Week 1

This is actually the 2nd post I have written for "Week 1". This afternoon, I typed a VERY long blog. When I posted it, it did not save correctly or something and I lost all of it, so this one will be different, but it will still be good. :)

I had a request about my first day, so I'll tell you about my first day, and some general information about what I'll be doing. Lastly, I'll list ways that you can pray for what God is doing here, and also some news about new ministries that are being developed.

Day 1:

So many emotions! I wasn't sure what to expect, because it has been almost three years since I've been here in Houston. It was awesome! I started the morning waiting on my executive director because she wanted to take me to my job site. While I waited, I helped another director, Dora, who is an amazing lady. She had about 15-20 very large boxes of frozen chicken which will be enough for 2 Thursday's when Gano Mission Center cooks dinner for the seniors. (That's a lot of people!)

After things got rolling, I went to the center where I will be working all semester; Joy Mission Center. I spent the day with my director, Tommie Mendez. Tommie is a very strong-willed 5 ft. tall Hispanic lady. Also, she is in her mid-sixties. She is great! After meeting the weekly volunteers, I started doing some paperwork. Ginger, my executive director mentioned that now we will be getting the Internet at Joy because someone will actually use it. Tommie is very much the paper and pencil type, with no idea how to use a computer. Hopefully we will be able to be more efficient when it comes to those types of things.

After lunch, its more of clean-up time and preparation for kids club. On Monday's about 30-40 4-6 years old come running in to play games, jump rope, skate, play basketball, and really have the freedom to be kids. This runs from 3:30-5pm every Monday. At about 4:30 the kids begin to settle down before Bible study time begins (3:45) Each week the kids have a lesson and are given the opportunity to be recognized and get a small prize for learning the last week's Bible verse. It is amazing how kids this young retain information. Many of the kids speak only Spanish, while others can speak both Spanish and English. This will be a challenge for me, but a welcomed one. That completed my first day of ministry at Joy Mission Center.

Each day is different. Below is a schedule of activities each week.

Monday:
Kids' Club (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm); ages 4-6

Tuesday:
Clothing Distribution* (9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm)
Food Distribution* (9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm)
Teen Club (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm); ages 13-17

Wednesday:
Clothing Distribution* (9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm)
Food Distribution* (9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm)
Kids' Club (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm); ages 7-9

Thursday:
Senior Adult Ministry (9:00 am - 11:30 am)
Home-bound Ministry (9:30 am - 12:00 pm)
Preteen Club (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm); ages 10-12

Friday:
Staff Development (9:00 am - 12:00 pm)

Saturday:
Group Ministry Days (9:00 am - 12:00 pm)

Ways you can pray:

• That God would sent more workers. (volunteers and interns)
• That people would continue to support, not only financially, but through volunteering their time, talent, and resources.
• That God would give guidance and wisdom to all of us so that we won't miss out on what He is trying to do through us.
• That God would do something here in Houston that could not be explained without the focus being on Christ.

New Ministries:

Young Adults Ministry: This is something Tommie has been praying about for years. This ministry will focus primarily on young women between the ages of 17 and 25 or so. Some of you may ask why we are not including young men in this. Good question!! We need strong male leaders who will work with them. Right now I will be leading the young adults ministry for young women. Without a strong male leader, the young men have no example to follow, and frankly it is extremely dangerous for females in this type of ministry because of the gang violence or the possibility of violence period. I won't go into detail about that.

I will also be exploring new ways to reach the home-bounds that we serve. These are people who are generally senior citizens, but cannot physically get out of their homes. Currently, we have about 13 who receive food and/or clothing from Joy every other week.

We have a program for seniors every Thursday. These seniors receive food and/or clothing as well. We are currently working on ways to revamp this program. Some are in the works, but we know God is not finished yet.

Thank you all for your support, and for taking the time to read this. I realized the first time I wrote about this week that I should blog more often because it is a great deal of information to remember so I will work towards blogging every few days, rather than once a week. Thanks again, this would not be possible without the encouragement of all of you.