If you were in charge…

We talked this week about Josiah, the boy who became king at age 8 and decided to pursue God and do what is right.  I asked the kids if they suddenly found themselves in charge of our country, what is the first law they would enact.  Their responses were fun and informative.  Below are a few:

“Help poor people.”

“Treat people the way you want to be treated. ”

“No more school.”

“I’d have everybody give me all their stuff.  I’d look through it and give back the stuff I didn’t want.”

“I’d say that I got to have a billion dollars.”

“No more rent.”

“No bills”

“At school, the students would be in charge of the teachers.”

“No violence.”

“You don’t have to pay for anything.”

“No stealing.”

“Be nice to everybody.”

“Everyone gets candy whenever they want.”

Fun stuff.  Those kids make me smile.

 

God’s Children

I’m able to load up 15 or so kids every Wednesday in the church van and bring them to and from our Wednesday activities.  It’s always a fun time.  For instance, last night, the large group of middle school girls in the back of the van asked me to turn on the radio.  They weren’t specific about what they wanted to listen to (though I know they were hoping for one of the rap/hip-hop stations).  I cranked up the country.  They yelled and yelled, asking me to change it. So I did – to NPR.  Classical music was playing.  I thought this was really funny.  They did not, but I was in charge of the radio, so tough luck for them.  We have this kind of fun on van rides.  It makes the long journey of dropping them off into a good time.

Often kids will invite their friends, so I meet a lot of new kids from just driving the van.  About a month ago, I started picking up an 8th grade girl who is friends with several of our regulars.  Last week, she brought her little brother.  Yesterday, they brought another brother (turns out there are 9 total siblings – they don’t all live together due to different mother and father combos.  Glad they don’t all live together, because I wouldn’t have room in the van!)

Anyway, on the way home, I dropped of the first girl at her house.  I waited in front until her mom opened the door to let her in.

One of the brothers asked me, “Why are you wating to leave?”

“I just want to make sure she gets in safe.”

“Making sure she doesn’t get kidnapped or something?”

“Well, I’m just making sure her mom is home so she can get in. If not, I’d try to take her somewhere else.  I just want her to be safe.”

He thought for a minute, and then asked, “Are you going to do that for us when you take us home?”  I could tell he was really hoping I’d say yes, but suprised I’d say yes at the same time.

“Of course.  I’ll wait until you get in.  I think you’re important and worth waiting on.”  These are words I don’t think he hears often enough.

He smiled.  “Cuz we’re God’s children?”

“Yep, that’s exactly right.”

 

 

New T-shirts are in!

Check out our new short-sleeved Feed Clothe Love shirts.  They’re available for purchase for $16. They’re comfortable, high-quality athletic fit shirts. You can get them in Adult S, M, L and XL.  Chilren’s sizes and XXL+ shirts are available by special order.

All proceeds go to benefit Mission 2540.  You’ll look good while promoting a great cause!

 

And don’t forget, we still have a few other styles available:

 

The brown shirts are long sleeve and cost $20; the green shirts are short sleeve and cost $16.

We’ll have paypal set up on this website very soon to make ordering easier.  Until then, if you’d like a shirt or two, comment below or email me at brooks@mission2540.org.

Good-byes

If someone asks me the hardest part of ministering to families in low-income apartment communities, my answer isn’t seeing kids in need.  It’s not having to call CPS on occasion.  It’s not the wild and crazy behavior of  the kids.  It’s not dealing with the heartbreak of kids without dads.  Those are all hard things.  But they’re not the hardest part.

The hardest part is saying “Good-bye.”  Kids move in and out a lot.  Families living in generational poverty move a lot, often with very little notice.  For a variety of reasons – evictions, law trouble, family trouble, need for a “change” - you name it, I’ve seen it.  So I’ve said lots of good-byes.  And they never get easier.

Last week, I said the hardest good-bye yet to a family I’ve known for 7 years – I met them when I first started at the North Grand Villas.  They moved to Cypress Creek Apartments about the same time I started there.   We’ve been through a lot together – joy and pain and deaths and births and struggles and hurts.  I’ve watched the kids grow up.  I’ve helped keep their lights on.  I’ve given lectures to the boys when they got out of hand.  I’ve held them as they’ve wept.  We’ve laughed.  Discussed life.  We’ve been family.

