Posted in General Posts by Sara Willard on 7/28/2010
Hey friends!
We are already to Wednesday! How crazy is that?! Anyways, our
groups have been awesome and we're really excited about what the Lord is
doing in and through them.
Queen's Herald has continued tutoring at Clara Barton Elementary
School and while sadly I couldn't take pictures or videos, hopefully
I'll be getting some interviews of the kids up soon so you can hear a
little from them about what they're doing and how it's impacting them.
St. Paul's was in Kensington today. One group passed out water and
did some evangelizing while the other two groups headed back over to The
Rock Ministries to do some cleaning and sprucing up. [For those who don't know what The Rock is, read more about it by clicking here!] Check out some of
the pictures Doug took while they were there.
Tomorrow is Thursday which means ATL day! We're really excited to see how the Lord shows up and impacts our groups! Be praying that he moves in a POWERFUL way!
Posted in General Posts by Sara Willard on 7/28/2010
This week, my cameras have been a hit at daycamp. I think it's just something that all kids go through but everyone of them wants to take pictures. It's the gratification of seeing what they did and probably the fun of pushing a button. Nevertheless, Tyquil was the photographer of the day.
I wanted to share a couple of his snapshots from yesterday's daycamp.
"I need to take a picture of Jesus." [As seen above]
Posted in General Posts by Sara Willard on 7/27/2010
I've been keeping the orientation video that we show all the groups that
have come to Philly under wraps for the summer but because we have our
last group, I am now free to release it to the public. Enjoy our awesome video below.
Posted in General Posts by Sara Willard on 7/26/2010
Good morning!
We are hosting two awesome groups this week here at Wyoming Ave. Take some time to meet them and see what they're up to in their morning ministries today!
Groups from St. Paul UCC from Lancaster, PA
These two groups [God's Bananas- top picture, Team Christ- bottom picture] are canvassing in the neighborhood by Beacon Presbyterian where they will be doing VBS in the afternoons this week. Be praying that they find kids that need to hear about Christ's love for them.
The Falcons, also from St. Paul, are prayer walking this morning around the community. Pray that they come in contact with people who need to be encouraged by God's word.
Groups from Queen's Herald Church from New York
These groups, QHC and Flying Cars, are hitting the books with students from Clara Barton Elementary School right down the road. They are helping with tutoring kids that are part of the summer school program.
Be praying for these teams as they begin their week here in Philly, that their hearts would be open and receptive to what the Lord wants to do in and through them. Thanks from your continued prayer for Team Philly as we round out our stay here in the City of Brotherly Love.
Posted in General Posts by Melissa Polheber on 7/15/2010
To summarize the expectations from Monday, the themes were
to be changed, grow in compassion, take these lessons home, and break out of
the comfort zone. To a group that was anticipating construction and manual
labor it was a bit intimidating to jump right into street evangelism and
homeless ministry.Expecting
things from God sounds presumptuous to most and down right scary for others,
but this week we experienced a little bit of God showing off His ability to do
more than we could ever ask or imagine!
