some final pictures

First 3 are from our trip to Six Flags... the group (minus one guy), some of the prizes won from a 3-point shooting game, and then the favorite ride--Kingda Ca! The last three are Billie (I talked about him a bit in the post--he's the one who had never been in a church until my open gym and we had some good spiritual conversations)--that's a picture of him reffing a game for me--when WKU donated some shirts to me, I gave them to my 2 volunteer refs to wear as the official ref shirt... next picture down is just a picture of some of the "Puerto Rican shooters" as they became known... the last picture is another pic of the league night--the crowd watching from the top grew bigger every week!

One last post

Well I have been home for a week and a half now, but still busy as ever (visiting old friends, preparing for my teacher's certification test, etc.) so now I am finally settling down to post my final update...

Good news is I finally got a team picture of each team in the league and the bible study group--they were my favorite pictures of the summer. Bad news is, as I was setting up for my all night event I noticed my camera was missing. Looks like someone snatched that during the work day (looks like yet again, it was an "inside job"). So I am without those pictures and I am still upset about it.

So my last week went well. The final bible study had the same 20 for the 3rd straight week, which was very encouraging. Afterwards I had one ask me to pray over him and for his family for safe travels to Puerto Rico. Pastor Wittenberg stayed late that night to share a few words and make himself available and the group heard from the fellow Christians that have been helping me about their "Next Level" ministries. Tough part is... continued ministry to these guys will be tough now that the gym is not open every night (only the league continues). Pray for new openings there. My last night with the league was depressing and a relief at the same time. It was hard knowing it was my last night with many of these guys, but still... many of those guys are very tough to deal with--I had a lot to deal with that night! So when it was all over, it was relieving. The last night of league season games was last Thursday (so I missed that and will miss the tournament)--it was nervewracking at first because 2 teams didn't show up for the first two games, but then the next 4 did... So, after a full season the record is as stands:

Dynasty 6-1
Jewtown 5-2 (forfeited last game)
Next Level 5-2
DBB 4-3
P.U.C. 3-4
Tioga Heights B 2-5
Unforgettables 1-7 (forfeited last game)
Tioga Heights A 1-7

Playoffs start this week! Oh, but one more thing about the league. I forgot to mention this story... Remember my statments about the free CDs that were made to pass out? Well before one game as I was saying we had free CDs for them, one of the guys asked if it was me rapping on the CD. I responded with, "Me? haha, nah I don't rap... I'm a white boy from KY!" And he responded with, "Well no one thought you could ball, but you can." So... that made me feel good!

And so then came Friday--my final thing. What a blessing that night was. Chuck Malloy came to the rescue again! He made a generous gift of 12 Pizzas, 6 bags of chips, and lots of soda. We were able to start off the night with a feast and a reminder of the gospel, then we started with the 3 on 3 tournament (6 teams)... after a few rounds we got started on the 3-point contest, probably the fan favorite and the most ghetto thing I've put together. WKU sent me 5 red-and-white Western Kentucky University basketballs, so those were the money balls, and then Elvin (the one who's brother was shot and killed) had his mother-in-law donate about 12 basketballs from her company (Sunoco--gas station), and then I had other basketballs to come up with a total of 25! We had 5 racks, did it just like the NBA... only the racks were a combination of wheeled carts, baby crate, etc... But they LOVED it. And Elvin brought his DJ stuff, so we blared music throughout (and Joey brought by many Christian rap CDs to use)... it was a lot of fun watching contestants dance on the floor, and dance as they shoot. Round 1 had 20, then 10, then 4, then 2... the winner was Billie, the one whom I talked to one-on-one about making a decision for Christ. Then we moved onto the dunking contest. WOW... that was a blast. I printed out a bunch of papers with #s on each so we could do it just like fans do in the NBA contest. I had 5 judges appointed... we had 7 for Round 1, 4 for Round 2... and then it didn't go any further because everyone quit after we all saw Koran's dunk. Koran is a 5'9" guy who can do a 360, through the leg dunk on 10 ft and the contest we had the goal at 9' 3"... he did one dunk and the crowd went crazy--several taped it using the phone, so watching people crowd around the phone to watch the replay 5 times over lets you know it was exciting. It is supposed to be posted on youtube sometime--when it goes up, I'll post it on here. People were so pumped about it, that they just let him do a 15 minute dunk show and didn't even bother finishing out the 3 on 3.. the prize for all of the winners was a WKU bball and a WKU shirt. Basically, the night was a great way to end it all. Guys stayed till 4 AM just chatting and hanging out and helping me clean up. They really expressed their thanks for everything and for keeping them off the streets (which makes it harder knowing I had to leave them with no open gym... at least for now). I will admit, as I locked up the gym for the last time, I teared up.

Yet still, even up to my last week, I was learning more about some horrors of this neighborhood. Jose took me to get a real "Philly cut" (hair cut) and on the way we ran into a crime scene where a murder had just taken place, and then once we get to "Bout Time Barber Shop" we learn that one of the barber's cousin was shot and killed earlier that day... that day there were 2 murders and 3 shootings just within a few miles of the church. Jose told me that from 2007 to 2008, Philadelphia had over 365 murders, more than one a day. The next day Pastor Wittenberg and his wife (Susan) took me out to lunch where I heard some more stories. Susan told me a story when a group of kids got out of school, put animal masks on, and attacked a random guy on the street--Susan had to drive up on the street blaring her horn to scatter the kids as the old man lay there brutally beaten. I had seen a couple school riots from my 2nd floor window, but I did not realize it was a very common thing... and actually, it's hearing that that encourages me even more to teach inner-city... just pray for this area, for change, for God to be glorified.

Some of you all may be wondering: Have you still kept in touch with them? Answer is: some, yes... some, no. Remember, K&A is one of the most poverty stricken neighborhoods... many of these guys run out of minutes on their phone fast. So I can call some and can't get through--it's because they have no minutes--so then I have to wait a couple weeks. But I have been able to talk to some since I've been home. A group of them even plan on coming here to visit and attend my wedding. Pray that works out!

If you have any questions, just ask! (859) 539-7838 or jeffrey.bracken@wku.edu

I will post a few more pictures later tonight (pictures from the Six Flags trip and others).

Bad News for the Church

Many of you may know already, but I wanted to let all know that the church I live in here was robbed last night. Details are a little hazy, but it seems clear that there were definitely at least 3 involved in stealing 12 computers from the Kids' program computer lab and it appears that these people knew exactly what they were looking for. A drill was used to get into doors and take off a deadbolt lock... a lounge room was broken into where they could have stolen a TV, DVD player, Game Cube, etc. but all they took was one water bottle. They escaped by passing the computers through a window (computer room was in basement so windows were at top of room, along ground level outside) and then snuck them out through a fence that had been cut.

