Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday: Less Ego...More Love
Sorry, super short blog post tonight.
On the closing night we have a footwashing prayer service that is really an emotional experience for a lot of the youth. Ask them about it. They pray for some really awesome things and ask for help in areas of their life with a genuine desire to become better people, stronger in their faith, etc. These are the times that I step back and reflect on how awesome teenagers are. After the service we end up talking, crying, laughing, singing & dancing until the staff makes the youth go to bed...just about 15minutes ago! So, I will post more interesting facts about Kokomo either Friday or after our return Saturday.
Thank you for all of your prayers over the past week! It has been a moving, changing, challenging and awesome experience!
Tomorrow....Six Flags Great America!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
On the closing night we have a footwashing prayer service that is really an emotional experience for a lot of the youth. Ask them about it. They pray for some really awesome things and ask for help in areas of their life with a genuine desire to become better people, stronger in their faith, etc. These are the times that I step back and reflect on how awesome teenagers are. After the service we end up talking, crying, laughing, singing & dancing until the staff makes the youth go to bed...just about 15minutes ago! So, I will post more interesting facts about Kokomo either Friday or after our return Saturday.
Thank you for all of your prayers over the past week! It has been a moving, changing, challenging and awesome experience!
Tomorrow....Six Flags Great America!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday: Less Here...More There
Daily message: less focus on earthly treasures...more focus on heavenly treasures.
Wednesday Update
Tonight we had great discussion in our church group time. We discussed the day's theme and ended up in an in-depth discussion of heaven and eternity...the Catholic church's teachings, etc.
After we finish our work projects each day (around 3/330), we go back to our housing site/host church and the youth shower and then have about an hour of free time. This is truly their only free time of the day. We then have super (530-630) and move on to the evening activity (630-830). We return to our host church to have a quick snack and "Club" from 845-930. The includes a skit, praise & worship, a scripture passage that goes with the day's theme and then a witness/testamonial from a YouthWorks Staff member. We then have individual church group time -(just IHM) from 930-1030. We discuss the day's scriptural focus as well as the day's work projects. Lights out at 11pm.
The youth really have long, full days...but a great balance of service along with praise & worship and scripture study. YouthWorks runs a very well balanced program.
Today the weather was better and some groups got to enjoy painting outdoors - home exteriors.
Tonight's acitivity was a poverty simulation at the Kokomo Urban Outreach center. This one would be a great activity to ask your kid about. It was a real eye-opener why people get stuck in the poverty rut and can't get themselves out. The people end up being "under-priviledged" and they lack the resources needed to change their situation.
I will detail more of the stats about Kokomo soon...
It's really been an experience and shift in my perception to understand the what-why-where & how poverty happens.
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
After we finish our work projects each day (around 3/330), we go back to our housing site/host church and the youth shower and then have about an hour of free time. This is truly their only free time of the day. We then have super (530-630) and move on to the evening activity (630-830). We return to our host church to have a quick snack and "Club" from 845-930. The includes a skit, praise & worship, a scripture passage that goes with the day's theme and then a witness/testamonial from a YouthWorks Staff member. We then have individual church group time -(just IHM) from 930-1030. We discuss the day's scriptural focus as well as the day's work projects. Lights out at 11pm.
The youth really have long, full days...but a great balance of service along with praise & worship and scripture study. YouthWorks runs a very well balanced program.
Today the weather was better and some groups got to enjoy painting outdoors - home exteriors.
Tonight's acitivity was a poverty simulation at the Kokomo Urban Outreach center. This one would be a great activity to ask your kid about. It was a real eye-opener why people get stuck in the poverty rut and can't get themselves out. The people end up being "under-priviledged" and they lack the resources needed to change their situation.
I will detail more of the stats about Kokomo soon...
It's really been an experience and shift in my perception to understand the what-why-where & how poverty happens.
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday: More Be, Less Do
Daily focus...on the importance of our personal relationships with God.
It is more important to BE with the Lord than to be too busy doing FOR the Lord.
It is more important to BE with the Lord than to be too busy doing FOR the Lord.
Monday: More Courage, Less Fear
daily focus....
Each day has a focus within the Summer's Theme and using the scipture passage from John.
We have morning devotions for about 45minutes each day before we depart for our worksites.
