number of other people and prayed for many of them as well as seeing God give us words of knowledge to pray over them or speak to them. It was a very touching night and a sobering reminder that all of us could be in a similar situation apart from the grace of God in our life. After returning home we prayed and went to bed preparing for our last full day of ministry in Atlanta.
Day 9
We woke up kind of late, tired from the activities and ministry over the last 8 days. We arrived at the Church about 9:15 am and promptly ate some breakfast and spent some time worshiping. When we were done a group of our team left and helped to move some items and clean up some much needed things at the local homeless shelter, right by where we had been the night before. The rest of us myself included went over to the newly acquired office building across the street known as the second warehouse. The first warehouse being the building the church meets in for church and meal preparations for teams. This newest building had allot of renovations being done to it since it was purchased only a few months earlier and all of their offices were moving there as well as their storage for many of their ministries. So we helped finish some drywall, painting projects, moving of items and weeding around the building. In this moment I need to give major thanks to Rod who mudded and taped practically half the entire building and helped to stay late and finish painting all the ceilings of the new construction areas. He used his physical talents to really minster to the Dream Center, it was a joy to watch!
After we finished the homeless shelter projects and the new warehouse ones we took a much needed break and were able to go swimming at a near by apartment complex where our African friend Adille lived with his wife Hannah. It was so refreshing to go swimming since most of the week it was so humid you sweated just thinking. After swimming we headed to the Dream Center to drop off one of the vans and to go out to dinner.
After dinner the other half of our team went out to princess night those that had not received the chance to go the night before. I believe it was Trevor, Clark, Colton, Chris, Jessica H., Meghan F., Jessica W., Jessica B., Sage, Jenna, Kristi, Jen, Ashley, Mackenzie, Makayla and I. We went to the area opposite of where we had been the night before, the reason being that if you go back to an area right after taking a girl off the street the pimp can get angry and it can lead to unnecessary dangerous situations. So as we entered the neighborhood all of the same heart breaking sights I had seen the night before came right back into view. Drug deals, hotels littered with sings of prostitution, scantly clad ladies walking down the street and perverted young men looking for a quick thrill. My job in our van full of students was to be a physical male presence every time the girls opened the van door and went to pray for a girl. We did this so that no one would think of causing them harm but even more importantly it was to pray and ask for Gods favor and blessing over every lady or pimp we would encounter. The first women we encountered was a long time prostitute, Patrick from the Dream center said they had been ministering to her for a while now and that she had not yet wanted to get off the streets. The girls hugged her, Gave her a beautiful long stem rose and prayed over her after giving her a card with a number to call if she wanted to get out (this is how most girls end up getting off the streets). We then proceeded down the road about a quarter mile and saw another lady on the street corner, she was wearing pink shorts and a skimpy top and was waiting for another Jon to come by. As we approached the girls wrote her a quick encouraging card and grabbed a flower for her after saying a prayer in the van, this time I got out to because their was a man near by. The girls prayed for her and gave her the card and rose and left after she said she was not ready to get off the streets yet. Then we proceeded a few miles down the road as we turned one of the corners Patrick stopped and said go pray for that girl up there in the black dress. Once again the girls quickly wrote the card, grabbed a rose and prayed. This time because we had to walk a little ways both Trevor and I got out and followed about 25 feet behind the girls until the van could catch up. As the girls got about 30 feet away a "John" in a fancy white car pulled up to the prostitute and they began to talk, we prayed fervently that he would leave and not proposition her to get in his car. By the grace of God he left her and she did not get in. Seeing their moment our team of girls quickly went up to her. She seemed hesitant and unsure at first but then welcome them with open arms when she realized they didn't want anything from her but instead desired to give her something no strings attached. As they talked to her it became evident that she wanted out of the lifestyle and that she had been really impacted by the girls prayer and gift to her. Patrick came over and began to explain to her how the process of recovery and getting off the streets would work. She agreed to it and we all quickly jumped in the van and headed back to the dream center rejoicing all the way that another women would be off the streets and out of a painful life of prostitution. When we got back to the Dream Center, Patrick and Jen began the counseling and debriefing with the prostitute who we will call Stacey. As they met with Stacey I took the rest of our team to the back of the church and we prayed and celebrated all that God had miraculously done, we reminded them that if they can be used to get a prostitute off the tough streets of Atlanta that they could do anything for Christ when they got home. We then challenged our boys to never let their lives become a perverted pursuit that would lead to the disgusting industry that we had seen right before our eyes. Then all of our guys took the remaining beautiful roses from the night and gave them to our girls as a reminder that sometimes the hardest person to see as beautiful and valuable in God's sight is themselves. That they should never settle for anything less than God's best, a man of God that will lead them closer to Christ and treat them as the princess they are in God's sight! We prayed for each of our girls it was a powerful moment and the Holy Spirit really encouraged and loved on our girls. After a few worship songs we said goodnight to Stacey. Jen and Sandlin one of the other Dream Center staff went to the safe house that Stacey would be staying at and they remained overnight night with her and minister to her. They found out that Stacey is a very smart and well educated women with her nursing degree she had come out to Atlanta from Texas with the promise of a new job and better salary. When she arrived everything fell apart and she ended up out of money with no way home and fearful for her life. She counted on the goodness of people around her, strangers, but the kindness eventually ran out and after six weeks of living by a thread she turned to prostitution. She had thankfully only been on the streets prostituting for a bout 2 weeks before we had picked her up she said she was praying that God would bring someone to rescue her and He did! This was a miraculous night we had seen 3 girls come off the streets from prostitution in 2 days that had never happened in the 6 year history of the Dream Center. Man God is amazing!
