I can't believe that I am just now getting to this. Sorry! Our mission trip to Memphis was incredible as usual. God never ceases to amaze me. I took (literally) hundreds of pictures. I have included links to the pictures. ( Album 1, Album 2)You can also find them in my facebook albums. There is so much that I could share, but I will give you my highlights.
Every year as we prepare and help our students prepare, we always think about how we are going to change those children and their community. Every year God changes us! You would think that we would get it by now, but apparently we are slow learners. There was one student that we thought would be a great part of the team, so Bryan approached him about going. After some consideration (and I am sure parental consultation) he decided to go. I knew that he was afraid of kids, but thought that he would enjoy other aspects of the week. The first day he was a little reserved on the site, but he began warming up on the second day.
That night we took the team to WalMart. On the way back I heard the student talking to his parents on the phone. "I'm pretty sure I am not afraid of kids anymore." The tears began to flow as I thought about how HUGE a thing that was for him. I am tearing up now just thinking about it. God is so faithful to use us and change us to be more like Himself if we will just be willing to step outside of ourselves.
On Thursday, we were sure that our Bible Club was going to be rained out. Determined not to give up on the next to the last day (Friday was the close of the summer), our site missionary Austin, told us that we could go door to door and just talk to the kids or play with them on their porches where it was dry. Our team was so excited and immediately figured out ways to adjust their jobs for the day. After dropping our students off at various locations in the neighborhood, Bryan and I drove over to an apartment complex where we dropped some students off earlier. Some of our students were sitting in a covered area in front of one of the apartments with several kids making salvation bracelets.
The rain was letting up, so we started driving around telling our other students to come over to the apartments. Within 20 minutes or so, the rain had stopped and we had filled the parking lot with kids. There were bicycle games going on, crafts, Frisbee games, and ball games. Kids we had not seen all week were hanging out with us. Since our story that day included a gospel presentation, we didn't want to miss that opportunity. The boys leading that day, adjusted and did GREAT!!! The kids were more attentive than any other day. (If you look at the pictures you will see the apartments and some of the houses surrounding them. These apartments are luxurious compared to the rest of the neighborhood. Don't let them fool you. We are in one of the 5 poorest neighborhoods in America.)
The last thing that I want to share is probably the most important. Our kids were truly changed! There was a fire ignited in them to change their own community. Before we made it back to Powdersville they had plans and weren't going to let us talk them out of it. On Saturday, August 15th (2 weeks after our return) they got together and canvased the neighborhood around the church. They made fliers and handed them out inviting all the kids to a Saturday Bible Club at Marathon. The next Saturday 17 high school students (there were only 14 on the mission team) arrived at the church at 9:00am, prayed, walked the neighborhood collecting kids, and had a Bible club.
There were 16 kids and only one of them was a child that comes to our church. They have a club planned for one Saturday every month with hopes for more during the summer. It was a great day! The kids enjoyed it and our students did an incredible job. We were so proud of them. There were 6 or 7 adults there to help, but it was completely student led. Our students are amazing and are serious about serving their community. Several more projects are in the making, so be on the look out for more doting!
The hands and feet of Jesus, that is what our students are becoming and we couldn't be prouder!
*We made friends with some very cool Vietnamese students from Houston. (There are a lot of pictures of them as well.)
Showing posts with label Memphis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memphis. Show all posts
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Memphis or Bust
We are inching closer to our Memphis trip. This is my favorite trip that we do with our students every year. I am very excited about returning and can't wait to jump right in. This year, the trip will be bittersweet for me.
After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided not to take Reese with us. My heart is breaking! I have to leave my sweet baby for 7 days. I am dreading that! Please pray for me. I am not a worrier and don't stress easily, but I am already emotionally bogged down about this. We know that he is being left in more than capable hands and will be treated like a king.
I know that this is a natural feeling for most moms, but I don't want Satan to use this as a way to distract me. Thanks to the wonderful media guys at our church we will be able to iChat with him while we are gone. Hopefully that will ease this mommy's nerves a little.
My biggest concern is that he will fear that he is being moved to a new family again. Please pray for us and Reese. Also, please pray for our mission team. We want to make sure that we are all focused and prepared to put ourselves aside.
Be prepared... I have no doubt that I will have much to share!
After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided not to take Reese with us. My heart is breaking! I have to leave my sweet baby for 7 days. I am dreading that! Please pray for me. I am not a worrier and don't stress easily, but I am already emotionally bogged down about this. We know that he is being left in more than capable hands and will be treated like a king.