How they got in is another mystery... while the Pastor was examining the fence, a mother walked over with her 2 sons and gave him a set of keys that her son found in the alley (the cut fence leads into the alley between our church and another building)... the keys were keys for the church, including a key to get into the front door. At this point, we don't know what to make of that.

Wishart Avenue is the street right behind our church and its the street that it was obvious where the "get away" car was parked to load the computers. Wishart Avenue is also packed with people who stay out extremely late... Unfortunately, it is very unlikely we will get any information--they don't even say anything for a murder (so I was told). Even as cops came to investigate, they yelled out the code word to let the block know cops are on the street. Please lift the church up in your prayers... But let me tell you where it gets really good.

#1: My shower sits across from the Computer lab... I shower every night (and it's always late--usually past midnight once guys are gone from the gym). For some odd reason or another, I just did not feel like showering last night. All day I have been thinking about that, and I'm telling you... God intervened--God made that decision for me to not shower. Knowing the neighborhood I'm in, if I had walked in on them doing that, I would have been left dead. Praise God and praise all of you for your prayers--Mary told me that her co-worker had her church pray for my protection yesterday morning... well God answered that prayer with His protection that night. (Though still, knowing it all happened while I was in the building kinda angers me ya know?)

#2: Hearing Major Wittenberg's response to all this was very encouraging to me. All he cared about was my safety. When he got the call that everything had been stolen, his first instinct was to know if I was okay. Then he simply said "stuff is stuff... who cares?" One of the church members was quite upset about it, and Major asked "Are you really surprised?" He proceeded to explain that when he heard it, he wasn't all that surprised. He said to make ministry happen in this area, you ahve to be willing to take risks. He'd rather have the church packed and risk losing stuff, than to hold on tightly to everything and have no one there. He explained that he blessed my ;ministry knowing we were gonna have to shut off the alarm system; knowing that I would have some rough bunch in and out; etc. "If you want your stuff to be safe, then go to a wealthy suburban church," he said, "otherwise, to minister in this neighborhood, you gotta learn to deal with it..." That was encouraging to hear. Stop being safe, live life on the edge for Christ. Dare to move.

Thank you again for all the prayers. One last thing to pray for: since this has happened some of "my guys" have found out--I've asked them to find out any information they can (since they're from the streets); but I pray that it happens without violence!

bad news for me

Well, with one week to go I now have to watch all basketball from the sidelines as I hold on to my new set of crutches. Unfortunately during a open gym Wednesday night I busted my left knee. It is unsure of the diagnosis (we know for sure it's not bone-related) but I did get an MRI yesterday afternoon to look for any torn ligaments. Because I drive stick shift, my parents and I are in the process of figuring out how I'm going to get home! Please keep me and my injury in your prayers... Though I must admit, having this injury has shown me how many people here have come to care about me, both in the church and out of the church. Many of those who witnessed the fall that night took care of me immediately after and have been intentional in following up with me, making sure I'm okay and helping me clean the gym each night. But the church staff has also taken great care of me. Nancy, the secretary has done so much for me--she drove me to my appointment, took me out to eat, went and got groceries for me, etc... A volunteer, John, has brought me several movies to watch and with Nancy's portable DVD player and occassional gifts of double stuffed oreos and Raisenettes I have myself some fun movie nights! I should probably also mention the fact that Karen, the bookkeepr (whose office is right next to my room) has helped me all year, taking me to places, keeping me company some late nights (along with her kids). And Pastor Phil Wittenberg has been a wonderful blessing (though he was gone on vacation for 3 weeks!).

Despite all the care, it's still tough on me, knowing that I may not be able to play basketball for a while, I may have to reschedule my Praxis test (test for teacher certification) to have surgery, and may have to hobble around Greenwood HS while I student teach! And it is definitely a bummer considering that I may not get to play in my own 3-0n-3 tournament this upcoming Friday-Saturday (my teammates think I'm going to recover by then--hey, I still believe in miracles, :) ). This upcoming weekend is my final big outreach event. I have open gym from 8 PM on Friday to 6 AM on Saturday. There will be a 3-on-3 tournament (currently with 14 teams), a 3-point contest (the max # of 20 have signed up) and a dunking contest (currently 10). Currently, I am working on getting a guest speaker from Ephiphany Fellowship--if that falls through, I suppose I will. Another cool thing about this event, is that Elvin (the one who's brother was shot and killed Oct. 7, 2007) said he is a DJ and doesn't mind bringing his equipment to DJ the event--sounds like we gonna have a party! By the way, I also met Elvin's wife last night and they would like to get away from Philly for a week or so, so they may be visiting me back in KY in the next year. For all of you who read this from KY, I know you can think of ways we can treat them to a good time (some southern cooking, the lake, anything else?). Anyways, be in prayer for this event, it'll be my last one.

As for other things... I took a group to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ this past monday. With buy 1 ticket, get 1 free coupons, I had a group of 10. When I first asked these guys if they wanted to go, it didn't sound like it meant much to them. No real excitement, no talking about it, nothing really. Honestly, I think some of these guys have learned not to get their hopes up about anything. Because it wasn't until they were actually in the van and on the way there that they got real excited. They couldn't stop talking about it the whole way there... and the next day at bible study they were still talking about what a great time they had! Only a couple of them had been to this particular park before, and about half of them have never been to an amusement park period. So this trip was really something for them. We had planned on leaving at 9, but we had too much fun. We stayed till 10:30. Of course, I made it more than just fellowship and fun... I shared with them 2 Corinthians 5:14--"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." I basically used that verse to show that if I wasn't a Christian, if I didn't have the love of Christ in me, then I wouldn't be in Philly and if I was, I certainly wouldn't care about them. Instead, because of the love of Christ that is in me, it compels me to pour out that same love to them--it compels me to act and to express God's love through different things. I think they got the point :)...

As for this past week's bible study, I am glad to say I had 18 of same crowd as the week before, plus 2 new oens. I have a consistent group who are enjoying it and tell me they are learning. It's great because they do not rush to get it over with so they can play ball. They ask questions, we get in discussions, we relate it to life on the streets. You can easily notice in their eyes that all this is sinking in. Unfortunately, I only have one bible study left--and it will be very focused on a general altar call. Fortunately, through the Christians I have met and talked about in previous blogs, there will be continued discipleship through what's called the "Next Level." Pray for that ministry and those leading it and for those who have been coming to my bible studies to continue in it.