Later that night we finished our words of life for Rod and then for a special guest (if your son or daughter went they will have to tell you about it). We finished packing and cleaning our rooms and then most of us got about 1-2 hours of sleep and then woke up at 4:30am to head to the airport. The trip home went smooth and I think the hardest part for most of us over the next few weeks will be coming home and applying what God did in our hearts and lives in Atlanta. Not forgetting all that he had done but using it to make a huge difference in the culture and city he has placed us in. My prayer this next year for our kids and staff is the prayer of our Savior Jesus found in John 17. That we would be one as He and the father are one and that we would reach all those that have yet to experience him. This will mean using everyday simple ministries or opportunities to impact those that are neglected and disconnected from the love of Christ. This will make some people around us very uncomfortable but the truth is Jesus made many uncomfortable to their names were the Sadducees and Pharisees. Thanks for listening and may God richly bless you as you pursue him.
On the S.O.U.L witness mission,
Jason & the Atlanta Team
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Atlanta day 7-8
By: Emily Wilson
Yesterday was probably the most powerful day any of us have ever experienced. It started with the big bald guy we call Jason telling us we were going to go paint a homeless shelter. yeahh.. he was wrong. turns out we were going to the rollar rink with our kids from kid's day out earlier in the week. A lot of us didn't have socks.. so we probably got some weird foot disease. It was great reconnecting with our kids though. D-Mac stuck to Trevor like glue and even Kiki wouldn't leave me until she had her meltdown at the end and didn't want to have anything to do with me. Mallory convinced one of the girls, Celest, that Justin Beiber was her boyfriend... Matt looks a lot like Justin Beiber. Poor Celest... Ashae wasn't there which made Jason very sad, but it was probably a blessing because he couldn't rollar skate to save his life. That took up most of our day and after dinner, some of us got ready to go out for Princess Night and minister to the prostitutes on the streets: Me, Bailey, Makayla, Anna, Lauren, Jen, Amber, Jessica B, Yusi, Karl, Tucker, Matt, Rod, and Jason and Patrick. The time spent in the van is usually all prayer so there wasn't much talking in the van. We stopped by our first girl, Diamond, and the first group of girls went, gave her flowers and her card, told her how loved she was a walked back. The same story happened with the next girl. When my group went though, something incredible happened. I'm going to tell the story soley from my point of view and what I witnessed.