I know that this is a natural feeling for most moms, but I don't want Satan to use this as a way to distract me. Thanks to the wonderful media guys at our church we will be able to iChat with him while we are gone. Hopefully that will ease this mommy's nerves a little.
My biggest concern is that he will fear that he is being moved to a new family again. Please pray for us and Reese. Also, please pray for our mission team. We want to make sure that we are all focused and prepared to put ourselves aside.
Be prepared... I have no doubt that I will have much to share!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Meeting the Right Needs Part 2
"It is one thing to come and talk about things such as human rights, religion, and democracy. This only builds a foundation; people must have their needs met. What do rights and democracy mean on an empty stomach? People listen better when their stomachs are full and their basic needs are met." -President Kagame of Rwanda.
"Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor, but it is not fashionable to talk with them." -Mother Theresa
Two years ago, Bryan and I got involved with a ministry in Memphis, TN. Brinkley Heights Church sits in the Binghampton area of Memphis. This is one of the roughest, most crime laden areas of Memphis. As the crime and poverty rates grew in the area, rather than move to a safer, more attractive area, they embraced the community. They have made it their mission to take back the neighborhood and enable the people of that community to make a difference.
The people of Brinkley Heights were the first ones I thought of when I read the quotes above. Yes, they know that Christ is the answer for their community, but they also know that they can't just walk up to the crack houses or the substandard housing developments and shove Jesus down people's throats. These people are an incredible example to anyone wanting to truly make a difference in their community.
Brinkley Heights has food ministries, clothing ministries, and educational ministries (among other things). The people of Brinkley Heights go to their neighbors and offer them groceries and shoes for their children. They offer after school tutoring and even private schooling for the children. They offer a free safe place for children, teens, and even adults to play sports. They offer them free summer child care that includes free food for the children in their very own neighborhoods.
When they become aware of needs, they bring the family to the ministry center, get their information, give them the needed food or clothes, offer them budgeting and financial planning help, and share the gospel with them. They don't walk in the door and get preached to, they get what they need and before they leave they are enabled to help themselves, and then they are prayed for and the gospel is presented. They know that most of these people will never walk through the doors of their church on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night and they don't hesitate to meet their needs. It is not about growing the numbers of the church, but meeting the physical needs of the community.
These people understand that when the physical needs are met, the people are seeing Jesus in action. They are presenting the gospel just as Jesus would have. Just as people couldn't walk away and not be changed in some way after meeting Jesus, neither can the people of Memphis. It takes a lot of faith and courage to reach out to drug dealers and gang members and the people of Brinkley Heights do it everyday. They don't discriminate, they don't judge, they just meet their needs. They are filling stomachs and meeting needs. They aren't talking about the poor, they are talking to them. They are taking back their neighborhood!
"Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor, but it is not fashionable to talk with them." -Mother Theresa
Two years ago, Bryan and I got involved with a ministry in Memphis, TN. Brinkley Heights Church sits in the Binghampton area of Memphis. This is one of the roughest, most crime laden areas of Memphis. As the crime and poverty rates grew in the area, rather than move to a safer, more attractive area, they embraced the community. They have made it their mission to take back the neighborhood and enable the people of that community to make a difference.
The people of Brinkley Heights were the first ones I thought of when I read the quotes above. Yes, they know that Christ is the answer for their community, but they also know that they can't just walk up to the crack houses or the substandard housing developments and shove Jesus down people's throats. These people are an incredible example to anyone wanting to truly make a difference in their community.
Brinkley Heights has food ministries, clothing ministries, and educational ministries (among other things). The people of Brinkley Heights go to their neighbors and offer them groceries and shoes for their children. They offer after school tutoring and even private schooling for the children. They offer a free safe place for children, teens, and even adults to play sports. They offer them free summer child care that includes free food for the children in their very own neighborhoods.
When they become aware of needs, they bring the family to the ministry center, get their information, give them the needed food or clothes, offer them budgeting and financial planning help, and share the gospel with them. They don't walk in the door and get preached to, they get what they need and before they leave they are enabled to help themselves, and then they are prayed for and the gospel is presented. They know that most of these people will never walk through the doors of their church on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night and they don't hesitate to meet their needs. It is not about growing the numbers of the church, but meeting the physical needs of the community.
