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Saturday night update

13 students, 5 adults, 7 days, 12 ministries, 4 chapters in II Timothy, and a whole lot of fun! That's just a brief picture of what's to come this week on our urban ministry trip in Boston. We started off early this morning (thanks, parents, for getting everyone there on time!), meeting at the Akron/Canton airport at 6:00 am. Our flight went smoothly and all of our luggage made it with no problems. Major Justin Longcoy, who is helping coordinate our trip with the Salvation Army, met us at the airport and picked up our luggage and then as a team we took the subway (which in Boston is called "the T") to get to the Jubilee House. For many of our students, this morning had provided a lot of "firsts"...first flight, first time in Boston, and first time on a subway! Hopefully the rest of the week will have lots of "firsts" as well, as we get the opportunity to serve many people in unique and exciting ways.

After arriving at the Jubilee House, they served us an energizing breakfast and then Justin shared with us some of his story, which was very interesting and inspiring. We took a brief tour of the house and then spent a couple hours working on a variety of service projects around the yard, mulching, mowing, moving firewood, chopping bushes back, and generally cleaning things up. There is such a huge variety of ministries that take place out the of Jubilee House, it's awesome to be able to take care of some of these projects, which enables the staff to stay focused on developing relationships and ministry. While many of our opportunities to serve this week will allow us to interact with people, several of them are of this nature, where our doing service work enables those we serve to better engage in ministry with the people they serve.

After a great lunch of pizza and snacks, we headed over to the Harbor Light Center, where we're staying for the week, and got settled in. We have bunk beds, a meeting area, a kitchen, and bathrooms with showers and it's all located in a safe neighborhood with a nice park just across the street and a T Station within a 10 minute walk. We spent the bulk of the afternoon getting settled in and enjoying the park and then had a time for devotions and quiet time. Dinner was soon upon us, a team meeting, a walk in the rain to explore the neighborhood and now we're back inside for the night, playing some games before taking some time to study II Timothy. Throughout the week we're going to be spending time in II Timothy every day and from these group-guided study times, we'll be developing lesson plans to teach to the rest of the youth group this coming fall.

That's a lot of updates for one night. In the morning we're headed in small groups to 4 different church services that will be very different than our normal Sunday morning experiences. It will be great to be a part of the body of Christ in some different ways and to see how others express their commitment to Christ. Thanks for your prayers and check back tomorrow night for another update!

Sunday Night Update

Winding down after a long but good day. This morning we went to 4 different church services and the students really loved the experiences. We actually just got done with a sharing time about their church visits and I was impressed by how much they remembered and how they were able to process it.

After our church experiences, we all met up back at the Jubilee House for a late lunch, then headed down to the Boston Commons for some hangout & recreation time. The Boston Commons is a gigantic park in the middle of the city and is a great place to hang out, play games, meet people, and see various parts of the city. We came back to the Harbor Light Center for a wonderful dinner and then had a team meeting, outlining the schedule of the week to come, spending time in praise and worship together, and giving encouragement to different team members.

Tomorrow is when our more normal, full schedule kicks in. You can check out our schedule for the week by clicking here. It's color-coded, according to each small group. Gaps in the schedule are spent in transit from one location to another, using the T (the Boston name for the subway), which is an experience in itself. Gaps in the schedule are also times that small groups take to process what they've done and what they've learned, as well as to have personal quiet times with God. We appreciate your continued prayers joining with ours as we get the chance to interact with people, serve others, and experience what God wants us to learn this week.

**Pictures are on Facebook for now (you can access them by clicking the link above). I'll try and post them on the site here as well once I figure out what's not working.

Monday Night Update

What a fantastic day! It was full of all sorts of different things. Altogether, our small groups visited a total of 6 different ministry sites, doing a variety of things. Here's 3 of them to tell us about their experiences:

Andrew: Today we woke up & ate breakfast. When we were done with breakfast we walked down to the T & rode it to ReVision Urban Farms (though we got stuck on the bus on the way there). ReVision is a place that houses single parents (and their families) and plants gardens in the city that give them food to eat. We walked 5 minutes to a garden where we weeded and planted sweet potatoes. Then, after we were done, we walked back.

After that, we went back to the Harbor Light Center. We walked to an after school program and we helped them do homework and played games and played in the gym. Then we came back home.

I had a lot of fun playing with the kids in the gym because they thought I was awesome at soccer (which I am ;).

I went to the Jubilee House yesterday for church and I thought it was really interesting how people were friendly to each other and really knew who each other were. They were inviting to new visitors, which was great.

Leah: This morning I was rudely(!) awakened by a jumping Chrissy. We went to ReVision, too. But this afternoon we did BAM. BAM stands for “Be A Miracle” and the idea is to, as a small group, reach out to people in the city in simple ways. Every group gets $20 and has to figure out how they can serve someone or a group of people. We went to Walgreens and bought stuffed animals, crossword puzzles and bracelets. Then we walked a long distance to the Children’s Hospital Boston. Then we talked to the leader of child life there and we gave her all of our cards and little gifts. She was very grateful. After our BAM experience, we took a visit to McDonalds and enjoyed our snacks at the Boston Commons.