There is no feeling in the world like that of seeing a pimp walking down the street with a scantily dressed girl at his side. All of our boys were tensed up in the back seat, thankful that they had been in homes where girls are respected and loved. No matter how hard you try, the image of a rundown hotel with women inside and men on the outside will forever be burned in your mind, especially when you can see the children of the women only a hotel room away from where such disrespect is occuring. As we continued driving, all the while praying that God would put someone in our path we came across two ladies walking down the side of the road. Patrick pulled over and it was my group's turn to go out. Amber, Bailey, Jen, and I got out. Amber was holding the flowers, but I felt in my heart that I was supposed to be the one to talk to her so I asked her for them and walked up to one of the ladies. Turns out, it was a mother and daughter. I was talking to the mother and I began telling her how beautiful she was and how loved by the Lord she was and if she ever needed anything the Dream Center is always open. I asked her if I could pray with her and she agreed so I put my hand on her shoulder and felt the presence of God just pouring into her. She began crying as did her daughter who Jen was talking to. We offered to take them with us in our van and bring them to the Dream Center and give them a place to stay. They were hesitant at first, but God was definitely on our side and they agreed to go. Turns out they were from Mississippi. The daughter has had some background in prostitution before and a man offered her lots of money and good food if she came to Atlanta to work for him. Her mother, who has had no experience only began in the time they were in Atlanta, came with her also. The man used them for a little while then ditched them and left them with no money. A new pimp picked them up and began working them so hard that by the time we met them they were incredibly weary. He had pumped them full of crack, didn't let them sleep or eat for 4 days. Every time they came back to rest he would send them out again. They had blisters all over their feet even on the tops from walking so much. The mother remembers praying for a nice big man to come and get her and take her away to a place where she could be safe and hide, God definitely answered her prayers. They were so greatful to us. We gave them food and clothes and a place to stay in the safe house. The Lord was definitely preparing Jen and Karl for this when they made way too much lasagna for no reason. Jason even had a vision before we went out dipicting the exact looks of one of the ladies we saved. I am so thankful that God used me in all of this. It goes to show that God can take horrible things that have happened to you and turn them into something beautiful. I am so greatful that he decided to use me. I am sure to give him all the praise and all the glory. The two ladies are safe and this morning, Amber, Bailey, Sandlyn, and I went to walmart to buy them clothes and food and neccessities for their bus trip back home to Mississippi. Keep them in your prayers and pray that God will have touched their lives in some way. Another team will be going out tomorrow so pray that God uses them for something big too. This experience has changed me. And I am sure it has changed others too. Karl told me earlier in the week that God was going to use me to save someone's life. I didn't think it would actually happen, but I serve a really big God.
Today we have mostly done Words of Life and we got to pull weeds down the street on a man's property who has a restraining order against the Dream Center, so it was a great ministry opportunity when he allowed us to help him. Tonight after worship, we are going out for compassion night so pray that God opens up lots of opportunities for us.
Yesterday was probably the most powerful day any of us have ever experienced. It started with the big bald guy we call Jason telling us we were going to go paint a homeless shelter. yeahh.. he was wrong. turns out we were going to the rollar rink with our kids from kid's day out earlier in the week. A lot of us didn't have socks.. so we probably got some weird foot disease. It was great reconnecting with our kids though. D-Mac stuck to Trevor like glue and even Kiki wouldn't leave me until she had her meltdown at the end and didn't want to have anything to do with me. Mallory convinced one of the girls, Celest, that Justin Beiber was her boyfriend... Matt looks a lot like Justin Beiber. Poor Celest... Ashae wasn't there which made Jason very sad, but it was probably a blessing because he couldn't rollar skate to save his life. That took up most of our day and after dinner, some of us got ready to go out for Princess Night and minister to the prostitutes on the streets: Me, Bailey, Makayla, Anna, Lauren, Jen, Amber, Jessica B, Yusi, Karl, Tucker, Matt, Rod, and Jason and Patrick. The time spent in the van is usually all prayer so there wasn't much talking in the van. We stopped by our first girl, Diamond, and the first group of girls went, gave her flowers and her card, told her how loved she was a walked back. The same story happened with the next girl. When my group went though, something incredible happened. I'm going to tell the story soley from my point of view and what I witnessed.
