Suprise Ministry!
It has once again been so long since I have written. This has been such a great week. This is the first week I have been in charge since Wyoming...so that is a little strange. Kelly is also gone this week, which makes life really different. We have had the opportunity to work with two different organizations though.
Monday through Thursday we were working with Neighborhood Ministries. I am amazed by so many things with Neighborhood. The first thing would be that they EVER get anything done. The office is constantly a mad house. They have 18 people that work full time. Because they are a relational ministry, situations constantly come up out of nowhere. How exciting that you could never plan your day. The second part of their ministry that amazes me is that they reach so many people. Like Jesse said there were about 500 kids (k-6th grade) at youth group on Monday night, and probably close to 300 (Jr. High and High School) the rest of the week. These numbers do not take into account the people touched by the clinic and the church. What a blessing this place is to all who are involved.
The second place we worked this week we found "on accident” on the lower level of the Neighborhood Ministries building an organization “The Lost Boys” is housed. I am sad to say that I had never heard of the “Lost Boys” and their incredible story in any history class or even on the news. I am glad that we were given the opportunity to learn about these guys who are our age that did amazing things to find freedom and safety.
I’ll give you a brief overview of their story. Starting in the mid- 1980’a Sudan started experiencing civil war. Thousands of innocent children started fleeing their homeland. Most of the boys were between 4-11. They began walking to Ethiopia and stayed there until Ethiopia forced the boys to leave at gun point. They walked back to Sudan and then to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. They have lived in Kenya since 1992. In 2001 the United States government got involved and helped to “resettle” 4,000 “Lost Boys” in America. About 400 “Lost Boys” live in Arizona. It is amazing how full of hope and smiles these guys are. What a story!
Jany, one of the first four boys to the United States showed us around the center and shared his life with us! I am encouraged and in awe of his faith and love for life! How grand that we got to meet him and other “Lost Boys” in Arizona. God is Good!
Laura
1 Comments:
"Lost boys"... in a sense, we are all lost. We seek the same peace, the same relationships, the same understanding. Though our lives are very different, you have experienced the found in the lost. Jany, and many others, give us hope for a different place, where the promise of salvation rings for all people! Thank God there are people like you, who will forever see the world as it is... a group of people in different situations. We are all children of God in need of one another. I'm really proud of you for your love and desire to give of yourselves... even when it hurts to do so; even when it would be easier to just walk away. Don't walk away... continue to share the message of Christ, with those who have more and those who have less. And don't forget to receive that message from them as well. Love ya... DADBILL
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>
<$BlogItemBacklinkCreate$>
<< Home