Yeeha

I'm in Texas! When we arrived on Monday the temperature was 107. Hello summer. We were in Colorado last week where it was very much fall and the leaves were already turning orange, yellow and red. We're going to be here in San Angelo until October 12th, mainly to make our first attempt at fundraising (gulp) but also to hang out with the Wilson's and read lots of books.

Yesterday, Jason and I accompanied Linda (Jason's mom) to a House of Faith meeting. House of Faith is a non-profit mission that started here about 10 years ago. There are many, many children and youth living in San Angelo who come from broken and poverty stricken homes. This ministry was designed to go to where the kids are-their back yards and apartment complexes to be exact - and to hang out with them, play games, give them a snack and teach them a short Bible lesson. They also own a warehouse that is decked out with video games, a half-pipe, basketball hoops, diner tables, air hockey tables, pool -basically everything a group of teenagers need to have a good time. They have the teens come once a week and serve them dinner and let them hang out. They bring the younger kids there once or twice a month for different House of Faith groups to have a big competition. They've also developed their own curriculum and I think I'll be using some of it this summer with our day camp kids. I am beyond impressed with this grassroots effort to meet the needs of the community - it's inspiring.

Yesterday we went to an apartment complex where tons of kids live. First we had a game of flag football going on and a line of littler kids taking turns jumping rope. After about 45 minutes of hanging out and blowing off some steam, the kids divided into groups based on grade. Linda does the 1st and 2nd graders. We laid out a blue tarp for the kids to sit on and first thing gave them some cookies to munch on. Man did they like the cookies. Then there was a game for them to play where they had three blocks with different pictures on each side. They had to match up the right head with the right torsoe (sp?) and the right torsoe with the right legs and feet. The lesson was about having an identity. I didn't hear much of the lesson though due to my own special project. There are some little boys that come to House of Faith meetings every week but usually don't want to participate, they just want to cause trouble. The reason they cause trouble is because they desperately want attention-desperately. They were doing all they could to be distracting so I challenged them to a foot race across the parking lot. We continued racing, climbing trees and playing hide-and-go-seek the whole time. It was not your standard version of these games, but they had fun. These kids so genuinely enjoyed being played with, being paid attention to. It broke my heart. I told one little boy I was playing with that I liked him. He looked up at me and grinned with his little baby teeth, mostly brown because he's never been to a dentist and probably never brushed his teeth. He said, "you do?" shocked and disbelieving. I said "yes, I like you a lot! I think you are a great kid". He just hugged me. He hugged me and held on for the next five minutes or so. I was wondering if he'd ever heard an adult say that to him before. I found out later that he and his cousin are being raised by their elderly grandmother who doesn't speak any English.
I hope I get to see these kids again next Thursday and I wish I could stay here to keep showing them love in a way they understand. This ministry is reaching a lot of kids with its bible lessons, but even more importantly is these people's willingness to hang out with these kids and show them some love in any way that they can understand it. That's what I had the privilege of doing yesterday and it's spurring me on to do much, much more. This is what I feel called to do - to do life with others and show them love and hope in a way they can understand it. It's starting for me with a camp in colorado, but I have hopes for much, much more. I want those kids at my camp, the Mark's and the Hose's I met yesterday. That's what I want Eagle's Nest to be about. If not there, than maybe a House of Faith in St. Louis. I know the Nations need to hear about the hope and love of Christ, but there are so many people here, just a few blocks down, that need to see it lived out, here. I think that's what I'm supposed to do.