There is no feeling in the world like that of seeing a pimp walking down the street with a scantily dressed girl at his side. All of our boys were tensed up in the back seat, thankful that they had been in homes where girls are respected and loved. No matter how hard you try, the image of a rundown hotel with women inside and men on the outside will forever be burned in your mind, especially when you can see the children of the women only a hotel room away from where such disrespect is occuring. As we continued driving, all the while praying that God would put someone in our path we came across two ladies walking down the side of the road. Patrick pulled over and it was my group's turn to go out. Amber, Bailey, Jen, and I got out. Amber was holding the flowers, but I felt in my heart that I was supposed to be the one to talk to her so I asked her for them and walked up to one of the ladies. Turns out, it was a mother and daughter. I was talking to the mother and I began telling her how beautiful she was and how loved by the Lord she was and if she ever needed anything the Dream Center is always open. I asked her if I could pray with her and she agreed so I put my hand on her shoulder and felt the presence of God just pouring into her. She began crying as did her daughter who Jen was talking to. We offered to take them with us in our van and bring them to the Dream Center and give them a place to stay. They were hesitant at first, but God was definitely on our side and they agreed to go. Turns out they were from Mississippi. The daughter has had some background in prostitution before and a man offered her lots of money and good food if she came to Atlanta to work for him. Her mother, who has had no experience only began in the time they were in Atlanta, came with her also. The man used them for a little while then ditched them and left them with no money. A new pimp picked them up and began working them so hard that by the time we met them they were incredibly weary. He had pumped them full of crack, didn't let them sleep or eat for 4 days. Every time they came back to rest he would send them out again. They had blisters all over their feet even on the tops from walking so much. The mother remembers praying for a nice big man to come and get her and take her away to a place where she could be safe and hide, God definitely answered her prayers. They were so greatful to us. We gave them food and clothes and a place to stay in the safe house. The Lord was definitely preparing Jen and Karl for this when they made way too much lasagna for no reason. Jason even had a vision before we went out dipicting the exact looks of one of the ladies we saved. I am so thankful that God used me in all of this. It goes to show that God can take horrible things that have happened to you and turn them into something beautiful. I am so greatful that he decided to use me. I am sure to give him all the praise and all the glory. The two ladies are safe and this morning, Amber, Bailey, Sandlyn, and I went to walmart to buy them clothes and food and neccessities for their bus trip back home to Mississippi. Keep them in your prayers and pray that God will have touched their lives in some way. Another team will be going out tomorrow so pray that God uses them for something big too. This experience has changed me. And I am sure it has changed others too. Karl told me earlier in the week that God was going to use me to save someone's life. I didn't think it would actually happen, but I serve a really big God.
Today we have mostly done Words of Life and we got to pull weeds down the street on a man's property who has a restraining order against the Dream Center, so it was a great ministry opportunity when he allowed us to help him. Tonight after worship, we are going out for compassion night so pray that God opens up lots of opportunities for us.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Atlanta day 6-7
By: Emily Wilson
Yesterday was church day here at the Dream Center. The church has almost tripled in size since the last time we were here. It was really great seeing people at church that we ministered to throughout the week. That was really encouraging to us to know that our efforts weren't being wasted. Afterwards we had a great potluck down in the park with all the people from the church and it was great to reconnect with people we had talked to during the week. Sunday was also laundry day and nap time... We were all getting tired and cranky so Jason demanded we take a two hour nap. He is right as usual, we all felt better and some tension in our little 'sorority' houses went down...a little. Princess night didn't happen last night due to another torrential rain storm. Seems the Montana weather followed us and you guys got Atlanta weather for the week. We had a great night doing words of life. Sage, Emily, Amber, Jessica H, Jessica W, and Yusi all went. After experiencing it myself, I can really understand why we do it. You feel so loved and so appreciated and people pick things out that you think get overlooked. Very good experience. We said goodbye to the Michigan team this morning...we weren't that sad, they were pretty awkward introverted kids... Today we picked up trash after worship and the other half of us went to give food away to homeless people. Turns out Karl met a guy that remembered him from his last time here 2 years ago. The man remembered him by name too. He is getting off drugs and has been clean for some time and is currently looking for a job. So keep him in your prayers. Some of the MetroKids are on their way to the Dream Center and we are going to take them rollar skating... but none of us can rollar skate..especially jason. I'll take pictures for you :)
Ashley's favorite part: "I like talking with all the kids because they seem to appreciate the little things that get overlooked."
Matt's favorite part: "compassion night, it was great hearing the stories. and i'm going to be a professional bum and build the worlds largest
cardboard house."
Jenna's favorite part: "Adopt a block because we went to a new neighborhood and the kids loved us. I met a 50 year old lady that is starting at Georgia State this fall and it was really inspiring."
Rod's favorite part: "Getting to know all of you guys" he loves us :)
Yesterday was church day here at the Dream Center. The church has almost tripled in size since the last time we were here. It was really great seeing people at church that we ministered to throughout the week. That was really encouraging to us to know that our efforts weren't being wasted. Afterwards we had a great potluck down in the park with all the people from the church and it was great to reconnect with people we had talked to during the week. Sunday was also laundry day and nap time... We were all getting tired and cranky so Jason demanded we take a two hour nap. He is right as usual, we all felt better and some tension in our little 'sorority' houses went down...a little. Princess night didn't happen last night due to another torrential rain storm. Seems the Montana weather followed us and you guys got Atlanta weather for the week. We had a great night doing words of life. Sage, Emily, Amber, Jessica H, Jessica W, and Yusi all went. After experiencing it myself, I can really understand why we do it. You feel so loved and so appreciated and people pick things out that you think get overlooked. Very good experience. We said goodbye to the Michigan team this morning...we weren't that sad, they were pretty awkward introverted kids... Today we picked up trash after worship and the other half of us went to give food away to homeless people. Turns out Karl met a guy that remembered him from his last time here 2 years ago. The man remembered him by name too. He is getting off drugs and has been clean for some time and is currently looking for a job. So keep him in your prayers. Some of the MetroKids are on their way to the Dream Center and we are going to take them rollar skating... but none of us can rollar skate..especially jason. I'll take pictures for you :)
Ashley's favorite part: "I like talking with all the kids because they seem to appreciate the little things that get overlooked."
