The team arrived home last night to a welcome party with signs and lots of cheering. We were all pretty tired so seeing everyone was very exciting.
We woke up early Tuesday morning to check out of the hotel and head back to Good Seed to finish the field. We did a little surprise clean up the church lot before we actually went to the field. When we got to the field we found Pastor Bone and his students hard at work. They had been there since 7:45 spreading the dirt. After about three hours of hard work the field was done. The difference was incredible.
They allowed me to throw the first pitch on the field. I was honored and humbled. After everybody taking turns pitching we stood back and let their students play. Some of our students joined in. For about an hour we did nothing but celebrate and play baseball. It was a blast. Watching the boys (and girls) eyes light up as they played on THEIR field was priceless. We finished with a huge prayer circle around the pitchers mound.
Hopefully next summer we'll be able to watch an actual game on the field. We are hoping to have a reunion next month and hit up a White Sox game. There is also a chance their team will be coming back to the area for another tournament, which means more Yummy Pizza.
We will be sure to keep you posted.
Our students served well. They gave everything they had on this trip and it showed. Be sure to check out DC and Dave's blog for pictures. I'll have some coming soon on mine as well.
Thanks for a great week everyone!!!
Showing posts with label daily summary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daily summary. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Rain Delay
In case you didn't know already, let me just tell you that our God is good, very good. Today was beyond incredible. We headed back to Good Seeds this morning and met their students and Rob and his family only to find no dirt and a field still full of water thanks to the night rains. We weren't too surprised the city hadn't shown up with the dirt but the water on the field was a surprise.
Our team was pretty bummed but they worked hard on finishing the weeding. Rob did some investigating, which ended with Pastor Bone on the phone with the grounds keeper for the White Sox. His name is Roger or the Sodfather, as some call him. That conversations ended with a SEMI full of professional grade field dirt scheduled to be dropped off tomorrow morning. This is the same dirt that is used on the infield at Comiskey Park. You should read the entire story on Rob's blog. It is amazing how God works!
So we did all the prep work on the field that we could today. We had lunch at Pizza Hut with the Good Seeds students. After the work was done we cleaned up and went downtown for some "Pie in the Sky." We had Giordano's pizza and went to the top of the Sear's Tower.
It is really late and we have an early morning tomorrow. We'll pack the bus and head back to the field to finish things up. This has truly been an amazing trip.
Our team was pretty bummed but they worked hard on finishing the weeding. Rob did some investigating, which ended with Pastor Bone on the phone with the grounds keeper for the White Sox. His name is Roger or the Sodfather, as some call him. That conversations ended with a SEMI full of professional grade field dirt scheduled to be dropped off tomorrow morning. This is the same dirt that is used on the infield at Comiskey Park. You should read the entire story on Rob's blog. It is amazing how God works!
So we did all the prep work on the field that we could today. We had lunch at Pizza Hut with the Good Seeds students. After the work was done we cleaned up and went downtown for some "Pie in the Sky." We had Giordano's pizza and went to the top of the Sear's Tower.
It is really late and we have an early morning tomorrow. We'll pack the bus and head back to the field to finish things up. This has truly been an amazing trip.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Serving in the Mud
Yesterday we talked about getting soaked for Jesus. Today we talked about getting muddy for Jesus. We worshiped this morning with the Good Seeds Ministry congregation. It is an inner-city church in White Sox territory. Glen and Carla Bone are the pastors at the church. They are some of the neatest people you will ever meet. They have such a huge heart for that neighborhood. Carla taught on value and worth. It was a fantastic message.
Good Seeds has a baseball team of 9-12 year old boys who have never played a home game because they don't have a field. They travel 30-45 minutes every day to practice on a field that is playable. After service we changed clothes, ate lunch and headed to the baseball field a few blocks away.
The field was in rough shape. There was a good amount of trash and plenty of water covering the field. Most of the first base line was under water. And there was a small lake between third base and home plate. Both dugouts and behind home plate were overgrown with tons of weeds. The city refuses to fix the field up but said if the church did then they would maintain it.
Some of the boys, as well as the youth group and others from the church, came out to work with us. We spent about 3 1/2 hours working and finished almost half of the weeding, picked up most of the trash and drained the field as best as we could. Hopefully the heat will help dry out the rest of the field before we head back tomorrow. There will be truck loads of dirt brought in tomorrow so we can level the field and build a pitchers mound. Well finish up the weeding and have the field ready for the city to mow.
We were surprised by Rob and Michelle Wegner and the girls. Our students were so excited to be have them serving with us. The energy level shot through the roof when Rob started digging and Michelle and the girls started weeding. Check out their blogs, he has posted some pictures.
After service Jeff, Johnny and DC grilled some fabulous hot dogs for the group. Then there was a massive football game with both groups. It was a blast. I loved watching our students interact and work along side the students from the church. They worked so well together and the football game was the icing on the cake. Our students can't wait to go back again tomorrow.
Good Seeds has a baseball team of 9-12 year old boys who have never played a home game because they don't have a field. They travel 30-45 minutes every day to practice on a field that is playable. After service we changed clothes, ate lunch and headed to the baseball field a few blocks away.