Moving on to the league and the continued impacts that is having:
Well, the two undefeated teams (Next Level and Jewtown) squared off and Jewtown came out on top. This past league night was a fun one to watch, considering I saw 10 dunks on the night and a couple very close games! Here are the standings:
Tioga A 0-5
Tioga B 1-4
P.U.C. 2-3
DBB 3-2
Next Level 4-1
Jewtown 5-1
Dynasty 4-1
Unforgettables 1-4 (But this team has never lost a game by fewer than 4 points or somethin like that)
There is a growing fan base that watches from the work out room (including family members) and the teams finally have their jerseys (though they did not turn out as hoped... there were some complications)... For the devotion this time I pulled from Matthew 7:21-23 about when Jesus says "Not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven, will enter..." I've noticed that many of these might tell me they believe in God, they are Christians, etc... but they continue to live in drug dealing, personal gain, anger, etc... I hoped this would be a wake up call for them (I expanded on it a little more). Also, remember the picture of the CD I posted? 47 of the 50 have been passed out and we had good responses. The very next day I had someone tell me he didn't know what to expect... that usually when "church people" put something together it's corny or they don't know how to relate... but he said he listened to it from the first song to the last and loved it. He said he related to all the songs in every way and got a few more to give to his cousins. PJ, the one who put the CDs together, made a few others for him to have. I also had Chris from P.U.C. (who is on probation right now) tell me, and I quote "Jeff, excuse my language, but that sh*t is hot." I put that in to show that here's someone who has come to respect me enough to the point that he'll even excuse his language in front of me (which I found humurous and cool at the same time) and it's good to know that God is using the lyrics and music to reach out...

There's really just one last thing I want to mention. What about girls? At the start of the summer I had thought to myself about I was neglecting ministry to girls--my ministry was providing a way for guys who play basketball (which is also exclusive for guys who don't play--but then again, I was not starting a church... I was carrying out my mission called from/by God)... But, after several weeks, I had some girlfriends come in and out of the gym. One girl, her name is My, would always come and just sit and watch for hours... that is until I found out she loves to color and draw so I got her crayons and coloring books. She'll come and sit in my office and doodle, and I kid you not... almost everytime I'll walk in later and I'll find her reading my Bible. She just picked it up and started in the beginning--Genesis... I suggested she read the book of John (next time I walked in, that's what I saw her reading). I also got to minister to Elvin's wife who is a Muslim, but admits she's not really into the Muslim deal--she was more so born into it... So I explained the main difference between Muslim and Christian and she went home with a bible, ready to read. I've also had a girlfriend come to a bible study... so I thought I'd mention those things too... cool stuff, ya know?

OH! one last thing... so I've been having this guy come to open gym and bible study for a few weeks now... and it wasn't until last week that I was told he uses ASL! I knew he was Deaf, but from what I observed I thought he relied on lip reading and hand gestures (that's what I saw his cousin doing) and he knew I was Hard of Hearing, so I figured if he knew ASL, he would ask if I did! Man, was I ignorant! How cool is that? I had spent my past 2 years involved in Deaf ministry in some way, and I was sad about leaving Deaf camp this summer... but look at what God placed in my way! I recently found this out, and we talked a little more... I plan on sharing the gospel with him next time I see him. Pray for him! (his name is Kiko)

Well, that covers it... Because I cannot drive my car, I could not use my computer at McDonalds for wireless, thus... I cannot upload pictures onto here (have some from Six Flags, league, etc.) Well... God bless!

P.S. If you're wondering how my missions money held up... it's taken me right to the end. I have $40 left and a week to go :) (I'd like to raise money again to get the scoreboard taken care of!)

Bible Study, league, and fireworks

Okay folks, I'm going to try this again... but it has now been 3 weeks since the last legitimate update! Hopefully I remember everything I typed up last time when it lost it all... and still have room for what's happened since.

Okay... Let's begin with bible study. For the first few weeks I had about 12 guys coming, but thing is, only 3 were consistent. On the plus side, out of the 24 Bibles donated from the Christians I met here, I only have 6 left... On the downside, well... I was just hoping the same people would come every week. BUT, as of this past Tuesday, I suppose I am beginning to have a consistent group, plus more. I had 20 come! It was a great night because one of my consistent attendees is leaving for the Army on Wednesday, so as a going away party, I used the McDonald's gift card my older brother got me for Christmas (to be used here in Philly) and bought 20 double cheeseburgers and 20 fries--they did enjoy that. But what's even better is... they're enjoying bible study. They really do get into it, and if someone gets distracting, everyone is telling him to shut up! Haha... We get in some good discussions and some guys are opening up to me on their own. With that said, pray for Elvin, who's brother (older by 1 year) was shot and killed Oct. 7, 2007... he said ever since that day it's been real hard for him--he said he's a Christian and after that incident he got a tattoo of a cross on his arm with the sign written "king of the jews"; yet it's been hard for him to really take hold of faith. He admitted that he likes to come to open gym because it gives him something to take his anger out on. Someone else who opened up is Chris, who just got back from prison for possession of a gun and dope--he said he's definitely opened his eyes and stays away from it (he hated prison), but let's pray he takes it the next step and lives for Jesus. He also admitted to me just the other day that they don't want me to leave and that no one would mess with me because of the level of respect there is for me! Welcome to incarnational ministry... that and the Lord has granted me His favor. Lastly, pray for Billie. Billie has just lost his job and is on the verge of homelessness. The cool thing about Billie though... coming to open gym was the first time he's ever stepped foot in the church. His first bible study here was his first time hearing about Jesus. After this past Tuesday, he thinks he's ready to make a decision for Christ and get baptized! I'm meeting with him later today (along with John and Jose who might be leaning toward making a decision as well) to talk more about it (oh... and this guy is really good at bball... he was roommates with Jayson Williams at a 5-Star High School Camp back in the day).

But, like I've said before, this isn't the only Bible Study. I also have the bible study on Wednesdays with some church members. This one is focused around understanding what it means to be a DISCIPLE (thanks to Tommy Johnson for teaching me the importance of it!)... Now this has been unique for me because any Bible Study I have lead, it has been with college age students. For this study, I have Nolan (9 yrs old), his brother Nigel (14), their mother Anissa and her boyfriend Greg, then Karen (30 yrs), and Gina (middle-aged).... What's really cool is that the main reason for the family coming is because Nigel wanted to know more about the Bible... and now they have embarked on a mission to read their Bible more and understand more of what God wants of them... the spaghetti dinners and studies I have with them have been great... and I know God is using the experience to carry them into their work force, school, neighbors, etc...