Breakfast - 715
Building Clean-up
Morning Devo
Service Projects 9am-3pm
Each day has a focus within the Summer's Theme and using the scipture passage from John.
We have morning devotions for about 45minutes each day before we depart for our worksites.
Breakfast - 715
Building Clean-up
Morning Devo
Service Projects 9am-3pm
Tuesday's Update
Today we woke up to one last thunder storm, but then the skies cleared for a beautiful day! Highs around 90, lows around 70 so far.
Today's work was a mix of the sites & projects from yesterday as well as:
Painting the inside of a house
Visiting an elderly alzheimer's unit
Parks & Recreation clean-up
Outreach work in a mobile home park
The groups rotate through these activities throughout the week. Some of today was continuing work from yesterday and then tomorrow at our half-way point each group will switch to a experience a different type of service project from what they did their first two days.
I apologize the pictures are mostly of my work group since I am able to take the pictures on my phone and upload to the blog. All of the youth are doing a fabulous job! We are in work groups of 10-12 youth + 2-3 leaders...of which about half are youth from that leader's church. 5 groups total and we don't see each other during the day while on projects.
After our service projects, we enjoyed a couple hours @ Kokomo Beach, a waterpark! Good time to relax in the sun!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Today's work was a mix of the sites & projects from yesterday as well as:
Painting the inside of a house
Visiting an elderly alzheimer's unit
Parks & Recreation clean-up
Outreach work in a mobile home park
The groups rotate through these activities throughout the week. Some of today was continuing work from yesterday and then tomorrow at our half-way point each group will switch to a experience a different type of service project from what they did their first two days.
I apologize the pictures are mostly of my work group since I am able to take the pictures on my phone and upload to the blog. All of the youth are doing a fabulous job! We are in work groups of 10-12 youth + 2-3 leaders...of which about half are youth from that leader's church. 5 groups total and we don't see each other during the day while on projects.
After our service projects, we enjoyed a couple hours @ Kokomo Beach, a waterpark! Good time to relax in the sun!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday...day 1...week 1...the first ever
Today was the first day of YouthWorks in Kokomo...ever! We are their first group for this summer and this is a new site this year. We started it off right by having to figure out "Plan B" on the very first day. We woke up to some strong thunder storms and most of the days activities were supposed to be outdoors. The staff worked to quickly find our rainy-day alternatives!
Here are the variety of activites today:
Construction @ a montessori school
Working w/children @ the montessori school
Unloading a truck full of food @ a an urban outreach facility
Organizing food in a pantry/food shelf @ an elderly facility
BINGO w/the residents of the elderly facility
Washing tables & chairs at the church that is housing us
Assist with Vacation Bible School @ local parish
The youth had a great time working with power tools @ montessori school to build some new walls as their expand their facility...until we were informed @ end of day by Youth Works that the youth are not allowed to use the power tools b/c of liability issues. Oops! That's what happens on Day 1 when you go to plan B! The kids did a great job though and learned alot about general construction. They were pleased to have that experience! (Sam B, Becca, Sarah & Alex in pictures)
The montessori style of teaching also really intrigued the youth! Ask them about it. They noticed the high independence level of the really young children as well as their abilities to complete everyday tasks on their own at an age that they don't yet talk. The school is in dire need of expansion - new classrooms, labs & teaching space as their enrollment grows because many other schools & daycares in the area have closed down because of the sudden drop in Kokomo's population. We built walls today for a new lab and a potty-training facility. (Kathryn in picture w/children)
As we drove to our work sites today we saw a very different side of the town. The area is very diverse with nice areas as well as run down areas.
Tonight's activity was visiting Kokomo's Historical Society...which received groans at first introduction. When we got there, we found a HUGE 1890's Victorian mansion that is completely restored and gorgeous. We learned that Kokomo accidentally struck the natural gas that is below ground in the late 1800's and so they offered it as a free resource to anyone wanting to use it for business. It attracted entrepreneurs that used it to open manufacturing plants in the area. The mansion was built for $50k in 2years from 1889-91 by such an entrepreneur. (Reminds me of the James J Hill house in St. Paul.) We took a group picture on the front steps...see pic below. I got closer to just show mostly the IHM youth.
