Sorry it has been so long since I've posted, the last couple of weeks of the internship were a little crazy. Because this blog is covering the last two weeks, it will probably be a little long, but I will try my best to only include the major stuff.
Two weeks ago I served my last week at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center. All of us who volunteered there struggled that whole week as we prepared ourselves for Friday. There were a lot of tears, from both us and the kids. A really exciting part of the week though, was going on a field trip with the kids. We went to Sea Life in Kansas City. We wanted to do this to spend time with the kids outside of the classroom.
When the day came for the field trip I was excited, but nervous because I knew I would be drained by the end of the day. When it came time to split up into groups I became even more nervous when I realized that my group was going to be a handful. To be honest I was really dreading it. As the day went on though I was paired up with two little boys out of my group, to keep my eyes on them at the aquarium. I had struggled with each of these boys when working with them in the classroom, but while we explored they clung to me and wanted me to experience everything with them. The afternoon was so great! I saw how God used the time to redeem the way I looked at these two boys. He began to reveal to me the way that He sees them.
That weekend we also found out where we would be spending our next week. Every summer they take all the interns to Colorado for a wilderness trip, but because of the fires we had to change our plans. The staff kept it a secret from us until just a few days before we were going to leave. We ended up going to Lake of the Ozarks and having a family vacation for a few days.
It was so great to spend those four days with all the other interns and a few of the staff. We stayed in a condo where all 13 of us fit. On that Monday we went canoeing down a river, stopping every once and awhile to jump in and play in the shallow water. On Tuesday we explored a cave and spent the afternoon swimming. Wednesday we spent our afternoon at a state park having a day of solitude. During the day we read The Final Quest by Rick Joyner, which is a great book, but is super intense!
During our little "family vacation" we spent time meditating on the character of God. We talked about the playfulness of God and how he has a sense of humor. We also discussed His desire to take us on an adventure and bring transformation to our lives. Our time in the Ozarks was very relaxing and a lot of fun, totally different from my experience in Colorado last year.
When we returned to Kansas City we had a teaching on transitions and discussed our transitions back to home and school. I was so thankful for this! Even though I had already experienced all that, last year was really hard, so it was good to have this teaching to help with this year.
During those last few days I looked back on the summer to see what the Lord had all taught me. I've realized that a theme this summer has been God inviting me in stepping into the man He created me to be. He is continuing to show me that I am His son, which makes me a prince. He is also showing me that He loves my heart. He gave me my passions and desires and He wants to use them to great the Kingdom.
As our time in Kansas City came to a close we celebrated the summer that we shared together, but mourned leaving.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Week Eight: HOT! HOT! HOT!
Last week seems so far away. I can't actually remember a lot of stuff that happened.
Monday was Alan's birthday. It was awesome!! There was a dance party in the middle of Ryan's. Of course the classic cake and ice cream, which was followed by frosting food fight. Later than we went to get some frozen yogurt. It was such a great night.
The worst part of that night was that our air conditioner died. None of us slept well that night because our rooms got so hot! We didn't get the air conditioner fixed then until Thursday afternoon, so after a couple of days of 100 degrees our house was really hot. Wednesday night we had to spend the night at Ryan's because our house was too hot. We were so thankful by Thursday evening.
Thursday night a few of us went to the midnight premier of Dark Knight Rises. It was epic! I haven't been a huge fan of Batman in years past, but I wanted to go for the experience. I love that type of atmosphere! What made it even better was that we decided to go on a whim, like 3 hours before it started. The only bad part about that night was that I only got two hours of sleep.
Even thought I only got two hours of sleep, God had a lot of grace on me. I felt pretty refreshed when I woke up and then service was super great. I aware of Him most of the time and I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer while working with the kids. That afternoon we had our second beach outing with the inner city guys that Jeff works out with. We had a few more guys this time so that was awesome. We all had a lot of fun hanging out. I thought I would be super tired by that point, but I still had so much energy.
After the beach outing us second year guys headed back up to Pella for the weekend. We didn't get to Pella until almost 10:00pm and after we pulled in I hung out with some of the interns and a few of the staff until midnight.
It was so awesome how God was my strength that day, even if the reason I got so little sleep was for my own enjoyment. I think that just goes to show us how God cares for His children and wants us to have fun in the midst of serving and loving Him. He loves what we love and He wants us to delight in Him in the things that we enjoy.
That's a quick run down of last week. I can't believe after this week we only have one week left, and that's the wilderness trip. CRAZY!!! This summer has gone by so fast!
Monday was Alan's birthday. It was awesome!! There was a dance party in the middle of Ryan's. Of course the classic cake and ice cream, which was followed by frosting food fight. Later than we went to get some frozen yogurt. It was such a great night.
The worst part of that night was that our air conditioner died. None of us slept well that night because our rooms got so hot! We didn't get the air conditioner fixed then until Thursday afternoon, so after a couple of days of 100 degrees our house was really hot. Wednesday night we had to spend the night at Ryan's because our house was too hot. We were so thankful by Thursday evening.
Thursday night a few of us went to the midnight premier of Dark Knight Rises. It was epic! I haven't been a huge fan of Batman in years past, but I wanted to go for the experience. I love that type of atmosphere! What made it even better was that we decided to go on a whim, like 3 hours before it started. The only bad part about that night was that I only got two hours of sleep.