Matt's favorite part: "compassion night, it was great hearing the stories. and i'm going to be a professional bum and build the worlds largest
cardboard house."
Jenna's favorite part: "Adopt a block because we went to a new neighborhood and the kids loved us. I met a 50 year old lady that is starting at Georgia State this fall and it was really inspiring."
Rod's favorite part: "Getting to know all of you guys" he loves us :)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Atlanta Mission Trip day 5-6
By: Emily Wilson
Saturday we did adopt-a-block which was a great experience for everyone. God opened up a lot of doors for us to talk and to speak life into people. The worship before we went was incredible and God did some amazing things in our hearts. Jason and I's experience was so impacting that day. We ended up going back to the complex where our kids lived from our kids day out. Total God thing, we didn't even know they were going to be there. When Jason knocked on a door and Ashae opened it and jumped into his arms he realized that God sent us there for a reason. Zakia and Kiki did the same thing to me too. We played with them for a while and planned to take them to Centennial park to play in the fountains. The rest of our team called and said we were going to the lake and were asking Jason and I to come back, but both of us knew that our place was with the kids. We are so happy we went. We got soaked in the fountains; Ashae didn't let go of Jason once. God was just in control of everything: Ashae wanted a picture to keep and there was a disney festival going on at the park and they were taking pictures and printing them for free, so she got her wish. Watching Jason just encouraged me so much too. It was a perfect day, that was very much God's plan for me and him that day.
The rest of our team was at the lake and had a blast. The water was warm and the beach was nice. They buried Colton in the sand to where he couldn't even move. The lake was a half hour away so the drive was really fun. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon just to have fun and take a break. We also did words of life last night. Karl, Tucker, Clarke, and Bridget all went and it was incredible. Watching the words be impacting and watching them be encouraged and lifted up just brings so much joy to your heart. Our team is bonding really well and we all are enjoying each other's company.
Today is sunday and we are attending church at the Dream Center and then going to Andy Stanley's church a half hour away from Atlanta. Tonight we are doing laundry and doing princess night. Princess night is where we minister to the prostitutes on the street. So please be praying that God uses us tonight in a very effective way.
Saturday we did adopt-a-block which was a great experience for everyone. God opened up a lot of doors for us to talk and to speak life into people. The worship before we went was incredible and God did some amazing things in our hearts. Jason and I's experience was so impacting that day. We ended up going back to the complex where our kids lived from our kids day out. Total God thing, we didn't even know they were going to be there. When Jason knocked on a door and Ashae opened it and jumped into his arms he realized that God sent us there for a reason. Zakia and Kiki did the same thing to me too. We played with them for a while and planned to take them to Centennial park to play in the fountains. The rest of our team called and said we were going to the lake and were asking Jason and I to come back, but both of us knew that our place was with the kids. We are so happy we went. We got soaked in the fountains; Ashae didn't let go of Jason once. God was just in control of everything: Ashae wanted a picture to keep and there was a disney festival going on at the park and they were taking pictures and printing them for free, so she got her wish. Watching Jason just encouraged me so much too. It was a perfect day, that was very much God's plan for me and him that day.
The rest of our team was at the lake and had a blast. The water was warm and the beach was nice. They buried Colton in the sand to where he couldn't even move. The lake was a half hour away so the drive was really fun. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon just to have fun and take a break. We also did words of life last night. Karl, Tucker, Clarke, and Bridget all went and it was incredible. Watching the words be impacting and watching them be encouraged and lifted up just brings so much joy to your heart. Our team is bonding really well and we all are enjoying each other's company.