Yesterday I went to Congregacion Leon de Judah and I really enjoyed it because they were really loving and I experienced a whole new level of love.

I’ve been learning how the smallest actions can glorify God and can make someone’s day.

Abbi: Tonight we had team times. We all gathered as a team and discussed what we did today. It seemed like everybody had a good time as we ventured out into Boston as small groups. Our first team time we had two guests come and share with us: Soly & Danielle. They talked to us about why they came to Boston and their story about how Christ led them here. Soly is from Ethiopia and Danielle is from upstate New York and they are very different, but God brought them both into urban ministry. They shared how you can’t lose who you are in trying to fit in, but have to stay true to how God made you. It was really interesting.

I've been really impressed by all of the students on our trip so far and the way they've entered into the experiences with open minds and a willingness to meet and get to know people who are different than them. Every night we've been studying the book of II Timothy and thinking about what it means to be young people who share the message of Christ with others. Jesus spent a lot of time with people that were different than him and always lived with extravagant love. We hope to do the same. Thanks for reading and for praying and I'll post pictures as soon as I'm able.

Tuesday Night Update:

We got back late tonight from hanging out with Mako and Ming, a missionary couple with InterVarsity that First Friends supports, so the update tonight is going to be pretty short. Here's Hayley:

Hayley:

My small group went to the South End after school program. We played with the kids, I was with 7 and 8 year olds. We worked on homework and did artwork. It was a lot of fun being with the kids because they were really excited for us to be there.

We also went to the Boston Rescue Mission. We sorted strawberries and put food away and served lunch to the staff there. The Boston Rescue Mission is a very old, very busy soup kitchen in Boston. They serve 5 meals every day to those who need it.

Being with the kids at the after school program was really special because they were so much fun. It was very interesting and they really liked having us there. By the time we were done, we felt like we were all one big group.

Today we had groups at a bunch of different ministry locations: Pilgrim Church, Boston Rescue Mission, South End after school program, Chelsae daycare, Rosie's Place and a group doing BAM. I'll try to post more about the experiences in the morning, but it's been awesome how much we've been learning, experiencing, and processing. Thanks for all the prayers!

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I thought I'd give a little bonus update since last night's update was so short since we got in late. Here's some information about some of the ministries we were partnering with yesterday:

-Rosie's Place is the oldest women's shelter in the US. The serve meals to hundreds of people every day, as well as provide hygiene products, job training, and drug rehab programs just to name a few things. I've partnered with them every year we've come and have been impressed with the way they treat each individual and value them.

-Pilgrim Church is a large, old United Church of Christ church founded in 1862. There is a whole host of programs that run out of their building, including a day care, homeless shelter, food pantry, clothing closet, and more. I started partnering with them 5 years ago and we've helped in a variety of ways to clean up the outside of the building. An ongoing project has been the construction of a new retaining wall at the parking lot. I included some pictures from our first couple years in the photo album to show the progress over time.

-South End Salvation Army after school program has graciously hosted a small group from our team each day. Our students immediately noticed that everyone that goes there and works there is African American...and they immediately noticed that we were all white. In Boston, even though there's a lot of diversity, most people live and associate only with people that are like them. We didn't let this get in the way of our time, though, and as you can see from the pictures, everyone got along well and became great friends.

-Mako & Ming Nagasawa are missionaries with InterVarsity here in Boston and opened up their house to us last night to come and hear their story and how they make intentional decisions in their lives to live for Christ. They live in community with a total of 14 people currently living in their house. They have also pioneered a community garden in an abandoned lot on their street, have done a lot of outreach to neighborhood kids, and have an active ministry with Korean college students. It was great to hear how purposeful they are in the way that they live to let Christ penetrate every area of their lives. Each night this week, we've been hearing from different people that live in the city here and how they ended up doing urban ministry and what that looks like for them. It's been fascinating to hear all of their different stories.

That's just a taste of some of the things we did yesterday...it was a very full, but very good day!

Wednesday Night

Another full day today! It's hard to believe that our week is winding down already! We have one full day of service and ministry left and then Friday is a fun day and then we'll be headed home. Here's Josh & Jessica to tell about some of their experiences today:

Josh: Today we went to Cradles to Crayons. We sorted toys and found all the pieces that went to the toys and games. Cradles to Crayons is a place where people donate their toys and then they give them to children that aren’t as fortunate.

Next we rode the T while eating our lunches and came back to the area where we stay. After we finished eating we had our quiet time and went to the park across the road for awhile. After that we went to the South End Salvation Army after school program. I was in the “A” group with the 5 and 6 year olds. During our time there we went over words that people use a lot in stories and colors. Then we ate. Finally we had craft time and gym time.