Even thought I only got two hours of sleep, God had a lot of grace on me. I felt pretty refreshed when I woke up and then service was super great. I aware of Him most of the time and I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer while working with the kids. That afternoon we had our second beach outing with the inner city guys that Jeff works out with. We had a few more guys this time so that was awesome. We all had a lot of fun hanging out. I thought I would be super tired by that point, but I still had so much energy.
After the beach outing us second year guys headed back up to Pella for the weekend. We didn't get to Pella until almost 10:00pm and after we pulled in I hung out with some of the interns and a few of the staff until midnight.
It was so awesome how God was my strength that day, even if the reason I got so little sleep was for my own enjoyment. I think that just goes to show us how God cares for His children and wants us to have fun in the midst of serving and loving Him. He loves what we love and He wants us to delight in Him in the things that we enjoy.
That's a quick run down of last week. I can't believe after this week we only have one week left, and that's the wilderness trip. CRAZY!!! This summer has gone by so fast!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Week 7: Psalm 137
Last week was a pretty average week. I don't remember a lot of stuff that happened during the week. There was the normal challenges with the kids at Kansas City Urban Youth, we had our five mile challenge, which was a challenge, and our Friday night movie night. The one thing that was out of the ordinary was that my parents came down for the weekend.
It was so good to see them. I gave them a tour of our inner city house and we went to the World War I museum. After that we went out to eat and did some shopping. On Sunday we went to church together with a couple of other interns. We went to Redeemer Fellowship, which we had heard about from Aaron, an Ascent staff. It was awesome!
The worship team had a folk sound, complete with banjo. It was very interesting, but refreshing, something different from what I have grown up with. For two of their songs we sang Psalms, which was just a really cool experience. The sermon was on Psalm 137, which isn't often a Psalm talked about. The main focus was on verse 4 which says...
It was so good to see them. I gave them a tour of our inner city house and we went to the World War I museum. After that we went out to eat and did some shopping. On Sunday we went to church together with a couple of other interns. We went to Redeemer Fellowship, which we had heard about from Aaron, an Ascent staff. It was awesome!
The worship team had a folk sound, complete with banjo. It was very interesting, but refreshing, something different from what I have grown up with. For two of their songs we sang Psalms, which was just a really cool experience. The sermon was on Psalm 137, which isn't often a Psalm talked about. The main focus was on verse 4 which says...
How shall we sing the LORD's song while in a foreign land?
Much of the time then was talking about how hard it is to praise God in the midst of suffering. The man giving the sermon was very vulnerable in sharing part of his family's suffering. It reminded me of a teaching we had early this summer of what true worship it. Ryan taught that true worship is agreeing to God's will in every aspect, even in the midst of challenges or suffering. This was all really good to hear and had a major impact on my heart. I think my favorite part however was the very end of Psalm 137.
Oh daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! Psalm 137:8-9
The guy preaching talked about how many churches and theologians do not believe that this belongs in the Bible. That this prayer right here is not the inspired Word of God. That is why it is often ignored in churches. I was so glad then, that he took on the challenge of preaching from this Psalm.
He said that this is very much inspired by God. He explained the situation that Israel was in during this time, that they were in captivity and that their captors did these things to the children of Israel. This prayer then is a cry for justice. The people of Israel would have remembered the words spoken by the prophets, of how YAHWEH would bring justice to those who persecuted His people. This is still true for us today. As we read the book of Revelation we see Jesus as a passionate, loving Judge, who desires to bring justice. We can be sure that He is going to bring about justice for all the times that we have experienced pain.
These verses then are a prayer, reminding God of promises that He has made, not because He has forgotten, but for us to acknowledge them and then partnering and agreeing with Him. It also helps us realize how to sing the LORD'S song in the midst of suffering.
Another huge thing that I took away from these verses is that it encourages us to be real with God. He already knows what we are going through and what are thoughts are. He desires us to be real with Him even if that isn't always pretty. We get so good about putting on faces for those that we see face to face during the day, that we then can't be real with God. He doesn't care if we are all put together when we come before Him, actually I wonder if He prefers that we aren't, that way we have to acknowledge that we NEED Him!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Week Six: My Own Little World
Last week was jam packed with activities with the other interns and intense revelations during my prayer time. I'm not really sure where I want to begin...
On the Fourth of July we discussed the different books that we had read for the first half of the summer. The book that I read, along with the rest of the second years, was Beyond Racial Gridlock by George Yancey. It was a really good book. I don't want to share all of it because there is a lot that Yancey discussed, plus you should probably just go read it yourself. The main point of the book was looking at how our secular theories of trying to solve racism will never work, because they do not contain Jesus. Yancey's model was called mutual responsibility, and it reveals that both European Americans and African Americans have sinned against one another, whether it be individualistically or corporately. He then talked about corporate repentance and forgiveness. Yancey also looked at the way that Jesus addressed racial difference. It is a great book and I would really suggest!
After our book discussion we had lunch all together at the Faust house and then spent the afternoon at the World War I museum here in Kansas City. It was a really great place to spend Independence Day, reminding us that our freedom here in America does not come without a cost, nor does our spiritual freedom. It was also great because there is not usually a lot of focus on WWI, so it was good to be reminded of the whole story behind the war. Museums are just cool in general because they bring about a reality to the things I learned in history class.
