Comfortably Numb

Right now I'm sitting in the Rock Island office in complete silence. This is a very rare occasion and I'm loving every minute of it. All the youth kids are in the big room watching "Blood Diamond". Every Tuesday we do movie day. We invite all the middle school/ high school kids from the neighborhood in to eat popcorn/candy and watch a popular movie. Last week we watched "Freedom Writers" and the week before was "Stomp the Yard". After the movie is over we usually ask the kids what they saw in the movie that might apply to what they know about God. I have liked many of the answers we have gotten in the past few weeks. I wonder what comments they will have after the movie today. If you haven't seen Blood Diamond, it's a great flick.

At Northchurch, my pastor Rodney is doing a series called "Comfortably Numb". I have really enjoyed it and this subject has gotten me thinking. I have been here full-time for just over a year and in that short time I feel as if I have become comfortably numb with some of the surroundings.Yesterday was a prime example of this. Early in the morning I was standing out on the corner in front of the mission talking to a neighbor when a car sped by and a man came tumbling out of the passenger seat onto the street ... the car kept moving. He was bloody and screaming and one of the neighbors called 911, a few cops and an ambulance showed up. I came to find out that the man had picked up a prostitute who pulled a knife on him and stole his car. The whole time all this is going on, I'm just sitting in the grass playing hand-clap games with some of the kids, trying to keep the away from the cool people in uniform. I didn't really think anything of it and chalk it up to another day in the life.

As I go inside the mission everyone is wondering what is going on. They wondered why I didn't run in to get help and let everyone know. I had a moment after that when I realized. Wow... I am so numb to some of the chaos in this neighborhood. I just sat in the grass and played with the kids while all this went on around me. I felt a little guilty. Then I realized. There is one good thing and one bad thing about my lack of freaking out at chaos. The good thing is that... I don't freak out. I don't really feel like I ever panic in the day to day situations here and that is a good quality for inner-city work. On the bad side.... I might be comfortably numb. I hope that I don't ever miss an opportunity of people hurting because I'm used to it. I hope I don't ever reach a point when someone's pain will be unimportant to me because it seems "normal". I hope I never reach a point where I am unable to be broken. I hope that God continues to break me here... because that is when He gets to sweep in and save the day and HE is glorified!!! I hope I'm not ever comfortably numb.

Our version of church!

God likes to give us gifts.

Often I blog about how I have a major goal to let the kids in the neighborhood, just be kids. Yesterday I was given that opportunity and it was a day to remember. In light of the recent scorching weather, we decided to incorporate the most sophisticated and brilliant childhood water toy ever invented into our elementary ministry time.... SLIP'N'SLIDE!!! I probably haven't had the chance to partake in the fun of this great invention in the past 15 years. In those years the slip'n'slide has evolved from a long peace of plastic to a construction project complete with a fountain, built in sprinkler and water pit at the end. I was impressed!

After we set up two huge slip'n'slides in the front yard of Rock Island, the children began to flock. In a matter of minutes there were around 20-30 pushing and shoving in line for a chance to race down the slide. Most kids just wore their play clothes from the day, but there were a select few who wore something different. I got sidetracked for a while trying to set up a water toy and after my project I glanced up to see a group of 4 and 5 year olds who had decided that panties and undies were the best water apparel. It was funny to see cars drive by, it was obvious they were puzzled why a bunch of little brown children were slip'n'sliding in their undies in front of a church.

My favorite moment came at the end of the day. A little 4 year old, "Emma", decided she was cold and so we walked to the back yard to lay out on the dry concrete in the sun. After a few minutes she began to see shapes in the clouds and started pointing them out and naming them (in spanish, of course). There was "gato" (cat), "serpiente" (snake) and my personal favorite, "angel". She then asked me why the clouds made shapes. I paused wondering what my answer could be (I get these kinds of trivial questions often) and said "God does it". She then said the sweetest thing I've heard, in her broken four year-old Spanish she said "They are gifts, God likes to give us gifts"....... WOW! SHE GETS IT! What a perfect ending to a perfect day, in the midst of mud, water and sprinklers, a child points out a most precious message. God likes to give us gifts. Amen.