Now... as for the League. Wow, that has come a long way. First, let me update you on the records:
Tioga A............... 0-4
Tioga B............... 1-3
Next Level.......... 4-0
Unforgettables... 1-3
P.U.C.................. 1-3
DBB.................... 2-2
Dynasty.............. 3-1
Jewtown............ 3-1
I wish all of you could be here to watch these games--even the teams with the 1-3 records are really good (their losses are always within 4 points... almost all games are close and I've had 2 overtime games!). I should have a picture of each team up by next Saturday. The ministry has been going well too. Before each game there is a devotion and time of prayer... this past Thursday I invited Chuck Malloy to provide our devotion and he talked about how our single biggest problem we face as the human race is death... and he used that to introduce Jesus who overcame death, and how that same resurrection is offered to us. Chuck is someone who is now a dear friend to me because we have mutual friends from KY (and they put me in touch with him)... Chuck has helped provide Gatorade, whistles, etc... But I think he enjoyed doing that devotion the most! And I think it got a clear message to some of these youth. League night has become a hot spot, as the work out room becomes crowded with fans watching the games (Next Level and DBB bring the most).

Let me explain something else about this league... I had a goal when I first arrived in Philly over a year ago (at least a goal I made up by the end of the week)... that goal was to bridge neighborhoods together through bball. Well... the league has helped accomplish that. I have a few teams from different hoods, and it's been cool seeing how they interact now--from seeing each other at open gym to seeing each other outside of the church (a play from Unforgttables talked about how he met someone from Jewtown and they talked about the league!). Another goal was fostering team work and leadership. Well... if you notice, the Tioga teams have not been doing well. That's because they are about 5 years younger than all the other teams. Though they get spanked at their games, I have seen a player from the opposing team gather them together afterwards to encourage them and give them tips. I've see another guy invite a few of the younger ones to open gym so that he could help train them and work with them. In a neighborhood where no one sees any good happening, I see God making it happen.

It's funny... I came back this summer expecting to spend the whole summer doing what I did before--ministry at the parks... but it has shifted to this league and open gym (guys say they'd rather play there than on the streets... actually, one time some guys came by wanting to use my air pump, and I told them if they came back in 30 minutes I'd open the gym for them... one of them said "Yeah, we want that... rather play there than on the streets".... in the next 30 minutes that guy was already out fighting someone).... God has totally taken this trip and set me on his course--i've just followed where he's taken it. I must say though, I miss going to the park... there's some guys I haven't seen since I last played ball there. But with all this said, PRAY that God continues to bless the league; some are worried it will fall apart once I'm gone... pray for those who take over.

Well, I think that covers enough.... By the way... please, everyone be jealous of me. Last night I sat on the roof and watched incredible Philadelphia fireworks--the entire sky all around me was lighting up all night. It was quite a sight :)

pictures of the park

Remember the whole deal with getting baseball equipment donated to that school? The picture you see at the top is their field (notice any dirt?)... the field is at the same park where it all started for me. That's what all these pictures are--the wall of grafitti that runs along the side of the court, and the court itself from different angles. The third pic you see is just another example of what you saw with the PUC grafitti picture. Jewtown is one of the teams in the league... in case you're wondering, they are not Jewish; that's just the name of the hood/park they're from... A few of those guys have been to a bible study.

I do have time to post pictures

Theres the scoreboard I make do with... and my fiancee, Mary (her and her friend in picture above came to visit me a couple weekends ago), is holding the timer... the dumb battery died with 1 minute and something to go in the last quarter of a game where Next Level won on a last second 3-point shot (who knows if we put too much time up or not enough!)

Okay... this makes no sense... any picture I post AFTER the one with the scoreboard and timer, gets placed above them and I can't move them!!! makes captioning the pictures hard... anyways, at the top you can see me running along the wall! (I'm reffing...) And the CD cover you see is a Christian hip-hop album some Christians here put together for me to pass out to the teams... good stuff!

Remember how in a previous post I mentioned a team named P.U.C. (Problems Under Control)... well I came across some of their "marked territory" at the park (however, I don't consider them a gang)... Picture under that is the team Jewtown warming up before a game. Notice the workout room above? We get a solid crowd now... people sit up there to watch the games!

It's on!!

Yesterday I had some things I wanted to post for today, but now I don't even remember what they were. I need to start writing things down! What I do know is that it is hard to concentrate right now because I'm listening to a 5 year old girl rap in the middle of McDonalds...

Where to begin? Well, I had my second bible study with the guys from the streets. The first one I had 3 guys, this time I had 11. Of those 11, 5 were from another church supporting me, 4 were not Christians, and 2 don't really know what they are. We had a great discussion about Jesus' encounter with the rich man and distinguishing Jesus between Lord and teacher. It was a great discussion and a lot of bball afterwards! One of the guys admitted he didn't understand everything (he has never been in a church, so knows nothing about the gospel, pray for him... his name is josh). Josh stayed in the gym the next night until 12:30 AM--for the last 45 minutes it was just us 2, so we got to talk about his life (particularly his future). And from my discussion with him, and some others, I've realized that these people have dreams and skills. Josh is attending Temple University in the fall and wants to major in something that's uncommon and wants to try to walk on the basketball team. Some guys who come through will get on the piano and drum in the chapel and improv music that blows me away! Yesterday, I saw kids who BUILT THEIR OWN STEREO SYSTEM for their BIKES! I was riding with a guy (Jose) to get all the shirts for the jerseys and saw these bikes with a stereo system (including mini-subwoofers) attached to the back of their bikes... I asked Jose where you buy something like that and he said these kids don't--they make them themselves. Unfortunately, most of them are high school drop outs. High School dropouts are building their own stereo system for their bike that sound better than what you can buy for your car--that's potential right there. These kids have dreams, these kids have skills, so what has gone wrong? Of course, you could come up with several answers--but I say this to let you know that there is hope... and as i pursue my career to teach in inner-city, my goal is to get these kids to see their potential and that they can be successful in life.

Now, about Jose, the guy who took me to get the shirts... God has blessed me tremendously with some believers my age to provide friendship and support. Jose, Joey, PJ, Jose #2, Mark, etc... just a handful of guys from a church that meets in their home (I mentioned their church/group in my post last week) who have done nothing but lend a helping hand. They help me come up with ideas, they help get these jerseys made, they help by bringing some water/gatorade, they help by bringing me 24 bibles, they help by checking up on me to make sure I'm safe, they help by making Christian rap CDs to pass out for outreach, etc. This is exactly what they said, "We here to serve you man." They tell me that they've been wanting to do something like this, but have never been able to wrap their finger around it... My prayer for someone to take over after I'm gone has already been answered. These guys are going to continue the league and continue the bibe study--funneling the guys into a program they're going to call "The Next Level." Point is, God has blessed me with these people and it's a sign that this ministry is being taken to "the next level."