In the evening we went to this giant Fourth of July get together here in Kansas City. It was a lot of fun, being surrounded by thousands of people celebrating our independence. We did some grilling, played a few games, and just had some really good, genuine, conversations. And then of course we watched an awesome fireworks show. It was a great day!!
God spoke to me so much last week. One of the main ways God spoke was through one of my kids at KCUYC. One of the little boys that I work with, might be autistic. He hasn't been tested, but his older brother is and he shows some serious signs. He spends most of his day in his own little world and it is really hard for any of the teachers to get, and keep his attention. On Monday during our teaching Ryan brought up how I had fallen in love with my kids last summer and God spoke to me using them. As I heard this I just internally asked God to reveal to me different ways He is using these kids to speak to me this summer. Immediately I felt like God say that I was this little boy.
At first I was thrown off by this, but then God explained to me. Just like this little boy I spend most of my time in my own little world, not even aware of His existence. I'm not aware that He is desiring to speak to me, calling my attention back to Him hundreds of times a day. He is continually saying "Tate. Tate! Tate, I need your eyes to be on me."
This struck me so hard that I was blown away. It was so true. This did not only make me more aware of how God is desiring to speak to me during the day, but it also helped my relationship with this little boy. The next day I had a lot more patience in working with him. I spoke more tenderly and changed my whole heart posture as I interacted with him. I saw myself as an ambassador of the LORD and realized that He desired me to treat this little boy the way that He treats me, with a deep love.
Another area where God really spoke to me last week was through art. Early on in the week God was revealing to me how He enjoys the things that I enjoy and one of those areas are the Arts. Sometimes it is really hard to accept this is something I enjoy and desire, because in the world this is seen as feminine. God wants to change that for me. He helped reveal to me that Arts are masculine because it is a way that God penetrates the hardest of hearts.
As I sat with this later on in the week I felt like God inviting me into spending part of my prayer on Thursday partnering with Him in creating. I was a little reluctant, but did it anyway. As I was drawing I became upset realizing that what I was doing, wasn't that great. I really struggled with this. God wants to use art to penetrate through the hearts of people, but how can He do that if what I am creating isn't that great and probably won't ever be displayed?
As I sat with God thinking about this I became more and more frustrated. How then, is the art that I am creating masculine? Very quickly I felt God answer. I heard that art takes a lot of time and effort to reach the final product. It includes perseverance and pressing in, which is part of the true masculine. After I heard that I was then able to press in and finish the project that I was working on, enjoying co-creating with the Creator.
Prayer Requests
On the Fourth of July we discussed the different books that we had read for the first half of the summer. The book that I read, along with the rest of the second years, was Beyond Racial Gridlock by George Yancey. It was a really good book. I don't want to share all of it because there is a lot that Yancey discussed, plus you should probably just go read it yourself. The main point of the book was looking at how our secular theories of trying to solve racism will never work, because they do not contain Jesus. Yancey's model was called mutual responsibility, and it reveals that both European Americans and African Americans have sinned against one another, whether it be individualistically or corporately. He then talked about corporate repentance and forgiveness. Yancey also looked at the way that Jesus addressed racial difference. It is a great book and I would really suggest!
After our book discussion we had lunch all together at the Faust house and then spent the afternoon at the World War I museum here in Kansas City. It was a really great place to spend Independence Day, reminding us that our freedom here in America does not come without a cost, nor does our spiritual freedom. It was also great because there is not usually a lot of focus on WWI, so it was good to be reminded of the whole story behind the war. Museums are just cool in general because they bring about a reality to the things I learned in history class.
In the evening we went to this giant Fourth of July get together here in Kansas City. It was a lot of fun, being surrounded by thousands of people celebrating our independence. We did some grilling, played a few games, and just had some really good, genuine, conversations. And then of course we watched an awesome fireworks show. It was a great day!!
God spoke to me so much last week. One of the main ways God spoke was through one of my kids at KCUYC. One of the little boys that I work with, might be autistic. He hasn't been tested, but his older brother is and he shows some serious signs. He spends most of his day in his own little world and it is really hard for any of the teachers to get, and keep his attention. On Monday during our teaching Ryan brought up how I had fallen in love with my kids last summer and God spoke to me using them. As I heard this I just internally asked God to reveal to me different ways He is using these kids to speak to me this summer. Immediately I felt like God say that I was this little boy.
At first I was thrown off by this, but then God explained to me. Just like this little boy I spend most of my time in my own little world, not even aware of His existence. I'm not aware that He is desiring to speak to me, calling my attention back to Him hundreds of times a day. He is continually saying "Tate. Tate! Tate, I need your eyes to be on me."
This struck me so hard that I was blown away. It was so true. This did not only make me more aware of how God is desiring to speak to me during the day, but it also helped my relationship with this little boy. The next day I had a lot more patience in working with him. I spoke more tenderly and changed my whole heart posture as I interacted with him. I saw myself as an ambassador of the LORD and realized that He desired me to treat this little boy the way that He treats me, with a deep love.
Another area where God really spoke to me last week was through art. Early on in the week God was revealing to me how He enjoys the things that I enjoy and one of those areas are the Arts. Sometimes it is really hard to accept this is something I enjoy and desire, because in the world this is seen as feminine. God wants to change that for me. He helped reveal to me that Arts are masculine because it is a way that God penetrates the hardest of hearts.
