End of Week 3

Thank goodness for 1/2 day Friday's! I love my job, but I love being off after 12pm on Friday's.

This week was fantastic! Granted, I need to catch up on some sleep but this week was great.

We had about the same number of kids, preteens, and teens so that is good. Also, we were able to provide our homebounds with heaters. We have 13 homebounds (people who are not able to get out of their houses) and the temperature has been fluctuating with some colder temperatures that I hear are not too common for Houston.

The kids always remind me of what is important. They just want to love on you and be loved. The 4-6 year old group always tends to turn the jump rope into tug-o-war or a snake :) while the 7-10 year old girls always end up showing up the boys with their ability to never stop the rope when they jump rope.

We had 10 pre-teens again this week and they all said they would try to invite their friends. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but the number for pre-teens had fallen to 4 before Christmas break. :) We played an extremely intense game of Uno Attack, and then ended up playing a variation of freeze tag called Toilet Freeze Tag. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it may sound! If a person gets tagged, they have to act as though they are a toilet with their "handle" up so that those who have not been tagged can "flush" them/unfreeze them. :)

Moving onto the teens- it was one of the highlights of the week. The teens actually talked during Bible study. This is always a tough age group because many assume there's nothing else they could possibly learn ;) and their reputation is everything. This normally makes it difficult to get feedback because they are worried about what the other teens will think about them. It's also an interesting dynamic because we have 8 boys and 1 girl. Talk about pressure! They were great, and definitely participated more than I had expected. The bible study for the teens and preteens was about faithfulness because we are going to cover the 9 fruits of the spirit from Galatians over the next several weeks. I used the story of the master who went away on a long trip and entrusted the 3 different amounts of silver to his servants. If you want to read up on it, you can find it beginning with Matthew 25:14. I used the example of gangs and how they operate. They understand this well because of what they experience each day. I focused on the loyalty that is required from a gang member. One of the teens in particular identified with this example and began a discussion which the other teens joined in on.

It was awesome to see them discuss some of the issues they face. I can't wait for next week! :)

My Spanish is slowly getting better! Praise God! In the mornings, I have been in charge of clothing distribution which gives me many opportunities to talk to the individuals who come in need of clothing.

On another note, this morning during staff meeting we came up with our theme for the year for the Mission Centers of Houston. It was a long process but everybody amazingly came to an agreement, and we are all very excited about it. I will update you later on what the theme is because I'm not sure if we can give out that information yet. :)

Thanks again to everyone who reads this blog, and thanks to everyone who is continuing to support me through prayer, encouragement, and giving. I do not like bringing up the subject of money, but it is a necessary part of ministry. A few of you have been able to give financially and others have been staying in contact and being faithful in praying for me. It is a huge encouragement!! I can't say it enough! Please continue supporting and consider giving. I know things are tough right now and everyone is feeling the crunch because of the economy but please remain faithful if God has blessed you with the means to give. I look forward to hearing from you all in the upcoming weeks and eager to share stories of how God is impacting the inner-city of Houston!

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!"
Matthew 25:23