God's entourage!

Meet Leslie, Yadira, Adrian, Adamary, Lorena, Ricardo and Emily. Ron calls them my "entourage". I don't know about that, but I love their mamas. They live down the streeet from the mission and ring the doorbell at the mission everyday around 3 just to say hello and give me a hug and kiss. It's always the best part of my day! Can you see why?

I really hope these 7 little kids grow up to be strong women and men of the Lord. It's sad to think that at some point in their lives this neighborhood might pollute some of their innocence. I don't have the power to be there every second as these children grow up and guard their little eyes, ears and hearts. But I do have the power to call on someone who can do that. That's why I pray for angels... every day. I truly believe that at this very moment there is a host of angels watching over each of these little ones.

For the Lord says, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do no know" (Jeremiah 33:3)

Tamales por todo!

Last night on the way to our Rock Island activity I stopped at one of the neighbors to say hello. She has kids in the Rock Island and Underground program and we've become very good friends. When I walked into her house I could smell something amazing so I quickly made my way back to the kitchen. There was a wonderful sight. My friend along with her two sisters and sister-in-law were slaving away in the kitchen. They were cooking tamales and when I asked what for they said...for Rock Island. They got up early yesterday morning and spent their own money to buy the supplies, then they spent all day yesterday cooking over 200 tamales. Just because they love us.

These women are on the very bottom of the poverty scale in the area surrounding the mission. Yet they took what money they had and their talent to bless others. So precious. I told a few of our teens last night that they could learn from this women. Many of our teens feel like they have nothing to offer, yet they could use their talents to bless others. I wonder if they will put that lesson into practice this week and do a good deed. I'll update on the outcome.

I love my job!

CAMP PHOTOS

I just woke up from a 20 hour nap!

It is not very often that I am at a loss for words. Especially when writing, I can always come up with something. After this past week I feel like I have so much to say and no way to say it.

Last Sunday afternoon, Luke and I loaded up 11 Rock Island youth kids in the van and headed to Stand Up camp, which is an inner-city camp put on by YFC. We had no idea what to expect, so Luke and I each packed our entire closets knowing that the RI kids would not possibly pack everything they needed. Halfway through the week the entire group was clothed by Luke and I's wardrobe. Ha.

One thing I learned this week is that this camp is not for the faint of heart. Most nights we were up playing "night games" (dodgeball, glow-in-the-dark ultimate frisbee, glowstick tennis) until 1 or 2 in the morning. I didn't go to bed before 3 the entire week and most night it was closer to 4. So to say I was sleep deprived when I got home yesterday would be an understatement, I was a zombie.

We had some slight behavioral problems, but for the most part I was very proud of the way our kids conducted themselves. They had great attitudes and I can definitely say that we will have 11 new leaders in our Rock Island program for the summer. As most people know, I'm a story-teller and I really could tell 100 stories from this week, but I will just share one small one and save the rest for future blogs.

When we pulled up to camp the first day we immediately noticed we were a little different. 3 of our boys were the only mexicans at a primarily black camp. They noticed this also and wanted to turn around and go home, but we encouraged them to give it a shot.. For most of our kids, this was their first time to be away from home for any amount of time, so we spent alot of time combatting home-sickness. So on Tuesday night I wasn't shocked to look up and see one of our girls standing by herself with big tears streaming down her face. I sat down with her for a while and through sobs she began to tell me how she didn't belong, she was home-sick and felt like she didn't fit in. She is a black girl and I begin to tell her the story of our 3 mexican boys and how they were in the minority but tried hard to be involved in everything, and how if they could do it, she could try also. As I was telling her this those same 3 boys came over to us, they had no idea why she was upset and looked very concerned. They sat down next to us and put their arms around her and asked her if she was okay, they told her if she needed anything to let them know and that she is their family. After a few tears they finally got her to start laughing and the 4 walked off together. As I saw them walk off I was certain of one thing, God sent those boys over there. The kids in the neighborhood are really coming together as a family to watch out for each other and comfort each other when they are sad.

I have been waiting for years to see the day our Rock Island kids would step across racial lines and embrace one another as family. I think it's beginning.