As I sat with this later on in the week I felt like God inviting me into spending part of my prayer on Thursday partnering with Him in creating. I was a little reluctant, but did it anyway. As I was drawing I became upset realizing that what I was doing, wasn't that great. I really struggled with this. God wants to use art to penetrate through the hearts of people, but how can He do that if what I am creating isn't that great and probably won't ever be displayed?
As I sat with God thinking about this I became more and more frustrated. How then, is the art that I am creating masculine? Very quickly I felt God answer. I heard that art takes a lot of time and effort to reach the final product. It includes perseverance and pressing in, which is part of the true masculine. After I heard that I was then able to press in and finish the project that I was working on, enjoying co-creating with the Creator.
Prayer Requests
- That I would continually be being made more aware of the ways God is trying to speak to me.
- That I would continue learning how to embrace the things that I enjoy and the things that God might be inviting me into, even when it seems risky.
- That we as interns would continue growing closer together as a community.
- We have another movie night this Friday, so that we would have lots of people and have good interaction with those who show up.
- We have our five mile challenge this week, I'm sure I will need prayer for that!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Week Five: Questions
Let me do a quick run down of last week for you...
I wanted to expand more on the ways God has been leading me as I work with my little kids. If you remember I have been spending a lot in prayer, asking for wisdom on working with these wonderfully, energetic boys. My first week working them I was really passive and it was really hard to get anything accomplished. That's when I started getting really strict. I felt like I was constantly yelling at them to be quiet and to sit down. This seemed to be effective and I justified by thinking that I was getting stuff done. In the middle of the week I felt really convicted of this, not necessarily saying that I shouldn't me strict at all, but that my heart posture behind it was not life giving, for me or the kids.
Once this was brought to my attention I spent time asking God what He wanted me to do instead. As I sat with this question I was reminded of how Jesus taught, with a lot of questions. I then felt like I heard, ask questions. I wasn't really sure what this meant, so I asked Him to expand on it, but got nothing. This all happened one morning before I went to serve, so I tried to make myself aware of different places where God was inviting to ask questions as I taught.
That day the kids were really talkative and squarely, like usual. It would have been really easy to get frustrated, which I'm pretty sure I did a little bit, but then I was reminded of what God had spoke to me earlier that morning. Once I finally got their attention and got them to sit down I explained to them that they couldn't always be doing that. I then asked them if they thought it was fair for them to get checkmarks if they continued to do what they were doing. A couple of them didn't like that idea, but most of them agreed, so that is what we did. This helped me to not be passive, but to discipline with a pure heart. The kids also knew my expectations.
I have also had other opportunities to ask questions while I am trying to teach. Sometimes it is asking them simple questions. Other times it has been asking them to help me in different ways. It has been working out really well actually. Thank you God!! It is so cool how He answers our prayers when we ask.
"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." -Matthew 7:8
- Monday was Kevin's birthday so all the interns decided to spend the night together. To celebrate we made him jello cake and then went to the new movie Brave. I think we all enjoyed our night together.
- Tuesday was a pretty normal day, spending our afternoon in the prayer room. For the evening we spent our time interceding over Kansas City and our different places of service.
- Wednesday afternoon after our manuscript study Emily and I welcomed around 10 kids into the Faust house for the art club. That was the most we've ever had, so we were really excited. We spent time creating books. The kids had a lot of fun painting and coloring, creating their covers. It was a lot of fun for Emily and I as we watched the kids create.
- Early Thursday morning we had our second running challenge. It has been terribly hot down in Kansas City, as I'm sure it has been through out the United States. It was still pretty hot at 6:00 in the morning, but we did!
- Most of the interns left for the weekend, so only three of us were left. On Friday night we had our usual movie night, which was a lot of fun. We had quite a few people over for the night and watched Thor.
- Saturday a few of us practiced shooting a bow and arrow, which was fun especially since I haven't done that since high school. That night all the interns that were left for the weekend and a couple of staff members went out to eat at Lew's Bar and Grill. The food was soooo good! After that we walked around the neighborhood we were in and then played Loaded Questions back Ryan's house. It was sad that not all the interns could enjoy the weekend with us, but it was we still had fun!
I wanted to expand more on the ways God has been leading me as I work with my little kids. If you remember I have been spending a lot in prayer, asking for wisdom on working with these wonderfully, energetic boys. My first week working them I was really passive and it was really hard to get anything accomplished. That's when I started getting really strict. I felt like I was constantly yelling at them to be quiet and to sit down. This seemed to be effective and I justified by thinking that I was getting stuff done. In the middle of the week I felt really convicted of this, not necessarily saying that I shouldn't me strict at all, but that my heart posture behind it was not life giving, for me or the kids.
Once this was brought to my attention I spent time asking God what He wanted me to do instead. As I sat with this question I was reminded of how Jesus taught, with a lot of questions. I then felt like I heard, ask questions. I wasn't really sure what this meant, so I asked Him to expand on it, but got nothing. This all happened one morning before I went to serve, so I tried to make myself aware of different places where God was inviting to ask questions as I taught.