Pray for sunshine for our Tuesday projects and afternoon activity which is a waterpark!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Here are the variety of activites today:
Construction @ a montessori school
Working w/children @ the montessori school
Unloading a truck full of food @ a an urban outreach facility
Organizing food in a pantry/food shelf @ an elderly facility
BINGO w/the residents of the elderly facility
Washing tables & chairs at the church that is housing us
Assist with Vacation Bible School @ local parish
The youth had a great time working with power tools @ montessori school to build some new walls as their expand their facility...until we were informed @ end of day by Youth Works that the youth are not allowed to use the power tools b/c of liability issues. Oops! That's what happens on Day 1 when you go to plan B! The kids did a great job though and learned alot about general construction. They were pleased to have that experience! (Sam B, Becca, Sarah & Alex in pictures)
The montessori style of teaching also really intrigued the youth! Ask them about it. They noticed the high independence level of the really young children as well as their abilities to complete everyday tasks on their own at an age that they don't yet talk. The school is in dire need of expansion - new classrooms, labs & teaching space as their enrollment grows because many other schools & daycares in the area have closed down because of the sudden drop in Kokomo's population. We built walls today for a new lab and a potty-training facility. (Kathryn in picture w/children)
As we drove to our work sites today we saw a very different side of the town. The area is very diverse with nice areas as well as run down areas.
Tonight's activity was visiting Kokomo's Historical Society...which received groans at first introduction. When we got there, we found a HUGE 1890's Victorian mansion that is completely restored and gorgeous. We learned that Kokomo accidentally struck the natural gas that is below ground in the late 1800's and so they offered it as a free resource to anyone wanting to use it for business. It attracted entrepreneurs that used it to open manufacturing plants in the area. The mansion was built for $50k in 2years from 1889-91 by such an entrepreneur. (Reminds me of the James J Hill house in St. Paul.) We took a group picture on the front steps...see pic below. I got closer to just show mostly the IHM youth.
Pray for sunshine for our Tuesday projects and afternoon activity which is a waterpark!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Arrival in Kokomo!
We arrived into Kokomo tonight around 8:15pm local time (one hour diff from CST) after a safe, successful journey. Chicago traffic was a little slow but not bad and the kids in my van were jammin to music, windows rolled down, making the other cars around us laugh! It was quite funny! Only brief tidbits of road construction, not bad at all!
We are joined at the Youth Works site by a group of 26 youth from a Presbyterian church near Detriot, Michigan and 4 youth from a Luthern church from central Ohio. 46 youth total at this site. Our accommodations are great at this site, a larger air-conditioned church with classrooms, cafeteria space, spaces for small groups, and much more sleeping space than last year.
Kokomo looks like a really nice midwestern town, not very different from our own SW Mpls suburbs. We saw average homes as well as very nice homes on golf courses. But with its roots in the auto industry, the major employers in town are 4 related factories. ALL Chrysler engines are made here, along with some other auto-stereo component manufacturers, etc, that in turn are hit hard by the recent auto industry bankruptcies. Our work projects will show us the "inside" scoop on the town & its struggles with high unemployment and homelessness. The town used to be 75,000 and is currently only a population of about 45,000. Many residents were forced to find work elsewhere. Kokomo asked YouthWorks to come here to help, this is the first year for this site.
More to come tomorrow as we start our work and really learn about this community!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
We are joined at the Youth Works site by a group of 26 youth from a Presbyterian church near Detriot, Michigan and 4 youth from a Luthern church from central Ohio. 46 youth total at this site. Our accommodations are great at this site, a larger air-conditioned church with classrooms, cafeteria space, spaces for small groups, and much more sleeping space than last year.
Kokomo looks like a really nice midwestern town, not very different from our own SW Mpls suburbs. We saw average homes as well as very nice homes on golf courses. But with its roots in the auto industry, the major employers in town are 4 related factories. ALL Chrysler engines are made here, along with some other auto-stereo component manufacturers, etc, that in turn are hit hard by the recent auto industry bankruptcies. Our work projects will show us the "inside" scoop on the town & its struggles with high unemployment and homelessness. The town used to be 75,000 and is currently only a population of about 45,000. Many residents were forced to find work elsewhere. Kokomo asked YouthWorks to come here to help, this is the first year for this site.
More to come tomorrow as we start our work and really learn about this community!
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro2 on the Now Network from Sprint®.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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