Report #9

Week of Aug. 3rd to Aug. 9th

Hours:
8/2- VBS: 3 hours
8/3-VBS: 4 hours
8/3-Office Work/ Praise & Worship Prep: 2 hours
8/4: VBS Day Away: 3 Hours
8/4: Girls Sleepover @ house/Mentoring: all night
8/5: Community Lunch Program: 3 hours
8/5-: VBS Water Day: 3 Hours
8/6: Family Emergency
8/7: Youth Crisis/Family Counseling: 3 hours
8/9: Sunday Service/YG Pool Party/Counseling: 8 hours

Ministry
Vacation Bible School sums up our ministry work for this week. All the churches in Van Buren pool their resources together and do one VBS for the whole community. I absolutely love this. One thing that I am still getting used to us involving a teen curriculum for VBS. Heath and I were in charge of the teens. The curriculum we were given is for teens who have been in the church their whole life. We realized this last summer and saw how it flopped when using it with the teens in this community. We also realized that the teens loved coming last year but they dreaded the teaching portion of it all. It was if we roped them in and then trapped them once Bible Time came. No one wants to feel that way or put in that position. We also realized that they benefited more from the relationships we built with them than from the teaching. So this week we focused on activities and building trust with them before we taught anything. We taught by relationship and example. Thursday evening was the planned night that we would share why we do what we do and about Christ. Every night went well, but our week got cut short from a family crisis. Heath’s dad was rushed to the hospital Wednesday evening because of a stroke. Thursday and Friday we were not able to attend VBS. All is well with Heath’s dad now, it turns out that the stroke like effects were actually caused from the Wes Nile Virus believe it or not.
This past weekend we had two of our youth end up in the D home for theft. These were two separate situations. Friday night was when we got the call and we ended up meeting with all the parents involved. It was a complete shock to us. The second youth we found out about Monday after the fact. Both of these youth attended the mission’s trip as well. When we met with each of the youth we first let them know how much we love them and then how disappointed we were. We let them both know that we are there for them through this ordeal and we want nothing more from then to learn and grow from their mistakes. Both are now on house arrest.


Personal
These past three weeks have been non-stop! Somehow, I am surviving! Actually, it is all God. We have gone through so much this week with our ministry and family, but I am so full of peace, hope, and faith. Even though we have gone through great trials this week, I am not defeated. Christ’s presence is so strongly living in me. I am so thankful that our God is ever present in our lives and in our hearts. My prayer is that I stay strong in clinging to the cross. I realize that Satan is not happy with what God is doing in my life and the lives of my youth. Satan is attacking my youth hard but I will not allow him to win them over. I know that God is moving even stronger in their lives now. Sometimes we need to be brought down to our lowest point in order to see God.