Today is sunday and we are attending church at the Dream Center and then going to Andy Stanley's church a half hour away from Atlanta. Tonight we are doing laundry and doing princess night. Princess night is where we minister to the prostitutes on the street. So please be praying that God uses us tonight in a very effective way.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Atlanta Mission Trip Day 3-4
By: Emily Wilson
June 23- The rest of the day went really well! Kid's day out was amazing and we as a team built so many good relatioinships with the kids. Some of them we had met the other day at MetroKids and they were overjoyed to see us! It was so great giving them a day where it was all about them, we were there just to love them and hug them and kiss them and tell them how beautiful they are. It's life changing... It made every one of us look at our own lives and realized how blessed we are. Below are some stories about what happened:
JASON:
"I was going out to the van to look for a kid and i asked who wanted to go with me and a little girl yelled "I do!" and jumped into my arms. Her name was Ashae. When we got into the church i was telling her stories about my daughter, Talea, and my son, Titus, and she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and asked "Could you be my daddy for today?" It just melted my heart and I was a puddle within. We played the rest of the day: rode piggyback, played on the playground, she even painted my big, bald head blue."
TREVOR RIDDEL:
"When we did MetroKids,I had this kid that was 4 years old and he introduced himself as D-Mac. I played with him all day and loved on him. then during kid's day out, we didn't know who we were gonna get but we did know that there was a van full of kids coming. As I was pulling kids out of the back of the van, I saw this kid poke his head up and reach his arms up with a huge smile on his face and it was D-Mac. As he reached up to me I saw his childlike heart and realized that I should have the same attitude for Christ. That's how we should be to our heavenly father, just like D-Mac, reaching up, wanting to be taken in safe arms and loved."
EMILY WILSON:
"So my story is a lot like Trevor's. During MetroKids, I played with a girl named Zakia. When the van pulled up I was the one who opened the door and she just jumped on me! She kept asking "Do you remember me!?" of course I did. She loved the attention I gave her and she couldn't believe she was getting to play with someone who was 10 years older than her. We talked about God a lot that day and she began to understand how much he loves her. As we were walking she was telling me all the people who loved her. "my mama loves me! my family loves me!" "Kia, who else loves you?" "ummm God loves me!" "that's right. Who else?" "YOU!" "That's right." When she told me that I loved her she hugged me real tight and that was my 'melt the heart' moment. These kids are wonderful. They are funny and adventurous and outgoing and they love attention. I am so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to spend time with them."
The second part of our night was spent reaching out to the homeless people. We went to 5-Point and broke into groups of 5 (each one with a boy so we were safe) and split up to go find people to talk to. So many people were greatfull for the food we brought and our prayers. Below are some stories about what happened:
Bailey:
"So we were about to be finished with Compassion night and we were on our way back to the van and we stopped at a bench. we decided to keep going a little farthur not knowing if we would find anyone, but then we come up to these 2 ladies with 2 sons, ages 6 and 1. As we talked to them we learned that their house burned down and they lost everything. A organization had put them up in a hotel for a week or two, but their last night was the night before. So they were out on the street looking for any support they could find: food, housing..ect.. We gave them 6 bags of food and they were so greatful and you could see it on their face. They asked if we would pray with them and we each took a turn. I was with their baby and he kept grabbing my hand and wanted to be hugged and cuddled. He seemed to look at you with total emptiness. We sat and talked with them for a while and we gave them the number for the dream center so we could help them the next day. They probably slept on the street last night. It was incredible to see the impact of a small hot dog and a bottle of water."
JESSICA BUCK:
"My group was walking and there were 2 guys sitting against a wall and we walked by the first time and they looked up at us with a look of desperation. You could tell they had been out there for a long time. We passed them not thinking they were homeless. One blew a kiss to me, it creeped me out at first, but then I just had a feeling in my heart that we should turn around. We started talking to them and asked if they wanted our food, they claimed they didn't, but after a while they took it. They began to warm up and Matt asked if we could pray for them and he said he would like that. One guy stopped us and said "My girl is in jail right now and gets out in 2 weeks and she's pregnant and it going to have her baby in 6 months and i am scared to death. I want her to clean up." We prayed for him and later that night i was thinking about it and realized that that man comes from a place where he doesn't have much, but he loves his girl and the baby and wants to clean up for her."
After Compassion night, which was around 10:30, we came back to the Dream Center for words of life. Ashley, MacKenzie, Meghan, Jessica, and Matt all went last night. Words of life is personally one of my favorite things we do. Again, the feeling of having the whole group right there with you is incredible. Even with people we have only known for a few days. We finished around 1:30 in the morning.. so bedtime came pretty late.