That day the kids were really talkative and squarely, like usual. It would have been really easy to get frustrated, which I'm pretty sure I did a little bit, but then I was reminded of what God had spoke to me earlier that morning. Once I finally got their attention and got them to sit down I explained to them that they couldn't always be doing that. I then asked them if they thought it was fair for them to get checkmarks if they continued to do what they were doing. A couple of them didn't like that idea, but most of them agreed, so that is what we did. This helped me to not be passive, but to discipline with a pure heart. The kids also knew my expectations.
I have also had other opportunities to ask questions while I am trying to teach. Sometimes it is asking them simple questions. Other times it has been asking them to help me in different ways. It has been working out really well actually. Thank you God!! It is so cool how He answers our prayers when we ask.
"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." -Matthew 7:8
Friday, June 29, 2012
Week Four: Answered Prayer
Last week was a pretty great week! Thank you so much for praying for my experience at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center. Last week and this week have been so much better.
Last Monday I took on the challenge of working with a group of about 5 boys who can't really read. Over the past two weeks my group has grown to about 10. For the first part of the time we work on phonics. I have flash cards and we go around the circle sounding out the words on the cards. Then we watch a short phonics video. Sometimes it seems really cheesy, but most of them seem to like it.
Most of them are doing really well with this, and I question how much work we need to be doing with this. They've got most of the sounds down, as well as a lot of the words on the flash cards. There are only a few who are still struggling with this.
For the second part of class half my kids, who are pretty good readers go back into the classroom and work one on one with some of our reading volunteers. The other half sticks with me and I have one of them pick out a book for me to read to them. As I read I sometimes ask them to read a word for me. This seems to be helping and I think most of them are enjoying it.
It is a lot of work though. Most of the time I have all 10 boys on my own and it is really hard to get them to all stop talking and to sit down at the same time. I have no idea how teachers, especially elementary school teachers do it. Here in the inner city some teachers have 30 kids in one classroom, with no helper. No wonder most of the students are 2 or 3 grade levels behind.
It is super easy to be passive when working with the kids. Partly because they are so darn cute, but also they are little boys with a lot of energy. I have been trying to figure out ways to harvest that energy to actually be able to get some work done, but it is so hard with so many at a time. I don't want to be mean because I know what it is like to be a little boy and have a lot of energy, but I still have to teach them something. Last week and this week have been a learning experience in trying to balance my passivity with being too strict. I have spent a lot of time in prayer over the past couple of weeks, seeking some direction with this. I will share more about that in my next post.
Even though this has been really tough it has strengthened my relationship with the teacher I am working with. It gives us to talk about and discuss, bouncing different ideas off each other. She sees me as a reliable volunteer and is more comfortable asking me to help out around the classroom. It is an answer to prayer. Thank You God!
On Tuesday the second year interns were able to host our weekly intercession night. We had the two couples that are living as urban missionaries over for dinner and then the rest of the interns came over. It was so great to be able to cover our neighborhood in prayer, as well as for people we have met and the different places we have been serving for the past couple of weeks. It is so important to cover our different ministries in prayer and I have found that it is something I really enjoy doing.
Last week the second year interns were also able to go to the beach before heading up to Pella for the weekend. We went with the guys that work out with some one of the other interns and Ascent Staff. A lot of them had never been to the beach before, so they really enjoyed it. It included a lot of messing around, tossing around the football and frisbee in the water. We also had some good conversations. It was so much fun!
While in Pella I was able to meet up with my mom and sister and go out to eat with them. I think we all really enjoyed a little time together.
Prayer Requests:
Last Monday I took on the challenge of working with a group of about 5 boys who can't really read. Over the past two weeks my group has grown to about 10. For the first part of the time we work on phonics. I have flash cards and we go around the circle sounding out the words on the cards. Then we watch a short phonics video. Sometimes it seems really cheesy, but most of them seem to like it.
Most of them are doing really well with this, and I question how much work we need to be doing with this. They've got most of the sounds down, as well as a lot of the words on the flash cards. There are only a few who are still struggling with this.
For the second part of class half my kids, who are pretty good readers go back into the classroom and work one on one with some of our reading volunteers. The other half sticks with me and I have one of them pick out a book for me to read to them. As I read I sometimes ask them to read a word for me. This seems to be helping and I think most of them are enjoying it.
It is a lot of work though. Most of the time I have all 10 boys on my own and it is really hard to get them to all stop talking and to sit down at the same time. I have no idea how teachers, especially elementary school teachers do it. Here in the inner city some teachers have 30 kids in one classroom, with no helper. No wonder most of the students are 2 or 3 grade levels behind.
It is super easy to be passive when working with the kids. Partly because they are so darn cute, but also they are little boys with a lot of energy. I have been trying to figure out ways to harvest that energy to actually be able to get some work done, but it is so hard with so many at a time. I don't want to be mean because I know what it is like to be a little boy and have a lot of energy, but I still have to teach them something. Last week and this week have been a learning experience in trying to balance my passivity with being too strict. I have spent a lot of time in prayer over the past couple of weeks, seeking some direction with this. I will share more about that in my next post.
Even though this has been really tough it has strengthened my relationship with the teacher I am working with. It gives us to talk about and discuss, bouncing different ideas off each other. She sees me as a reliable volunteer and is more comfortable asking me to help out around the classroom. It is an answer to prayer. Thank You God!
On Tuesday the second year interns were able to host our weekly intercession night. We had the two couples that are living as urban missionaries over for dinner and then the rest of the interns came over. It was so great to be able to cover our neighborhood in prayer, as well as for people we have met and the different places we have been serving for the past couple of weeks. It is so important to cover our different ministries in prayer and I have found that it is something I really enjoy doing.