Last week, they moved to California, closer to family.  Towards dreams of a better life.  I’m not sure if they’ll find it there.  I pray they do.  I’m not sure if I’ll see them again.  I pray for that, too.

It’s been hard.  But I know some truths that make it easier. 

One – God loves them more than I do.  His eye is on the sparrow.  It’s also on them.

Two – I’m not their salvation – here on earth physically or for eternity spirtitually.  I am but a piece of that puzzle, put in their path by a God with plans. 

Three – I can treasure my many relationships, but they cannot be my ultimate Treasure.  My treasure is Him, and Him alone.

He has called me to this ministry.  Not for me to have trophies and names I can stick up on some big board in the sky that says “Look what Brooks did!”  No, He’s called me to this ministry to show hurting, broken people that He loves them.  I got 7 years to do that for a hurting, broken family.  They know God’s love now.  I rejoice in that.  I can be glad in that.  In the midst of the pain of good-byes, I also have joy.  I have peace.

Soil

 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  – Matthew 13:3-8

It’s been a long, busy, wild summer.  Mission trip to Nicaragua.  5 weeks of weeklong Summer Bible Clubs from various mission teams.  Thousands of water balloons blown up and thrown.  Countless magic shows, it seems like.  221 backpacks handed out.  100 shoes.  Our golf scramble fundraiser last Friday.   It’s been one thing after another after another. It makes for one very busy yet very productive summer.

But, in all honesty, it’s been a summer of great frustration for me. In the midst of all the summer activities and all the “stuff” required to run this ministry, the parable of the sower has been running through my mind.  It seems like so many of the kids I’ve been walking with and discipling over years, as they get older and reach their upper high school years and beyond tend to fall off, mess up, lose contact, repeat the mistakes of their parents, etc.  This summer has seemed like that to me more than ever.  I’ve had several of my college-aged kids get arrested, drop out of school, get pregnant, do drugs, quit jobs, etc. over just the past 3 or 4 months.  It’s been tough.  The soil where I’ve sown seed has been way too rocky.

The goal of this ministry is to help kids raised in poverty discover their self worth, that they are loved and created by a God who has great plans and opportunities for them.  And that because of this, they really do have a hope and a future.  That they don’t have to repeat the mistakes of family members, that cycles of poverty, teen pregnancies, absentee fathers, abuse and drugs can and will stop with them.  That’s the goal.  Sometimes, I feel like I’m making progress.  Other times, I feel like I don’t.  Jesus explains why that its when he explains the parable of the sower later in Matthew 13:

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I run into most of those soils on a daily basis – all but the good soil.  It’s rare. Life in poverty makes it tough to grow spirtitual seeds.  There’s lots of worries of the day.  Lots of turmoil.  Lots of birds swooping in to steal.  And its frustrating.  I know my job is to scatter the seeds.  But I also have a job to work that soil.  To strengthen it.  To do battle against the weeds and birds and rocks.  To help roots dig deep.

And my prayer is that this school year, I’ll find more and more good soil.  I want to see the seeds take root and grow, and produce more and more life around them.  That’s my prayer.  That’s my hope.

 

Back-To-School Outreach

 

The lack of blog posts recently is due to the fact that we just finished handing out backpacks and school supplies to around 220 kids at the North Grand Villas, Cypress Creek Apartments, and several places in-between.  Thanks to all of you who gave, shopped, or helped hand out supplies.  I definitely couldn’t do it without you!

On Saturday at the North Grand Villas, we held a hotdog cookout, handed out backpacks, and measured kids for shoes we’ll provide them from the A Step Up shoe closet.  It was our 7th(!) annual back-to-school cookout.  Here are a few pics:

We weren’t able to do a party at Cypress Creek this year.  They had a party on Tuesday that we particpated in and measured shoe sizes at, but they had us hand out the backpacks seperately, since not all the residents qualified or signed up for it.  That’s ok.  But unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of Tuesday’s event.  But it was well-attended and a good time, but also quite hot.  But here are a few pics of kids with their new supplies that we got on Wednesday from passing them out door to door.

Again, thanks to all who helped make a small difference in the lives of many hurting families this month.  It’s lots of work, but lots of fun.  And I’m sure I’ll be dreaming about school supplies for several more weeks…