And now you probably want to know how the league is going... It's awesome. These guys are so excited to have something like this, and they're always asking when the jerseys will come in. I have gotten all the gym shorts and all the shirts (and now I'm down to $130)... so now all that is left is to get the shirts screen printed--once these teams have their jerseys I'll be sure to take team photos and post them on here. My fiancee is visiting this upcoming week, so I'll be able to have her take pictures as games are going. This past Thursday was the first night of games... we made do with a portable scoreboard (with flip #s), my phone for a timer, and an air horn for the buzzer... and did not keep track of fouls because we had no #s. But to make you feel more a part of this ministry, I'll update you with the scores!

Game 1:
Tioga Heights A--34
DBB--68

Game 2:
Tioga Heights B--44
Next Level--52

Game 3:
Dynasty--63
Unforgettables--38

Game 4 (OT):
P.U.C. Da Movement--41
Jewtown--45

It was an exciting night, and you know the league is off to a good start when the last game of the night goes into overtime!

PUTTING THIS LEAGUE INTO PERSPECTIVE:
Let me provide another reason as to why this league is advancing the Kingdom... When I took that ride with Jose, he took me to the court he played at when he was younger. He explained to me that this court was run by drug dealers and every summer put on a tournament... they paint the court, get jerseys, get trophies, etc.. the whole deal. So drug dealers can do things for the community too... But I can offer the SAME thing PLUS living water that comes from Christ. I give them basketball, but then they get prayer and devotionals before each game and a bible study on tuesday nights. That's what this ministry is about... getting to them before the evils of this world does. As my brother Dan put it, I'm doing a "preventive ministry" as opposed to the numerous "recovery ministries."

Continue your prayers!!

With love and blessings from Christ,
Bracken

Misc. news:
1) Chuck Malloy called while I was writing this to let me know that his mother-in-law bought some cases of gatorade for me, and he is going to buy some as well for me to pick up Tuesday--Thank you Lord Jesus
2) I continue to hear over and over how I need to not trust anyone, I'm in the ghetto, watch your back... etc. Thing is, when you have an incarnational ministry and you build relationships, these guys in the ghetto will watch my back for me
3) So far the worse that has happened: the brand new game ball I bought got stolen. During one of the games, the ball went through the windo and into the playground outside... I didn't have a key to the gate, so apparently by the next morning someone had jumped the fence and took it.... Oh well
4) I hope I didn't forget anything!

pictures of the Christian hip hop venue I organized and God blessed

top picture is a pic of me with the gospel rappers I flew in from Cali. From left to right: Brotha Ruff (aka Gospel Gorilla), N.I.C. (Noticed In Christ, aka Nicalodean), me, BFade, and Explicittrell (unfortunately, JNezz, minister and organizer of the Pray Area Movement in Cali is taking the picture)... the wall behind us with all the grafitti is actually the wall at the court I play at--I don't have a picture of the court yet, but I will!
2nd picture is one of a few of the guys from my "Jasper St. gang"--this was right before the 2nd show we put on outside... at that point we were blarin music and grilling hot dogs for people walking by
3rd pic is us playing ball after the hip hop show was over...
4th pic is from the first night when we had the show inside... all those youth standing up there responded in some way (accepted Christ for first time or rededicated lives ,etc.... it is with these kids I am starting the bible study "Walking in Salvation")
Last picture is the rappers with Yvette, who talked a lot about in last week's post.

pics from "Sake of the Call"

top pic is Ed Bouldac, organizer of this event--it was great seeing different churches and what not coming together to bring the lost to Christ. 2nd pic is just a small fraction of the crowd there--they were spread out, sitting in chairs, on benches, on the ground... 3rd pic is my set up! the bottom and last one is a picture of those who responded to an altar call after a skit (some are Christians praying over the others)... I got pictures of all the skits, dances, musicians, etc... but I won't put them all on here! If you have facebook, it's all in an album in my profile!

more pictures

Don't know if mentioned this before or not, but I got a lot of baseball equipment from WKU and my former high school (Dunbar) donated to this team at Mastbaum HS... the top picture is a pic of the school (see the fence at the top? Yup, there's a court on the roof!)... the bottom pic is a pic of some the guys from the team... my HS gets a new uniform every year and they always have 8 different varaitions of uniforms to wear for a game. What you see them wearing is what they've been wearing since before 1996

pictures

Here's the gym at the church and my room on the top floor of the church... I basically turned my room into an office as well!

Week of networking and word spreading

In just a matter of one week so much has happened. Even just today there is so much to share. I just left a Community Outreach Event at Harrigate Park (about 6 blocks from my area of ministry). Early in the week, the S.A. (Salvation Army) got a flier about this event called "For the Sake of the Call"... it was an outreach event inviting any church to come out and set up an information booth to let locals know what is available to them. The event had live musicians (genres ranging from rap to R&B to a general praise and worship band), interpretive movements, skits, and all kinds of activities for kids (face painting, water games, bible stories, etc.), and good food and drinks! As a representative of the S.A. I provided brochures about the church, along with gospel tracks and pocket bibles (I had 200 pocket bibles donated by Gideonites from my Bowling Green church--First Baptist; I'd say about 100 are gone now :)). This park is along Kensington (I have mentioned that this is an area of extreme poverty) so it was a great outreach for prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, etc... The guy who organizes it, Ed Bouldac, has been clean from drugs for 12 years and 5 months and leads a 12 step recovery program at a church nearby--throughout the day he held a meeting for addicts every other hour where "clean people" shared testimonies and prayed for each other and offered where addicts could get help. I got to hear stories of people who have been clean for as early as 32 days to as long as 31 years! God really moved today--I'll have some pictures uploaded in the next post.