The field was in rough shape. There was a good amount of trash and plenty of water covering the field. Most of the first base line was under water. And there was a small lake between third base and home plate. Both dugouts and behind home plate were overgrown with tons of weeds. The city refuses to fix the field up but said if the church did then they would maintain it.
Some of the boys, as well as the youth group and others from the church, came out to work with us. We spent about 3 1/2 hours working and finished almost half of the weeding, picked up most of the trash and drained the field as best as we could. Hopefully the heat will help dry out the rest of the field before we head back tomorrow. There will be truck loads of dirt brought in tomorrow so we can level the field and build a pitchers mound. Well finish up the weeding and have the field ready for the city to mow.
We were surprised by Rob and Michelle Wegner and the girls. Our students were so excited to be have them serving with us. The energy level shot through the roof when Rob started digging and Michelle and the girls started weeding. Check out their blogs, he has posted some pictures.
After service Jeff, Johnny and DC grilled some fabulous hot dogs for the group. Then there was a massive football game with both groups. It was a blast. I loved watching our students interact and work along side the students from the church. They worked so well together and the football game was the icing on the cake. Our students can't wait to go back again tomorrow.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
One word...
Tonight as we debriefed I asked the students to describe today in one word. They came up with some very creative answers. My word was "encouraging. " Why? Oh I'm so glad you asked.
They understand what this trip is all about. They hit the ground running hard every morning. They do everything with all the energy they have and they still want to be stretched more. Leading these students is a huge privilege and blessing I'm incredibly grateful for. Our students were prepared for this trip. Our leaders don't have to do anything but step back and encourage the students. Our leaders are a phenominal team and came ready to lead. So I step back and encourage the leaders. I believe that is what makes this team effective. The students drive the enthusiasm. They initiate the conversations and prayer times. It is incredible.
Today we were back on the streets feeding and praying for the homeless. We got a better insight into what their life is like as we walked through lots of rain and postponed lunch until the job was done. We loaded the bus wet, hungry, tired and thankful that we had a dry bus to be sitting in as we eat lunch.
Tonight we went to worship at Willow Creek. We pulled up in our bus and a gentlemen from guest services was so excited to see us. He was even more excited when he realized Mark Beeson was our pastor. They were so kind to us. They gave us a row of seats together in one of the best sections of the auditorium. They let us pay for 29 meals at once after service was over and were so excited to listen to our students tell stories from the trip.
It is late now and everyone is in bed. Tomorrow we head to Good Seeds Ministry to serve with Pastor Bone. We are VERY excited about this project. One last thing, check out the links on to the left. Dave has been posting since the trip began. DC told me he has been posting as well. He told me he posted some similar leadership ideas as I just shared. I would go check it out. In fact, that is what I'm going to do right now!
Because our students get it!!!!!
They understand what this trip is all about. They hit the ground running hard every morning. They do everything with all the energy they have and they still want to be stretched more. Leading these students is a huge privilege and blessing I'm incredibly grateful for. Our students were prepared for this trip. Our leaders don't have to do anything but step back and encourage the students. Our leaders are a phenominal team and came ready to lead. So I step back and encourage the leaders. I believe that is what makes this team effective. The students drive the enthusiasm. They initiate the conversations and prayer times. It is incredible.
Today we were back on the streets feeding and praying for the homeless. We got a better insight into what their life is like as we walked through lots of rain and postponed lunch until the job was done. We loaded the bus wet, hungry, tired and thankful that we had a dry bus to be sitting in as we eat lunch.
Tonight we went to worship at Willow Creek. We pulled up in our bus and a gentlemen from guest services was so excited to see us. He was even more excited when he realized Mark Beeson was our pastor. They were so kind to us. They gave us a row of seats together in one of the best sections of the auditorium. They let us pay for 29 meals at once after service was over and were so excited to listen to our students tell stories from the trip.
It is late now and everyone is in bed. Tomorrow we head to Good Seeds Ministry to serve with Pastor Bone. We are VERY excited about this project. One last thing, check out the links on to the left. Dave has been posting since the trip began. DC told me he has been posting as well. He told me he posted some similar leadership ideas as I just shared. I would go check it out. In fact, that is what I'm going to do right now!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Prayer Walk
There is no way to explain how amazing our team is! Today's project was not an easy one. It's hot. It's raining. People are looking at me funny. My legs are tired. I'm hungry. It was so easy to get distracted during five hours of walking and praying but our students poured themselves into the prayer walk. Each group walked approximately 4 miles praying for the city, businesses, the homeless, the churches and anybody and everybody they saw. They found ways to stay focused and our leaders were a huge encouragement to them. We were all excited to have DC, Jeff and Johnny with us for a little bit of the day.
We spent some more time talking about how powerful prayer is. We have seen God do so much in our students ministry this summer due to the prayers of many people, you! What if we prayed that the business leaders, who have incredible amounts of influence, would come to know Christ and become passionate about serving him. What would happen to Chicago? So today we prayed that God would move in this city and we know he will.