Tonight we heard a very amazing testimony from Michelle. She was a drug addict who had a really bad life and thought that having children would bring her love but realized that what would bring her love was Jesus Christ.

It’s been really cool to meet other Christians in a far away place from home and hear their stories. There was one woman, Flo, who was eating her lunch and we offered to buy her something because it looked like she didn’t have much to eat and she said “no” so Mitch and I thought we should ask her about Jesus. She said that she did and that she would pray for us and we said we’d pray for her and it was pretty cool. And that’s just one of the many examples I’ve experienced this week.

Jessica: Today my group went to Cradles to Crayons. We cleaned shoes that were disgusting dirty and made them all squeaky clean for kids that can’t afford new shoes. After that, we went to the Richard Ring House, which is a ministry of the Pine Street Inn. It’s a house full of mentally challenged people and we cooked them dinner and got to eat with them. I asked everyone their names and one guy said he didn’t have a name. I wonder if people have really taken the time to talk to him and I thought it was cool to spend time with him. All the residents worked together to feed these little cats. And everyone likes the brownies we made!

One thing I loved this week was being with the kids at the Chelsae after school program. It was just a great sense of community. Everyone was together and they didn’t care how we were different, but were just all together and having fun. We played a really fun game of tag and I showed them how to do a push up in a jump rope. Everyone really made me feel loved.

I’ve learned that harm will come your way but if you have faith in God, he will protect you and there is nothing to be afraid of. The Bible says so many times “do not fear” and that has been really sticking out to me this week. This week has helped me to step out of my fears because God is with me so I have nothing to fear.

Thanks for your faithful prayers this week. We've learned so much and had some amazing experiences. I can't wait for us to get home so that we can tell you all about them in person. Have a great night!

Thursday Night

Our week of ministry has come to an end! It's been such an awesome week and challenging and fulfilling in so many ways. Today was another day full of incredible experiences. Here's a few of our students to tell you about it:

Mitch Will-i-am: We went on B.A.M. BAM is where my group gets together and we have $25 to be a miracle. We went to the Boston Commons and we found a lot of people but the one that really stuck out to me was Mike. He was a short black man and he was real funny. He was just sitting on the bench and we went up to him and gave him some crackers and then we asked him what can we do to be a miracle. He said “Well, I need a blanket,” so we went to TJ MAXX and got him one. Then we asked him what else can we do and he said “well, I wanted to see the movie A team,” so we went and bought him a ticket to the movie. He also showed us this cool garden area and we bought him some chinese food for a meal. Then we came back to the Harbor Light Center and stayed there for a little and then we went to an after school program and we hung out with some cool kids.

Something that stuck out to me this week was that there are so many people with out a home and so many people with no job and live on spare change from a soup can! I may have helped some people with the whole money thing a tiny little bit but I can’t help everyone so that is one thing that really stuck out to me.

Something I learned this week was that just a little bit of the change you carry can give a burger or chicken sandwich, so even a little bit of money can help a lot!!

Emily Devereaux: Today we went to the Haley House. The Haley House is a community house and ministry place to homeless people in Boston. They were getting a new cement floor, so we had to clear everything out of the way. We then helped make and serve a meal to about 20 men that were elderly. After we served, we got to sit down and talk to them and hear their stories and learn who they were. Afterward, the lady in charge told us about the story of the Haley House and how it came to be.

Something that really stuck out to me this week was the South End after school program. It was nice to help kids learn their ABC’s and learn how to spell words and really just get to know them and helping their leaders. It was great to play with them and just act like a kid.

Over this week in Boston, I’ve learned that even if you don’t get anything in return it’s really nice to help out people when they need something. You’re making a difference in their day and taking a moment and helping out and it’s worth it.

Emily Morgan: Today my group went to the Boston Commons to find a person that we can really bless. Joel likes to call it B.A.M. which stands for "be a miracle." Joel gave us five dollars per person to spend on anyone. We found a guy named Michael who really wanted a ticket to a the movie “The A team,” so we took him to the movie theatre and bought him a ticket. He also really wanted a blanket so we also took him to TJ MAXX so that he could find himself a blanket. After that we took him to get chinese food and sat and heard his story.

The thing that really stuck out to me was how people found the Lord and completely changed their life. We met a girl named Jessie, and she did drugs at the age 9. She had a baby at fourteen, but when she found the Lord she became a completely different person.

I learned that Paul wrote II Timothy to his spiritual son Timothy, because Paul knew that he would be dying soon, and he gave simple instructions to him so that when he takes over for Paul he will be a great leader.

Thank you so much for entrusting your kids to us this week. I know that my life and thinking has been deeply impacted this week and I think that everyone else has been challenged as well. We're looking forward to a fun day tomorrow at the beach and then flying home. We'll see you all tomorrow night!

Flipd

Boston '10

a week of urban exploration