Here are some testimonies of the things that happened this
week:
"This week has been beyond my expectations.This week I was thinking that we would
just do some projects and meet 1 or 2 people.I probably met 50 or 60 people and helped them come closer to
Jesus.It has been awesome."Gordy
"In the Amzies group, during the First pres church mission
trip, we took on the evangelism task at the Library.It was filled with homeless people and poverty.We went and gave out sandwiches and
water and Merritt Rae Phillips and I went to go talk to a woman named
Cissy.She testified for us and
her story was amazing in a way that showed us how bad her life is and where she
is now.Cissy never met her dad
and lost her mom at 13 years old.She was adopted and beaten by her new parents.They would throw bricks at her and she was molested.She ended up with AIDS and started
getting into prostitution.She
said, "I was standing on the side of the road all dressed up and God spoke to
me and I was saved right there."She has been sober from drugs, alcohol, and prostitution for 11
months.Cissy met her 4 children;
the youngest was 20, with a new attitude set in mind.She gave in to God and turned her life around.Cissy really inspired us and made me
think about the way she was able to turn everything around with God.We prayed for her and hope that we will
be able to see her again to give her our shoes and clothes.Cissy was an amazing person who I will
remember forever."Jeni Erickson
"On Thursday, we did some ministry work called Ask the Lord
(ATL).ATL is when each person
goes off and asks the Lord to help them find a person to help; then writes
whatever God lays on their heart.Then we split into groups and tried to put all the seemingly meaningless
details into a coherent meaning.Our group had an idea about a Hispanic man outside Walmart, wearing
yellow.We spent about an hour
looking for this man, but we weren't strictly limited to helping that one
man.We prayed for several others
and bought water for the Hispanic workers outside the strip mall.We didn't find our Hispanic man, but we
did help many others in our quest to find him.You have to realize that none of us can read God's mind, so
maybe we were meant to help those workers and God just didn't want to make it
easy for us."Robert Moser
The students thought they were on a trip to help someone
out, but found themselves on a journey toward God's heart for themselves.They didn't get anything they asked
for, but received everything they hoped for.He tested their faith, challenged their strengths, and
worked through their weaknesses.They came expecting to build houses, but built relationships
instead.They came expecting to
see brokenness, but found themselves broken so God could build them up.They came expecting and they left
satisfied.
Posted in General Posts by Melissa Polheber on 7/13/2010
Expectations are pretty huge so God is going to have some fun working in Philly this week! Along with expectations, many students became vulnerable and shared their fears as well and we couldn't be more excited to see God's power be made complete in our weaknesses.
-That God will change me and other people we encounter this week. -My expectations are that God will change the way I think through things and the way that I think about people and situations -I think God will change the way I think about people and the way I treat people -I expect to have a better view of the world -My eyes opened to the needs of others, that God will show me how I can be used to serve Him, and gain a greater understanding that spiritual needs crosses all people -I expect to grow in awareness, compassion, and confidence in God -I expect that God will DEVELOP compassion within me and compel me to talk to people that I normally won't talk to -To grow in compassion, to witness to people, to help change people's lives -Be able to use what I learn here back at home -I expect to learn a lot here to share at home -My expectations for this week are that we would come back changed and that we will be able to make an impact not only on this community but also on our own at home -Be pushed--become less shy -Get out of my comfort zone -I want to help lead someone to Christ. I want to help someone with starting a relationship with God -I want to bring someone closer to God and let people know He and we care about them -I expect to grow in my faith with God, I would really like to change somebody's life or at least connect them with Christ -Radically changed hearts…growing so much more intimate with Jesus. Realizing that we are not different from the people of Philly in so many ways. Surrender to Him! -To experience God's love in a new way and to share that love as completely as I can
Many of the fears involved physical safety, but more significantly than that, the fear of rejection was a major theme. In just one day, however, this group has gone out into the community with boldness and have already come back with positive attitudes and great hopes for how God is going to stretch them. It's exciting to see how God is taking fears and turning them into a source of excitement because that's where growth happens and faith is strengthened!
PRAY: That God would amaze us with His provision, that we would be sent out by God to bring the Gospel to the community, and that we would rely on His power to accomplish what He has for us. Pray also that we would become more and more sensitive to where the Holy Spirit is leading as we wait for Him to guide us in this ministry. Continue to pray for Bill and Kristie as they prepare to leave for France to be missionaries in less than a week. The weather here has been rainy and overcast (which is a nice reprieve from the heat) so pray that we would be open to God's creativity in ministry for the next couple of days.
Caleb shared this story at debrief and it really tugged on my heart
strings. Check out his interview below.
I have to say as well, that I have been really
impressed with some of the younger individuals on the trip this week.
I'm impressed at their ability to see God everywhere and that they all
seem to have wisdom well beyond their years. Some of them are just
getting ready to begin their freshman year of high school! My prayer
for these groups is that they will be seen as an asset in their churches
and their spiritual gifts will be realized and used to the fullest.
They are so precious, and they are incredibly valuable to the Kingdom.
Our groups head out tomorrow, well technically in about 6ish
hours and I'm really sad to see them go. Yet, I'm so excited for them
to get home and begin their real "mission" trip. Be praying for their
safe travels home and their transition back into their hometowns, that
they will be able to apply what God has taught them here where they
live.