Ok, so in the last post I mentioned how I met a guy who's cousin was a pastor of a church nearby and that he'd be willing to help with anything... well I met him (Joey) this past Monday, and he has been a big help. The next day his mom and dad drove over to the S.A. with Five 32-packs of water and five 28-packs of gatorade for my "Gatorade Missions." His dad also has a friend who will look at the scoreboard in our gym to see if we can get it working again. They will also be helping with the basketball league we have starting up by providing a team and hopefully some volunteer work on game nights. The league is becoming more and more of a reality and these kids from the streets are excited. We currently have 8 teams... I will be coaching/playing with my "focus group" (I call them my focus group because they are to me what Jesus's 12 disciples were to him I guess you could say)... their team name is P.U.C. Da Movement (stands for Problems Under Control). Another way Joey is helping is with jerseys for the teams. He told me that God has blessed them with equipment used for screen printing to make shirts (equipment that was just given to them out of the blue)... so as long as I get the shirts, they can make them free of charge! Games start this Thursday, so it's exciting... pray that it all comes together. I need to get jerseys together and get the scoreboard working; those are my primary needs. Also pray for Joey's church--2 weeks ago was their 2 year anniversary and they meet in his parent's home. It has grown to the point where people are squeezing for room upstairs! They have been praying for a building to move into and it looks like God may have answered their prayer. An Adult Video store has closed down, and they may be taking it over. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO SEE! An Adult store being turned into a church--that's progress :).

I have also been shifting my area of ministry from the outdoor courts to open gym at the church. I continue to have people tell me to "be careful," "don't get shot," "watch that your stuff doesn't get stolen," etc... but brothas and sistas, I have news... when you become an incarnational ministry and you connect, build relationships, and GO, you'd be surprised how God protects you and how much respect you get from others and the kinds of relationship that is built. I have a tremendous amount of respect from the guys in this area... I've had random people stop in and tell me they remember when they used to play in this gym years ago when it was a dollar to get in on Thursday nights. Now I have it open every weeknight for free and the guys love it! Word has spread and I now average up to 15-20 a night (last week it was around 10). Basically, with this open gym and bball league, I'm giving some of these guys the best summer of their life and I'm giving them somthing to do to stay off the streets at night.

Now... how am I connecting all this to ministry? Well, I build relationships with them, talk to them, and invite them to bible study. This past Tuesday was my first one (before I was getting 20 a night) and I had 3 guys come. Then when it was over, I had a few guys come (one that I had met from my first trip a year ago and hadn't seen since my trip 2 months ago) who said they heard I was doing a bible study and open gym and they want to come by. I also had some of my other guys say they wanted to start coming. This is the bible study I explained in my last post about "Who is Jesus?" My experience in ministry has been great because I feel like I'm doing the ministry Jesus did. He had his 12 disciples he taught in depth (I have my Jasper St. gang) and he ministered to the masses (I have been able to do some of that to the K&A area as a whole).

But God is good to me also. I had asked my older brother to pray for me that I would have some believers welcome me into their home and feed me every once in a while and just give me a change of scenes. Well, thanks to Barb Ellis and her contacts, my prayer was answered the next day. She had called a friend, Chuck Malloy, in order to help me with my ministry and the bball league. Well he called me and in the midst of our convo, asked if I would come over to his house for dinner somtime! AMEN! God is good!

I have learned today the difference between my ministry and other ministeries happening here. What I've encountered, between the S.A., the outreach event today, and what I've heard about other ministeries around, I discover that those ministeries target a truly hurting community, a community full of prostitutes, homeless people, addicts, etc. Today at the outreach event I saw people admitting that they're in pain and they need to change, etc. But my ministry has been with youth who won't admit they're in need of a spiritual healing. They believe they're okay on their own. Remember their team name? "Problems Under Control." Thus, my ministry is tough... pray that God uses me to get them to realize that they don't have control until God has control; that they DO need Christ in their life.

Well, that's all I can think of... oh, by the way, I have finally made it to a Phillies game. All the pastors of S.A. in the Eastern Penn/Del district got together for cheesesteaks, phillies game, and ice cream. What's neat, is the three wealthiest SA pay for everything (one for the lunch, one for the game, one for the ice cream)... As our pastor told me "In other words, we never have to" :) Phillies played the Reds... and though I wore a Phillies jersey, I still found myself rooting for the Reds!

Look for another update next week! God bless!

good start

Praise be to God!!! Where do I even begin? Well, first I should start off by thanking Hannah Groves for providing me with a username/password to access AT&T WiFi at McDonalds so I won't have to pay everytime I use the internet here.
Other than that, lots have happened... let me try to organize this. Okay, first... a follow up report with Yvette (the woman who went from saying she was going clubbing to passing out bibles/gospel tracts the next day). Before I came back up, I cleaned out my room and brought lots of clothes, games, and books to donate to the Salvation Army. A couple books I found were those "Chicken Soup for the ____ Soul." So I thought I'd give those to her--give her some encouraging stories to read as a mother. So I walked over and gave those to her (she really appreciated them), but then she kind of spilled her heart. She told me that since the gospel rap shows, she's had to tell her friends "no" to lots of things because, as she put it, she "don't feel right doing it anymore." The spirit of God is moving her. However, the power of Satan is attacking her. Since those nights, she has had numerous bills come her way that she is unable to pay (she is a Nurse's Assistant, but they only schedule her for weekends). She is struggling to make ends meet and they are threatening to cut off her electricity and water. Please pray that God meets her needs... As a matter of fact, if you would like to help in some way just call me (859) 539-7838. I will talk with our pastor to see if the church can help somehow. I am currently getting her an application to work in the after school program with our church--hopefully a position will open up for her. Pray for her.

Okay, next on the list: Sunday services! At last, my fourth time here and I finally was able to make it to a Sunday service. We had a turnout of 20 or so (they tell me the attendance is 60 when it's not summer)--but this crowd of 20 was a blessing to me... I was given the chance to testify to what God had me doing and my plans for the summer. I am proud to tell you that one member is going to donate lots of water to aid my basketball ministry! I also have a father who wants to get together with me to talk and hang out and all the others were so kind to me, welcoming me as family. I especially want you to pray for Amani (I don't know how to spell his name)... he must be about 10 years old and he came to church on his own will--he had no family or friends with him. Then when I talked about starting a discipleship group with young adults, he asked where and when cause he wants to come!!! That boy there is going to be a leader for Christ in this community, pray for him. We also had the Soup and Salvation service this afternoon at 3. At this service we had about 35-40, all adults who are homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts, etc... Many of these are currently in rehab and a volunteer picks them up from the center to bring them. We have a group come in, sing songs and give a message and then we feed them. Interestingly, of these 40 or so people, only 3 were women (something to think about). I had the privilege to meet Frank (his first time there because one of the ladies was walking behind him on the streets and told him to go!--imagine that, look what happens when you talk to people, haha!). Frank shared some burdens and we got to talk about some spiritual matters and then I gave him a ride home--hopefully there will be more rides home to come.

