Summers end....just the beginning!

This morning on my way to work I was thinking back on this summer. This is the first summer of our full-time youth ministry and to say it was exhausting would be an understatement. But when I thought back about this summer I began to cry. The Lord has truly done some amazing stuff that I didn't even think possible. I can't imagine what amazing things He is going to do during the school year.

The summer began with us losing one of our most involved kids to deportation. I didn't know that my heart would ever heal for that. It's still a tough subject. But soon after the Lord started bringing kids from all over Oklahoma City who have now become a family. We had our share of hard times: the youth center was broken in to about 5 times, one of our kids got stabbed, a few of our kids spent and are spending some time in jail, there were a few gang encounters and as recently as this week, 3 of our youth kids are enduring the death of a parent. But then there is the good stuff: camp was life changing for so many of our kids. About 10 accepted Christ for the first time and had their first encounters with the Holy Spirit. We did slip and slide in the front yard of Rock Island, played basketball in the rain, watched tons of movies, had many pool tournaments, had watermelon eating contests, and ate lots of ice cream and pizza.

I remember a few weeks ago during a particularly tough time asking myself what in the world I am doing. I think I ask myself that at least once a week. I love what I'm doing, but sometimes I wonder if I'm equipped. The Lord then reminded me of a prayer I prayed months ago. I said, "Here am I, send me". That is a bold prayer and it still scares me, but I dare anyone to pray it. The Lord not only will overwhelm you with predicaments, but he will open the flood gates to His blessing. As we near the closing of our exciting summer and the kids head off to school I can't help to be excited about what's going to happen next and thankful I get to be a part of it.


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20