Monday was our first day on the site. Since only 5 of our students were returners, most of the kids had no idea what to expect. I think that it is safe to say that they were a little nervous. After about 15 minutes of set up, we saw our students coming around the corner with little ones on their backs, their shoulders (necks), and in their arms. It took 10 or 15 minutes to get all the children registered and then we got started.
Our students immediately jumped in and got started. They were all playing with children, talking to them, and teaching them. It looked so natural for them all. We were really proud of them! That busted window could have put a damper on the day, but we totally knew it was just a sign of better (incredible) things to come.
During our worship time that night Jason, the director of Street Reach, asked the teams to share how they saw God move that day. One of our girls blew me away. She shared that she was afraid of kids and was hesitant to even be there. She didn't know how to interact with them and thought they would pull her hair,etc. All day long, she had kids surrounding her. She smiled the whole time that she played with them and helped them with their crafts. Watching her on the site, you would have thought that she loved kids and worked with them everyday.
Like I said yesterday, most of our students have very little contact with people of other ethnicities. Unfortunately, this perpetuates stereotypical views of African Americans that we Southerners have ignorantly held onto for years. Our church strives to Love All, Serve All and this is the attitude that we try to pass on to our students. Sometimes I am so naive to the fact that racism exists in the people around me. I assume that people have the same view of others that I do. During share time, one of our boys shared that he had always had a problem with African Americans. (It didn't come out quite the way he meant it, and he offended one of the staff members.) Throughout the week, several of the students shared that they were afraid they weren't prepared and were worried about being effective.
We had some kids on the site that were tough to love. Many of the older kids have learned that putting on a tough and street wise front makes them untouchable. It can be intimidating. These kids are surrounded by poverty, gangs, and crime. The toughest guy wins in their world, so it is often hard to get close enough to really love on them. Bryan and Eric (our other adult male) took on the challenge of loving them. They worked to build relationships with them and be Jesus to these kids. One kid in particular, DeAngelo, seems to be the leader of the pack. He doesn't look intimidating, but he can take on the persona of a bully really quickly.
It is funny how everyone bonds with a particular child almost immediately. Bryan bonded with DeAngelo and his goal was to keep DeAngelo there all week and show him how to use his influence to be a positive role model.
There is plenty more to share, so come back tomorrow!
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