Last week the second year interns were also able to go to the beach before heading up to Pella for the weekend. We went with the guys that work out with some one of the other interns and Ascent Staff. A lot of them had never been to the beach before, so they really enjoyed it. It included a lot of messing around, tossing around the football and frisbee in the water. We also had some good conversations. It was so much fun!
While in Pella I was able to meet up with my mom and sister and go out to eat with them. I think we all really enjoyed a little time together.
Prayer Requests:
- That I would have wisdom in teaching the little boys I have been working with.
- That God would continue be building relationships between me and the kids.
- Tonight we are having another movie night with some guys from the inner city. Pray for a good turn out as well as good conversation and just a lot of fun.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Week Three: The Building of Relationships
This past week I started working at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center. I worked at this center last summer while doing the internship and I loved it, so I decided to go back when choosing my service site. I fell in love with the kids and wanted to show them that I cared enough to come back. I wanted to continue building relationships I had started last summer. It felt really great to be back, but things have sure changed. For the most part the kids are a lot better behaved, which is great! There is still a lot of drama that happens, but that's expected when with 1st-8th graders. I have been able to pick some relationships back up, but it is still hard because it has been almost a year since I've seen them and I don't know what has happened for them during that time. Man, I've missed those kids, even the trouble makers. I just want to see God move in their lives and in their community. There is a lot of brokenness, but I believe God is in the business of restoring lives and I believe that that is something He wants to do there.
Although I am working in the reading room again this summer, the teacher is different. I think this has been the most difficult part so far. Last year the teacher and I worked really well together and it was fun to be apart of the planning and teaching. I think my teacher this year only sees me as another volunteer. She doesn't see me as a partner or a resource, which it makes it really difficult. I also don't think she understands my love for the children or where I am coming from and why I am serving at KCUYC. I really hope this gets better as the summer continues.
Last Friday the second year interns had a movie night with some inner city guys. One of the Ascent staff is a football coach at a nearby high school, so he has had the opportunity to get to know a lot of teens in the neighborhood. He invited a few guys, but only a two showed, which was alright. We had a lot of fun hosting them at our house and getting to know them a little bit better. We watched Clash of the Titans. If you haven't seen it, it is jam packed with action and fighting, the guys loved it! It was definitely a man night, with an action flick and lots of pizza and popcorn. It was a blast!
On Father's Day we helped host a BBQ. The two guys that came to our movie night joined us again, as well as several other young men and women. It was fun to interact with them and watch them banter back and forth about different sports and sports teams. After everybody left we had a chance to talk and debrief how it went. It was cool, because we were told that a lot of young people who were at the BBQ, either didn't have much of a connection with their father, or their father had died. It was great to be gathered on Father's Day and try to share the love of the Father!
Apart from the different service opportunities and the other activities I have been up to, God has also been doing a lot in my own life. Last week when I was running I got a pretty bad blister, but I continued running, because I wanted to get to my finish line. Well the blister caused me to run funny and soon enough my ankle started to feel pretty painful. I didn't want to stop and walk, but I didn't have a choice, so I walked the rest of the way. While walking God brought up quite a bit of stuff. Just briefly, He brought up some stuff about pride, as well as comparing myself to others, especially the other guys on the internship. He revealed to me that I was doing this because I believed that in order to be masculine and a real man, then I have to be able to keep up with other guys. Needless to say I have had some prayer surrounding this lie and will continue to ask God to speak truth over me, and reveal to me what true masculinity looks like.
This is just a little look at what God has been doing in my heart over the last week. There has been so much more. It has actually felt pretty overwhelming, but I have to remember that God doesn't what to overwhelm me with that, He wants to bring life. I have to keep my eyes fixed on Him and not my brokenness. He has had to remind me to stand up and fight for myself, which is really hard for me.
Ways you can pray: Pray that I can begin building a relationship with the teacher I am working with at KCUYC as well as continued growth with the kids. Pray that God would bring healing to my blister and ankle, they are still a little sore. Pray that we can continue building relationships with the inner city guys we met this past week. Also pray for rest. I have not been sleeping very well, and that doesn't help my attitude when working with the kids or the other interns. Pray that God would bring restoration here in Kansas City! I am excited to see how God created beauty from ashes!!
Although I am working in the reading room again this summer, the teacher is different. I think this has been the most difficult part so far. Last year the teacher and I worked really well together and it was fun to be apart of the planning and teaching. I think my teacher this year only sees me as another volunteer. She doesn't see me as a partner or a resource, which it makes it really difficult. I also don't think she understands my love for the children or where I am coming from and why I am serving at KCUYC. I really hope this gets better as the summer continues.
Last Friday the second year interns had a movie night with some inner city guys. One of the Ascent staff is a football coach at a nearby high school, so he has had the opportunity to get to know a lot of teens in the neighborhood. He invited a few guys, but only a two showed, which was alright. We had a lot of fun hosting them at our house and getting to know them a little bit better. We watched Clash of the Titans. If you haven't seen it, it is jam packed with action and fighting, the guys loved it! It was definitely a man night, with an action flick and lots of pizza and popcorn. It was a blast!