Don't stop reading yet, this is where my main ministry comes into play. There's still so much more to say! I have seen my "target group" a few times this past week. I open the gym every night and some nights they come, some nights they don't. Occasionally I get a call from one of them to go play ball with them. So the relationships are being established. However, I wish there was more consistency--but I'm sure that will come. Okay, now I want to explain a little scenario. Every thursday another church uses our gym... this guy John has a group of about 13 kids come in to play and he tells me he's been trying to start a league. Well... twice now I've had "my gang" in to play when they've been there and they scrimmaged. So I talked to John and said, "let's make it official! Let's start the league next Thursday!" So, first games are this Thursday. I hope to have 2 teams and he will have 2 teams. I have also been gathering contacts with surrounding areas/churches so I can get them to put a team together and I will go to other parks nearby to start teams (well, really just one other park I know is a big hit). I plan on getting jerseys for my teams, something they can have pride in and feel unity (the second time they scrimmaged, one of the guys told me at the end "they've been getting our hopes up about this league for nothing."--getting jerseys will show them how serious I am about being intentional with them, etc.). To do that, I know I will have to sacrifice some things (limit how often I buy drinks to use as ministry at the parks, etc... I don't have the funds for everything... if you still want to donate, not too late!) I also need to get a scoreboard or somthing like that to make it as much of a "recreational league" as I can. So... how am I going to tie all this into ministry? Glad you asked! I'll break from this part to explain my "bible studies."

I currently have 3 bible studies in the making:
1) "Journey of a Disciple"--learning what it means to be a Disciple of Christ (the call, the cost, the change, the commitment and life that follows). This starts Wed. June 11 at 6 PM and is for members of the church. Originally I was targeting young adults, but I've had some older age and younger age at church this morning wanting to go... so it'll be interesting to see the age range that comes! I hope to equip them with a "Great Commission" attitude to take to the streets.
2) "Walking in Your Salvation"--This is for the youth that dedicated their life to Christ at the gospel rap concerts. Neat story... Karen, a worker at the church and young lady who drove all these kids to the show, told me that they were all upset she didn't pick them up for church last week (it would have been their first time there). So I'll be coordinating with her to start this bible study for them. This will be about growing them in Christ, understanding what it means to be a Christian, having Christ at the center of your life, etc.
3) "Who is Jesus?"--Discovering who Jesus is through encounters people had with Him and the claims/confessions about him. This was my favorite bible study I've covered (lead by Tommy Johnson, my campus minister), so I will use it to be a seekers study for non-Christians. This is the bible study I hope to begin with "my gang" and through that basketball league starting up, I hope to use that as a venue to my bible study--taking time before the game or before any open gym to do a 45 min bible study with them. PRAY PRAY PRAY for them and for that study. On the note of this bible study, check out what just happened an hour ago:

So I went to Franklin park (my original park and where the heart of my ministry is) a couple hours ago and found a whole new gang (most came from 8 blocks away). So I played with them and really got to know a few guys, specifically Mark. I start to tell them how I'll have the gym open at night if they want to play (they loved that idea--some of these guys are tryng to stay out of trouble so it gives them something to do at night). And then I told them about the league. Well Mark's cousin is a co-pastor at a church and so Mark called him up and his cousin wants to help out! I've got his # and I'll be calling him tonight. But even better, I proceeded to tell these guys I'm starting a bible study if they want to join right before playing ball at the church. Guess what? Our first study is Tuesday at 8:00 PM. I had one guy say, "Man, I need something like that." So, I'm going to do the "Who is Jesus" with them and try to integrate "my gang" into it... PRAISE GOD, can I get an "AMEN"? AMEN!

Now, I don't know yet how to upload pictures onto here, but as soon as I find out, I will... I've taken pictures of the church and I will take some of the neighborhood so you can get an idea of where I am and what kind of place I'm in.

If you want to make a donation, check out my blog title: "how to donate"... I guess that's all until next week!

P.S. I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard "you're in a very dangerous place... you know what you're getting yourself into?" Well, I hope my mom and my fiancee don't read this! It's crazy where God will put you when you dare to make a difference and to carry the cross... heck, my brother is going to Darfur Sudan in November! It's all good though. :) PRAY PRAY PRAY

Trip 3--Hip Hop Ministry

My third trip was a victory for God's kingdom, and now I have even more work to do! I arrived in Philly on Tuesday May 13 in my big 15 passenger caravan donated from Loucon Training and Retreat Center (loaded with donated baseball eqiupment from PLD and WKU and sound eqiupment) and got started on Wednesday. That Wednesday I went to the court at 3 and played basketball until 7 (It's been a long time since I played like that). Luckily, almost all the guys from the month 1/2 before were there and of course, they remembered me. That day was a big bonus because I exchanged phone #s with several of them (so you know that's a big step).

The next morning there was an advisory board meeting--a group of 4-5 adults meet every 3-6 months to discuss how to raise money or what they can do for the community, etc. One of the members is Phyllis, who works for Impact Services, a company next door to the church (not faith-based). Though they are not "faith-based" they have served alongside of the Salvation Army because of all that the army does for the community and Impact Services job is essentially "community development/improvement." Major had me meet with the group and explain what I've been doing. Phyllis loved the idea and the next day called and asked if she could print an Ad in the newspaper, calling it "The Good Word in Gatorade" (haha)... she explained that it would let the neighborhood know that good things are happening and that there could be potential people who would donate money to my ministry (I think we can call that another step).

Then came Thursday afternoon where I picked up my "California Christian Rappers." From all the money I raised I was able to purchase 5 plane tickets for 4 rappers and a minister to come do a Christian Hip Hop show (Friday and Saturday). In the four days I was with them, I really don't know if I've ever had more fun. These were some of the funnest guys I've been around and the most genuine Christians! Their first day there I took them out for hoagies (no one makes sandwhiches like they do in the North... mmmm!) and showed them around the neighborhood as they passed out fliers and free CDs. As I showed them around, I quote one of the rappers (Explicittrell), "Man, the harvest is definitely here" and from another (N.I.C.), "This neighborhood puts Cali to shame" (these guys were from rough neighborhoods/backgrounds in Cali too). That kind of gives an idea of what this neighborhood is like--a troubled area ridden with drugs, etc but also ready to be harvested for the kingdom. One thing that makes the ministry easier there is almost EVERYONE sits on their porch outside (they have nothing else to do), so the people are right there in front of me! So thursday was spent passing out fliers for the show and spending time in bible study and prayer. The guys also came over that night to play ball in the gym!

