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!!
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