These people understand that when the physical needs are met, the people are seeing Jesus in action. They are presenting the gospel just as Jesus would have. Just as people couldn't walk away and not be changed in some way after meeting Jesus, neither can the people of Memphis. It takes a lot of faith and courage to reach out to drug dealers and gang members and the people of Brinkley Heights do it everyday. They don't discriminate, they don't judge, they just meet their needs. They are filling stomachs and meeting needs. They aren't talking about the poor, they are talking to them. They are taking back their neighborhood!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
BabyLand
Memphis holds a special place in my heart, it has become like a second home to Bryan and I. We love Brinkley Heights Church and the community that they serve. I will be honest though, the heat of a Memphis summer has to be a reminder of what eternity could be like for some! (It is HOT!!!) Earlier this week I got to watch a 20/20 special and they showed previews of the Friday night show. The clips showed the neighborhoods that we have come to love and I was hooked. So last night, Bryan and I watched Babyland. There are a lot of things that Memphis is known for, some good and some bad. Gangs and crime, poverty and drugs, music and ribs, and infant mortality?
I had no idea that Memphis has the highest infant mortality rate in the country. It makes sense though. Most girls do not receive prenatal care and therefore do not carry their babies to term. Watching men from the health department line up tiny wood boxes and burying this precious child in unmarked graves broke my heart. I would highly encourage you to go to the 20/20 website watch for yourself.
A professional woman that was interviewed was asked why the community doesn't step in a help. Her response basically came down to the fact that the middle class (and wealthier) don't want to deal with these people because of the color of their skin and they blame them for their condition. I have encountered this myself in showing people some of the communities in inner city Memphis. I also hear this about people hear in my own community. This infuriates me and the woman being interviewed hit the nail on the head.
The lady explained that there is a shortage of jobs (6000 applicants for every 1000 jobs) and a lack of transportation. One particular girl had to walk 5 blocks to a bus stop and change buses 2 times to make it to a minimum wage job. She was probably spending half of her weeks pay on bus fare. Many areas of these neighborhoods don't have bus stops. Probably because it is too dangerous to send them there. Even those that have jobs often can't afford housing and electricity. One sub standard trailer park charges $900 a month rent. We are talking pull along trailers not nice double wides. Many of these don't have power. That is considerably more than my mortgage.
For those of you who are not necessarily lovers of the people of Memphis like I am, what does this mean to you? Before you pass judgment on those who live on the "over side of the tracks", make sure you take the time to understand where they come from. Before you write them off, consider how you can give them a chance to succeed and excel. I can assure you that 85% of them would gladly change their circumstances if given have a chance. Just like you and I they have simply learned what they live and become victims of circumstance.
Consider inner-city missions, consider putting yourself in their position and loving them where they are. You just might change a life, probably your own!
I had no idea that Memphis has the highest infant mortality rate in the country. It makes sense though. Most girls do not receive prenatal care and therefore do not carry their babies to term. Watching men from the health department line up tiny wood boxes and burying this precious child in unmarked graves broke my heart. I would highly encourage you to go to the 20/20 website watch for yourself.
A professional woman that was interviewed was asked why the community doesn't step in a help. Her response basically came down to the fact that the middle class (and wealthier) don't want to deal with these people because of the color of their skin and they blame them for their condition. I have encountered this myself in showing people some of the communities in inner city Memphis. I also hear this about people hear in my own community. This infuriates me and the woman being interviewed hit the nail on the head.
The lady explained that there is a shortage of jobs (6000 applicants for every 1000 jobs) and a lack of transportation. One particular girl had to walk 5 blocks to a bus stop and change buses 2 times to make it to a minimum wage job. She was probably spending half of her weeks pay on bus fare. Many areas of these neighborhoods don't have bus stops. Probably because it is too dangerous to send them there. Even those that have jobs often can't afford housing and electricity. One sub standard trailer park charges $900 a month rent. We are talking pull along trailers not nice double wides. Many of these don't have power. That is considerably more than my mortgage.
For those of you who are not necessarily lovers of the people of Memphis like I am, what does this mean to you? Before you pass judgment on those who live on the "over side of the tracks", make sure you take the time to understand where they come from. Before you write them off, consider how you can give them a chance to succeed and excel. I can assure you that 85% of them would gladly change their circumstances if given have a chance. Just like you and I they have simply learned what they live and become victims of circumstance.
Consider inner-city missions, consider putting yourself in their position and loving them where they are. You just might change a life, probably your own!
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