On Father's Day we helped host a BBQ. The two guys that came to our movie night joined us again, as well as several other young men and women. It was fun to interact with them and watch them banter back and forth about different sports and sports teams. After everybody left we had a chance to talk and debrief how it went. It was cool, because we were told that a lot of young people who were at the BBQ, either didn't have much of a connection with their father, or their father had died. It was great to be gathered on Father's Day and try to share the love of the Father!
Apart from the different service opportunities and the other activities I have been up to, God has also been doing a lot in my own life. Last week when I was running I got a pretty bad blister, but I continued running, because I wanted to get to my finish line. Well the blister caused me to run funny and soon enough my ankle started to feel pretty painful. I didn't want to stop and walk, but I didn't have a choice, so I walked the rest of the way. While walking God brought up quite a bit of stuff. Just briefly, He brought up some stuff about pride, as well as comparing myself to others, especially the other guys on the internship. He revealed to me that I was doing this because I believed that in order to be masculine and a real man, then I have to be able to keep up with other guys. Needless to say I have had some prayer surrounding this lie and will continue to ask God to speak truth over me, and reveal to me what true masculinity looks like.
This is just a little look at what God has been doing in my heart over the last week. There has been so much more. It has actually felt pretty overwhelming, but I have to remember that God doesn't what to overwhelm me with that, He wants to bring life. I have to keep my eyes fixed on Him and not my brokenness. He has had to remind me to stand up and fight for myself, which is really hard for me.
Ways you can pray: Pray that I can begin building a relationship with the teacher I am working with at KCUYC as well as continued growth with the kids. Pray that God would bring healing to my blister and ankle, they are still a little sore. Pray that we can continue building relationships with the inner city guys we met this past week. Also pray for rest. I have not been sleeping very well, and that doesn't help my attitude when working with the kids or the other interns. Pray that God would bring restoration here in Kansas City! I am excited to see how God created beauty from ashes!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
God in this City: Just a Glimpse
Last week was our first full week, with a normal schedule. We had our service projects in the morning and then our different afternoon activities each day. For our service we worked at Hope Faith, which is a homeless ministry here in Kansas City. It is open 7 days a week and is the only homeless ministry that offers a warm breakfast in KC. We did a lot of different things to help out around Hope Faith. A lot of our time was spent in their warehouse organizing all the donations that have come in. It was really stressful and was a lot of hard work, but it was really cool to see how that ministry functioned. On Thursday we got to help pack a moving truck full of furniture full a lady who's house burned down. It was so cool to see how the staff at Hope Faith just gave her anything they thought would bless her. It was awesome! I also got to help serve food and work in the kitchen.
On Friday we were able to just interact with the clients at Hope Faith, which was fun. During the morning there was a spades tournament that we were able watch and cheer on some of the people that we met. A couple of the other interns were able to talk with a young man and share Christ with him. They shared the story of the encounter with the rest of us and it was awesome to hear how God was moving in his life, healing some of his pain and addiction. It was AWESOME!!
On Tuesday night the second year interns ate with some of Ascent staff that also live in the inner city and another couple that is living in the inner city living as missionaries. It was a lot of fun to share life and talk about some of our experiences serving in the city. After dinner the rest of the interns came over and we were able to intercede for Kansas City and the different people we were serving.
On Tuesday and Thursday we had prayer hours in the afternoon, which was really great. On Thursday I went to the Plaza and was able to sit outside along a canal and just worship and pray. It was really great to be able to get away and just have me and God time. During my time down on the Plaza a came across the a statue of a young boy and girl setting a whole bunch of pigeons free. I was struck by this statue and just stopped and looked at it. I asked God what He was trying to tell me through this statue and three words came up. Freedom, Innocence, and Joy. I'm still sitting with what God is wanting to say through those three words.
On Friday afternoon we headed back to Pella for the weekend. While up there we were able to see some friends and play some sand volleyball. It was great getting to see everyone and hear about some of the stuff God has been doing in their lives since we've seen them.
On Saturday night we had Encounter I Am, a prayer night that we have every other weekend. It was really great! God spoke to me about His delight in me. Often times I struggle to remember that God loves me not because He has to, but because He wants to. He gets excited when I get excited. He is saddened when I am sad. He delights in me and is constantly thinking of me. It is not only true when I do something that is "right," but all the time. God began speaking to me more about that at Encounter I Am, and I know He wants to continue working on that, redeeming my view of Him. He wants to replace the lies that I believe with His Truth.
Ways you can pray:
This weekend we will be having a movie night with some high school guys from the inner city and will be hosting a BBQ for some of the people in our neighborhood. Pray that we can begin building some relationships with some of the people that meet. You can also pray as some of us started our service at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center. Pray that we would have wisdom in interacting with the kids and that we would begin building relationships with the kids.
On Friday we were able to just interact with the clients at Hope Faith, which was fun. During the morning there was a spades tournament that we were able watch and cheer on some of the people that we met. A couple of the other interns were able to talk with a young man and share Christ with him. They shared the story of the encounter with the rest of us and it was awesome to hear how God was moving in his life, healing some of his pain and addiction. It was AWESOME!!
On Tuesday night the second year interns ate with some of Ascent staff that also live in the inner city and another couple that is living in the inner city living as missionaries. It was a lot of fun to share life and talk about some of our experiences serving in the city. After dinner the rest of the interns came over and we were able to intercede for Kansas City and the different people we were serving.