Then came the shows. We had hoped to do it outside, but it rained all day Friday. So we cleared out the chapel and set up for inside. Saturday, however, we trusted God and put the equipment outside despite 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms. As the show went on, storms were all around us, but never over us :). When people asked me how the shows went, I tell them, "Quantity not as big as expected, but the impact it had on people greater than I expected." Friday we had 20 and Saturday about 40... so not as many as I had hoped for, but lives were changed in one night. Several people invited Christ into their lives and several others saw for the first time that there is more to it than just believing in a Christ who died for their sins--they saw the idea of "walking in their salvation." That's why I say there is now more work for me. Several people there were outside of my "target group" and now there is potential for an additional bible study/discipleship. What I loved about these two nights is that I saw that I truly did have the best group of Christian rappers--they didn't care how many showed up (and it is common that I would see worship leaders be upset over a 20 person attendance and thus not care so much). These guys were simply there to glorify God and minister--I've never seen people so excited to witness (even during the day, outside of the show). After the show they praised God for the work that had been reaped, "Hallelujah this, hallelujah that"...

One example of a life changed over night is Evette. Evette is a woman (probably in early 40s) who lives a few doors down from the church. A couple of the rappers visited her to invite her to the show. She bluntly replied, "I'm not going to that, I'm going clubbing tonight." Guess where she was that night? Yup... at our show. She heard the music coming from the church so she came over, and brought her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend! She went from saying she was going clubbing to.... the next day standing outside at our show again, only this time passing out bibles and gospel tracts to everyone who walked by!

To close out, I should probably tell you who this group is and how I came to contact them. The four rappers are N.I.C. (Noticed in Christ also called Nicolodean), B Fade, Explicittrell, and Brotha Ruff (aka "Gospel Gorilla") and the minister is Jnezz who started the "Pray Area Movement" which brought these rappers together. I met them online through a friend from another mission trip. A few years ago I went to Jamaica on a mission trip and met Acacia, who was from Cali. Well after she sent out an e-mail to all the Jamaica missionaries about 9 months ago, I responded explaining what I had been up to (part of it was about Philly). She then replied and told me about her friend NIC who would be good to have come out... so then I contacted him. To be honest, neither one of us thought it would actually happen; but hey, God likes to slap you in the face sometimes. They not only helped kickstart my ministry in Philly, but it also helped their ministry. Several people heard them and loved them, and these people have further contacts for future potential shows (they've also had kids e-mail them asking when they were coming back!). I hope to have pictures posted next week... If you want to find out more about Pray Area Movement, they have a myspace web page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=370124781 (you can even see an interview with Evette).

Well... I'm now getting ready to get on the road to head back for the next 8 weeks! Pray for me and I'll keep things posting once a week. :)

Trip 2 bridging to Trip 3

This still deals with my 2nd trip but I gave it its own post because of its significance. While passing out fliers for the Thursday night show down, I came across one guy who looked at the flier. He was surprised that the gym was going to be open. My first time there, the church had open gym every thursday night, but this second time there, they were no longer having it. I thought it was because the recreation director had left, but I found out the real reason from this one guy.
He proceeded to tell me that his brother had gotten in a fight at the open gym and next day he was shot and killed. Well, I didn't realize it at first, but after connecting the dots, I came to realize that I had met this victim from my first trip. Not only did I meet this victim, I shared the gospel, my testimony, and gave him a gospel tract... He was shot and killed a month later. I wonder--did he make some sort of decision in that month? It really convicted me more that my ministry there needs to be longer than a week. So while sharing the gospel that night over pizza, in the back of my mind I was thinking how I need to stay longer. God was drilling it in my mind and heart. After sharing the gospel, Major Phil (head pastor) told me it was great and hoped he could find someone to keep it going. That's when I told him that I would like to. I was already staffed to work Camp Centrifuge in NC, so we agreed that if he could work it out on his end and I could work it out on mine, I could stay all summer. Well... sure enough, camp released me and he did his part. I am now staying there until July 20. In these two months, my first focus is starting bible studies. One is for the teens already members of the church to equip them with an evangelistic attitude and carrying out the Great Commission. The other(s) is a seekers bible study for the kids I have been meeting. So I will be living on the 2nd floor of the church in my own little room!!!

Now, I have already been there for my 3rd time (which was the main thing I raised money and what I planned all along). I had told people I would post updates, but I did not have any access to internet. Looks like I will only have access on weekends when I can go to McDonalds for wireless. So tomorrow I will post this past week's ministry (my 3rd trip... I did that, then came home and will go back Monday). Look for what happened last week! Good stuff!

Trip 2

So originally, my plan was to head out for one week right after the school year ended, but the Baptist Campus Ministry at WKU asked me to lead a group there during Spring Break. So my second time was with a group of 3 freshmen girls, one Junior girl, 2 freshmen guys, myself, and the campus minister. It was very exciting getting others involved and seeing the area God called me to for the time being.
Through the week we put together several outreach events and community service projects. For two mornings, we spent two hours passing out free hot chocolate and praying for/over people. Several gained the courage to take hot chocolate to some street corners and under the el-train at Kensington (one of most poverty-stricken neighborhood in America). Seeing young Christians step up is a great sight--very encouraging. We also spent a day or two painting the bathrooms for the after school program (blue for boys and pink for girls... there's no other way in America!).
But the highlight of the week (and I'm sure the others will agree) were the two major initiatives put on--one for the mothers/families of kids who attend the after school program, and one for the teens from the streets/hood. Of all the kids who attend the after school program, only a couple mothers attended church there. So the girls decided to prepare a big dinner for the mothers and other family--they could come pick up their child, but then stay for dinner. Originally, 13 said they would come... good thing we bought extra because 23 showed up! The girls were able to cook and serve them and then share some testimonies. I know God's love was witnessed because when I was recently there for my 3rd time, a mother commented on how much it meant to her (when she commented on this it was 1 1/2 months later).
As for us guys, we planned a basketball and free pizza night. All week we had been playing at the park I was at the year before (unfortunately, I only saw one guy that was the same) so on Thursday night we invited them to the church for basketball and pizza... we actually passed out hundreds of fliers to teens (girls and boys) and so the plan wasn't to play ball, but the only ones that came were those we played with all week and some friends they brought (meaning, relationships had already been established). After playing ball, we brought them down for pizza. While eating, one of the freshman guys shared his testimony, and I gave a gospel message. I first asked what they wanted out of life. The majority answer? "To get rich." Well... looks like a lot of work needs to be done. No one confessed Christ that night, but But they did see something they're not accostomed to: A God who loves and his servants who care and express that love. Hearing that a white boy from Kentucky would come all that way to do all this for them spoke loud volumes.