June 24- Today we got up all feeling like we could use a few more hours of sleep, but nonetheless had a good attitude and trekked to the dream center around 8:30. Today we participated in their Train Ministry. We stayed in our same groups as last night and we got on the train and rode it all the way to the airport. The idea is to talk to a stranger and see if God opens up an opportunity to share faith or words of encouragement. Jason had some pretty good talks as did MacKenzie, Anna, and Tucker. We didn't lose anyone on the train. One group accidently rode one station too far.. but they got back to us safe! No worries! Later tonight we are doing a block party for people in need and afterwards we were supposed to minister to the prostitutes, but we will do that tomorrow night. Instead of that, we are going to an outreach ministry that uses clean christian hip hop to witness to others. That's the plan for tonight. Check back tomorrow for more details on how it went!
June 23- The rest of the day went really well! Kid's day out was amazing and we as a team built so many good relatioinships with the kids. Some of them we had met the other day at MetroKids and they were overjoyed to see us! It was so great giving them a day where it was all about them, we were there just to love them and hug them and kiss them and tell them how beautiful they are. It's life changing... It made every one of us look at our own lives and realized how blessed we are. Below are some stories about what happened:
JASON:
"I was going out to the van to look for a kid and i asked who wanted to go with me and a little girl yelled "I do!" and jumped into my arms. Her name was Ashae. When we got into the church i was telling her stories about my daughter, Talea, and my son, Titus, and she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and asked "Could you be my daddy for today?" It just melted my heart and I was a puddle within. We played the rest of the day: rode piggyback, played on the playground, she even painted my big, bald head blue."
TREVOR RIDDEL:
"When we did MetroKids,I had this kid that was 4 years old and he introduced himself as D-Mac. I played with him all day and loved on him. then during kid's day out, we didn't know who we were gonna get but we did know that there was a van full of kids coming. As I was pulling kids out of the back of the van, I saw this kid poke his head up and reach his arms up with a huge smile on his face and it was D-Mac. As he reached up to me I saw his childlike heart and realized that I should have the same attitude for Christ. That's how we should be to our heavenly father, just like D-Mac, reaching up, wanting to be taken in safe arms and loved."
EMILY WILSON:
"So my story is a lot like Trevor's. During MetroKids, I played with a girl named Zakia. When the van pulled up I was the one who opened the door and she just jumped on me! She kept asking "Do you remember me!?" of course I did. She loved the attention I gave her and she couldn't believe she was getting to play with someone who was 10 years older than her. We talked about God a lot that day and she began to understand how much he loves her. As we were walking she was telling me all the people who loved her. "my mama loves me! my family loves me!" "Kia, who else loves you?" "ummm God loves me!" "that's right. Who else?" "YOU!" "That's right." When she told me that I loved her she hugged me real tight and that was my 'melt the heart' moment. These kids are wonderful. They are funny and adventurous and outgoing and they love attention. I am so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to spend time with them."
The second part of our night was spent reaching out to the homeless people. We went to 5-Point and broke into groups of 5 (each one with a boy so we were safe) and split up to go find people to talk to. So many people were greatfull for the food we brought and our prayers. Below are some stories about what happened:
Bailey:
"So we were about to be finished with Compassion night and we were on our way back to the van and we stopped at a bench. we decided to keep going a little farthur not knowing if we would find anyone, but then we come up to these 2 ladies with 2 sons, ages 6 and 1. As we talked to them we learned that their house burned down and they lost everything. A organization had put them up in a hotel for a week or two, but their last night was the night before. So they were out on the street looking for any support they could find: food, housing..ect.. We gave them 6 bags of food and they were so greatful and you could see it on their face. They asked if we would pray with them and we each took a turn. I was with their baby and he kept grabbing my hand and wanted to be hugged and cuddled. He seemed to look at you with total emptiness. We sat and talked with them for a while and we gave them the number for the dream center so we could help them the next day. They probably slept on the street last night. It was incredible to see the impact of a small hot dog and a bottle of water."
JESSICA BUCK:
"My group was walking and there were 2 guys sitting against a wall and we walked by the first time and they looked up at us with a look of desperation. You could tell they had been out there for a long time. We passed them not thinking they were homeless. One blew a kiss to me, it creeped me out at first, but then I just had a feeling in my heart that we should turn around. We started talking to them and asked if they wanted our food, they claimed they didn't, but after a while they took it. They began to warm up and Matt asked if we could pray for them and he said he would like that. One guy stopped us and said "My girl is in jail right now and gets out in 2 weeks and she's pregnant and it going to have her baby in 6 months and i am scared to death. I want her to clean up." We prayed for him and later that night i was thinking about it and realized that that man comes from a place where he doesn't have much, but he loves his girl and the baby and wants to clean up for her."