On Tuesday and Thursday we had prayer hours in the afternoon, which was really great. On Thursday I went to the Plaza and was able to sit outside along a canal and just worship and pray. It was really great to be able to get away and just have me and God time. During my time down on the Plaza a came across the a statue of a young boy and girl setting a whole bunch of pigeons free. I was struck by this statue and just stopped and looked at it. I asked God what He was trying to tell me through this statue and three words came up. Freedom, Innocence, and Joy. I'm still sitting with what God is wanting to say through those three words.
On Friday afternoon we headed back to Pella for the weekend. While up there we were able to see some friends and play some sand volleyball. It was great getting to see everyone and hear about some of the stuff God has been doing in their lives since we've seen them.
On Saturday night we had Encounter I Am, a prayer night that we have every other weekend. It was really great! God spoke to me about His delight in me. Often times I struggle to remember that God loves me not because He has to, but because He wants to. He gets excited when I get excited. He is saddened when I am sad. He delights in me and is constantly thinking of me. It is not only true when I do something that is "right," but all the time. God began speaking to me more about that at Encounter I Am, and I know He wants to continue working on that, redeeming my view of Him. He wants to replace the lies that I believe with His Truth.
Ways you can pray:
This weekend we will be having a movie night with some high school guys from the inner city and will be hosting a BBQ for some of the people in our neighborhood. Pray that we can begin building some relationships with some of the people that meet. You can also pray as some of us started our service at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center. Pray that we would have wisdom in interacting with the kids and that we would begin building relationships with the kids.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Week One: That's so Barby!
This blog is a place for me to share the different ways God is moving in my life and in the lives of the people I am serving in Kansas City. It got it's name after listening to the Prayer Room at the International House of Prayer, in which I heard a song that stated, "You take us from the ashes and seat us with Princes." As soon as heard these words I knew that I had the title for my blog. I wanted people hear of the ways God is taking the brokenness of this world and is reconciling it back to Him.
We arrived in Kansas City on May 28 and before we had time to settle in the Ascent staff got us together to explain the schedule for the summer. They also explained to us that the house that the Year 2 interns are renting, is pretty empty. They then handed us $200 and told us to furnish the house. We haven't had any time to go out and do some thrifting, but we are all ready to. We are getting tired of sitting on folding chairs and the floor. Luckily we have beds!
We arrived in Kansas City on May 28 and before we had time to settle in the Ascent staff got us together to explain the schedule for the summer. They also explained to us that the house that the Year 2 interns are renting, is pretty empty. They then handed us $200 and told us to furnish the house. We haven't had any time to go out and do some thrifting, but we are all ready to. We are getting tired of sitting on folding chairs and the floor. Luckily we have beds!
On Tuesday we had our day of solitude, which was really
nice. It felt good to just be off
for most of the day, just me and God.
During the day we got to read The Barbarian Way, which is a really great
book by Erwin Raphael McManus. It talks about how
Christianity has been civilized, which is not Jesus or the Early Church had wanted for it.
"The barbarian way is about love, intimacy, passion, and sacrifice. Barbarians love to live and live to love. For them God is life, and their mission is to reconnect humanity to Him. Their passion is that each of us might live in intimate communion with Him who died for us. The barbarian way is a path of both spirit and truth. The soul of the barbarian is made alive by the presence of Jesus."
This is one of the many quotes that I really liked, I think it does a good job summarizing the Barbarian Way. For me the overall theme that stuck out to me the most is that God is inviting me to become the person He created me to be. He wants me to embrace my passions and desires because they are from Him. I think the reason this stuck out to me so much, is because that is something I feel like God has been speaking to me about before moving down to Kansas City, so it felt very confirming.
The barbarian way isn't easy. It is dangerous, and if you choose for follow it, you will be seen as dangerous. It is a hard decision to make, but I believe it will be worth it in the end if I choose to answer this call.
For the rest of that week we began, what will be our normal schedule. In the mornings we spent time serving. A few of us went to a church/women's shelter and helped do some dry walling, which was really fun. Each afternoon was different. On Wednesday we started our Manuscript Bible Study on the book of Ruth, which I think all of the second years are excited about. Thursday we went to the Prayer Room. It felt so good to be back in the flesh, instead of watching it online. Finally, Friday afternoon we received the Story of God teaching from Ryan. The Year 2 interns had already gotten this teaching, but Ryan taught it in a little different way, so it was nice and fresh. It was also good to be refreshed on some of that stuff.
Each night we had free time, but the staff kind of had some different options planned for us so that we could see what Kansas City had to offer. It was a lot of fun to hang out with all of the other interns. On Saturday we went to a craft show and played a little frisbee in a park down town and that night we watching We Bought A Zoo, which is a great movie! Finally, Sunday we went a church called Beggars Table which is a really small church, with a lot of young families, and they were so friendly. It was a great environment.
I hope this gives you a taste of what our first week has been like down in KC. Sorry it was so long, but we did a lot. You can pray for the Year 2 interns as we meet our neighbors, that God would reveal to us how to love them well. It would also be great if we could find some cheap or even free furniture to furnish our house. Those are just a few prayer requests that I can think of right now. Oh yeah and the title comes from a new phrase that we started after reading The Barbarian Way, "That's so Barby!"
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