We got stuck in some nasty traffic on the way back to the hotel. Our 45 minute bus ride took two hours. Most middle school students would whine and complain about how long it was. Not our students. We told riddles and jokes and laughed so hard we almost cried. The two hours went very quickly.
Since it was such a long day we gave everyone some extra pool time to relax. During that time I became the victim of a serious water gun attack. A huge thanks to our leaders Jeremy and Isaac for acting as my official bodyguards. It was the perfect way to end the long day. We are pumped to go back out and feed the homeless tomorrow in a different section of town.
I almost forgot...the students send a huge thank you to all of you who have left comments for us. I read them to the team on our way to our work projects.
We spent some more time talking about how powerful prayer is. We have seen God do so much in our students ministry this summer due to the prayers of many people, you! What if we prayed that the business leaders, who have incredible amounts of influence, would come to know Christ and become passionate about serving him. What would happen to Chicago? So today we prayed that God would move in this city and we know he will.
We got stuck in some nasty traffic on the way back to the hotel. Our 45 minute bus ride took two hours. Most middle school students would whine and complain about how long it was. Not our students. We told riddles and jokes and laughed so hard we almost cried. The two hours went very quickly.
Since it was such a long day we gave everyone some extra pool time to relax. During that time I became the victim of a serious water gun attack. A huge thanks to our leaders Jeremy and Isaac for acting as my official bodyguards. It was the perfect way to end the long day. We are pumped to go back out and feed the homeless tomorrow in a different section of town.
I almost forgot...the students send a huge thank you to all of you who have left comments for us. I read them to the team on our way to our work projects.
- Tammy, you got some major applause and "I love yous" thrown your way. The team says hello!
- Dr. Phil, you are lucky you posted a comment. I finished reading the comments this afternoon and they all wanted to know where yours was. You are loved! There will be great shouts of joy when I say your name tomorrow.
- Megan, pack your bags now! You ARE joining us next year.
- Parents, thanks so much for all the support you give our students. They love the comments from home.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Feeding the homeless
Today was HOT!!!! The highest temperature we heard was 93 degrees!!! The team was stretched physically and emotionally. We headed downtown to feed the poor and homeless. The conversations were eye-opening and the stories were heart-breaking. After we offered each person food we asked if we could pray for them. Most people were grateful for the prayers. Some were bursting for joy but a few turned us down.
The team has been talking about the impact the day had on them. There are some major themes that have come out as the group has talked about our experiences. These are all thoughts our students have pulled from the things we've done.
Congratulations to Nick and Sue for being the first to post a comment. Your prize was a huge cheer from our students on the bus. We loved the comments from Dave's family too...even though we had no clue what they said. Keep the comments and prayers coming! We are thankful you are a part of our team and very thankful we have your support.
The team has been talking about the impact the day had on them. There are some major themes that have come out as the group has talked about our experiences. These are all thoughts our students have pulled from the things we've done.
- Be Passionate! Let your passion for God overflow so much others can't help but notice Christ in you.
- We are self-centered. We have much to be thankful for and we often take it for granted.
- Do not judge! We want to learn how to see others through the eyes of Christ.
Congratulations to Nick and Sue for being the first to post a comment. Your prize was a huge cheer from our students on the bus. We loved the comments from Dave's family too...even though we had no clue what they said. Keep the comments and prayers coming! We are thankful you are a part of our team and very thankful we have your support.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Chicag08 Day 1
Today was a fantastic day. Our team is incredible!!! We spent our day with Mark Engel and his team at the South Asian Friendship Center, which is located in what is called "Little India." We learned a ton about the Islamic, Hindu and Sikh community and how God is using the Friendship Center to minister to them. We found ourselves quickly submerged in this cross-cultural neighborhood as we ate lunch at an Indian buffet and visited with store owners around town. Overall the students seemed to really enjoy their lunch.
For many of us the highlight of our day was meeting Sunida and hearing her testimony. Sunida was born in Pakistan and grew up in India. Her father was a Sikh and her mother was Hindu. She had a very rough childhood and faced some very difficult situations. Through all of that she decided that "there is no love and there is no god." The older she got the more deeply she began to believe that. She moved to America and met a German pastor who continually showed her Christ's love. Eventually because of this pastor's faithfulness she accepted Christ and committed to live her life for Him.
Our students have been excited about this trip. After hearing Sunida's story the excitement level has gone through the roof. The students are passionate about what we have been called here to do. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. It is evident God is up to something huge and we are thankful to be a part of it.
For many of us the highlight of our day was meeting Sunida and hearing her testimony. Sunida was born in Pakistan and grew up in India. Her father was a Sikh and her mother was Hindu. She had a very rough childhood and faced some very difficult situations. Through all of that she decided that "there is no love and there is no god." The older she got the more deeply she began to believe that. She moved to America and met a German pastor who continually showed her Christ's love. Eventually because of this pastor's faithfulness she accepted Christ and committed to live her life for Him.
Our students have been excited about this trip. After hearing Sunida's story the excitement level has gone through the roof. The students are passionate about what we have been called here to do. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. It is evident God is up to something huge and we are thankful to be a part of it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)