After Compassion night, which was around 10:30, we came back to the Dream Center for words of life. Ashley, MacKenzie, Meghan, Jessica, and Matt all went last night. Words of life is personally one of my favorite things we do. Again, the feeling of having the whole group right there with you is incredible. Even with people we have only known for a few days. We finished around 1:30 in the morning.. so bedtime came pretty late.
June 24- Today we got up all feeling like we could use a few more hours of sleep, but nonetheless had a good attitude and trekked to the dream center around 8:30. Today we participated in their Train Ministry. We stayed in our same groups as last night and we got on the train and rode it all the way to the airport. The idea is to talk to a stranger and see if God opens up an opportunity to share faith or words of encouragement. Jason had some pretty good talks as did MacKenzie, Anna, and Tucker. We didn't lose anyone on the train. One group accidently rode one station too far.. but they got back to us safe! No worries! Later tonight we are doing a block party for people in need and afterwards we were supposed to minister to the prostitutes, but we will do that tomorrow night. Instead of that, we are going to an outreach ministry that uses clean christian hip hop to witness to others. That's the plan for tonight. Check back tomorrow for more details on how it went!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day 2-3 Atlanta
June 22 was our first real day in Atlanta doing work with the Dream Center. We spent two hours working within the building sanding, cleaning, and preparing the room to be painted and shelves installed for the community closet. We also helped with the MetroKids outreach. It is basically a sidewalk sunday school that travels to different complexes and talk to kids. They love having us there and are so starved for attention. All they want to do is be held and loved and to ride on your back... which many of us are feeling today. Aside from the torrential rain storm in the afternoon it was one of the hottest days. After dinner we participated in the youth service they put on here at the Dream Center. It was great worshipping God with the other team from Michigan and some regular church goes. After service our group did Words of Life. Essentially, one person sits in the middle with our entire group cirlced around them and each person goes around and speaks encouragement and love about the things we have observed and things that God has put on our hearts for that particular person. In the two hours we spent doing that Lauren, Colton, Anna, and Makayla walked away feeling very loved and encouraged. It's a great feeling to be loved by so many people and to have the whole team behind you. It was another late night going to bed though..
June 23- We are halfway through the day here it's around 12:30 and we have already accomplished projects at the Dream Center and at the Atlanta Children's Shelter. The shelter provides day care for kids ages 1 month- 5 years for families living in other shelters. They are usually raised by a single mom who is feeling from domestic abuse. The Children's Center not only provides a safe environment for the kids, but also classes and workshops of money management and parenting for the adults. Last year they were able to stabilize 5000 families into permanent homes thanks to the love and blessings of the Lord. Jen became very attached to the babies in the nursery and we practically had to drag her out by her hair because she didn't want to leave. They were so appreciative of our help. This was the first time the Dream Center has been involved and it was great that our Montana Team could be a part of a new ministry. Tonight we will be playing with kids and doing compassion night. Compassion night is when we bag dinners to give to homeless people on the streets. it's a great ministry opporunity for us, so please be praying that God will open some doors. Everything is going smoothly and we are all safe :)
Bailey's favorite part so far: " Hangin with Kevin at MetroKids"
Anna's favorite part so far: " I like the baseball game, but i really enjoy working with the kids."
Trevor's favorite part so far: "Sleeping with Chris...in the same twin sized bed."
Colton's favorite part so far: "I liked the words of life because it was very encouraging and uplifting."
June 23- We are halfway through the day here it's around 12:30 and we have already accomplished projects at the Dream Center and at the Atlanta Children's Shelter. The shelter provides day care for kids ages 1 month- 5 years for families living in other shelters. They are usually raised by a single mom who is feeling from domestic abuse. The Children's Center not only provides a safe environment for the kids, but also classes and workshops of money management and parenting for the adults. Last year they were able to stabilize 5000 families into permanent homes thanks to the love and blessings of the Lord. Jen became very attached to the babies in the nursery and we practically had to drag her out by her hair because she didn't want to leave. They were so appreciative of our help. This was the first time the Dream Center has been involved and it was great that our Montana Team could be a part of a new ministry. Tonight we will be playing with kids and doing compassion night. Compassion night is when we bag dinners to give to homeless people on the streets. it's a great ministry opporunity for us, so please be praying that God will open some doors. Everything is going smoothly and we are all safe :)
Bailey's favorite part so far: " Hangin with Kevin at MetroKids"
Anna's favorite part so far: " I like the baseball game, but i really enjoy working with the kids."
Trevor's favorite part so far: "Sleeping with Chris...in the same twin sized bed."
Colton's favorite part so far: "I liked the words of life because it was very encouraging and uplifting."
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