A blessed Thanksgiving to you!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving...from our table to yours!
A blessed Thanksgiving to you!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Hardships and Difficulties
This list doesn't even come close to Paul's sufferings mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11, or the sufferings of many believers across the world, but there have been some hardships and difficulties in the past 10 days.
1. One of our side van windows was hit by something hard enough to fracture the glass, although the window was still intact when we discovered it. It appears to be malicious behavior since no one has ever come to apologize for what happened.
2. We've needed wisdom and patience to deal with some disrespectful kids who like to push buttons and disobey rules.
3. An individual reported a bomb threat to police on Wednesday evening while we were having Kids Klub. Officers came and asked us to evacuate the building while they searched. Praise God, nothing was found, and getting 75-some people out of the building went safely and smoothly. The children were quite disappointed, though, that we had to take them home early and weren't able to have snack time as usual.
4. An unusually large amount of rain poured upon the Valley last night and all day today, and our "lower level" felt the effects of that. (An officer said the other evening after he'd searched the building: "I didn't realize how big this place is! I kept opening doors and more doors!"). A borrowed sump pump has helped to get the basement dry again, in time for the teens who will be eating and sleeping here while they attend Acquire the Fire this weekend.
We have MUCH to be thankful for, too -- youth who are excited about attending ATF, children who beg to learn "new songs about God,"great staff and volunteers, and reliance on Him to carry us through any difficulties and hardships.
1. One of our side van windows was hit by something hard enough to fracture the glass, although the window was still intact when we discovered it. It appears to be malicious behavior since no one has ever come to apologize for what happened.
2. We've needed wisdom and patience to deal with some disrespectful kids who like to push buttons and disobey rules.
3. An individual reported a bomb threat to police on Wednesday evening while we were having Kids Klub. Officers came and asked us to evacuate the building while they searched. Praise God, nothing was found, and getting 75-some people out of the building went safely and smoothly. The children were quite disappointed, though, that we had to take them home early and weren't able to have snack time as usual.
4. An unusually large amount of rain poured upon the Valley last night and all day today, and our "lower level" felt the effects of that. (An officer said the other evening after he'd searched the building: "I didn't realize how big this place is! I kept opening doors and more doors!"). A borrowed sump pump has helped to get the basement dry again, in time for the teens who will be eating and sleeping here while they attend Acquire the Fire this weekend.
We have MUCH to be thankful for, too -- youth who are excited about attending ATF, children who beg to learn "new songs about God,"great staff and volunteers, and reliance on Him to carry us through any difficulties and hardships.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Pancakes & Rec Changes
After teen Bible study on Monday, the treat was....pancakes!
Interns recently completed painting the Rec Center, and the bright red has been replaced with a soft gray. It's still a work in progress (interns are planning some other changes, too), but at least the painting is done, and we're "open for play" again.
Interns recently completed painting the Rec Center, and the bright red has been replaced with a soft gray. It's still a work in progress (interns are planning some other changes, too), but at least the painting is done, and we're "open for play" again.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Two Organizations Who Have Been a Blessing
Thanksgiving seems to have the unfortunate position of being sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas. I tried to order the "Thanksgiving blend" at Starbucks today and was told, "Oh, we're serving our Christmas blend now." The barista did agree to do a "pour over," and I headed out the door with brewed Thanksgiving blend in a red, snowflakey cup.
At Aim Right, we've already begun making plans for Christmas events, mainly because the calendar fills so quickly this time of the year. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, though, I wanted to highlight two organizations who have been a blessing to many community families we've served.
Toys for Tots has provided a way for us to give Christmas gifts to the children who attend our Kids Klub program. If you'd like to make a toy donation to Toys for Tots, they have many locations across the Valley that accept donations. Toy Drop-off Sites
Our monthly Mobile Pantry is made possible by gifts of food from St. Mary's Food Bank. Each December for numerous years, we've had the privilege of taking a group of children to a local Christmas party. St. Mary's provides frozen turkeys and food boxes for all the families of the children who attend the party. I recall a time when we helped a child carry the food into his house and put the turkey in an almost-empty freezer.
During the month of November, Safeway is teaming up with St. Mary's for "Thanksgiving Tuesdays." Any Tuesday throughout the month, purchase a turkey at Safeway, tell them you'd like to donate it to a needy family, and Safeway will donate a turkey, too. For more information, click here.
At Aim Right, we've already begun making plans for Christmas events, mainly because the calendar fills so quickly this time of the year. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, though, I wanted to highlight two organizations who have been a blessing to many community families we've served.
Toys for Tots has provided a way for us to give Christmas gifts to the children who attend our Kids Klub program. If you'd like to make a toy donation to Toys for Tots, they have many locations across the Valley that accept donations. Toy Drop-off Sites
Our monthly Mobile Pantry is made possible by gifts of food from St. Mary's Food Bank. Each December for numerous years, we've had the privilege of taking a group of children to a local Christmas party. St. Mary's provides frozen turkeys and food boxes for all the families of the children who attend the party. I recall a time when we helped a child carry the food into his house and put the turkey in an almost-empty freezer.
During the month of November, Safeway is teaming up with St. Mary's for "Thanksgiving Tuesdays." Any Tuesday throughout the month, purchase a turkey at Safeway, tell them you'd like to donate it to a needy family, and Safeway will donate a turkey, too. For more information, click here.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Your Drug IQ
I took the National Drug IQ Challenge today and scored a lousy 67% (ouch!). Click on the image below to see how you fare:
To further test your drug IQ, would you answer True or False to this statement?
Fewer teens smoke cigarettes than smoke marijuana.
View the answer here.
Being informed is good. What's even better is taking a moment to talk about this topic with a teen you know. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports: "Teens whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don't. However, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations ..."
To further test your drug IQ, would you answer True or False to this statement?
Fewer teens smoke cigarettes than smoke marijuana.
View the answer here.
Being informed is good. What's even better is taking a moment to talk about this topic with a teen you know. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports: "Teens whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don't. However, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations ..."
Monday, November 11, 2013
Seek the Peace
There was a drive-by shooting in our community on November 1st. One of the victims was critically injured and passed away on November 6th. He was only 17 years old. The word on the street is that it was gang-related.
"...seek the peace and prosperity of the city...pray to the Lord for it, because it it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7
"...seek the peace and prosperity of the city...pray to the Lord for it, because it it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Kids Klub 11.06.13 and a Visit from Riverview
It was a treat to see some familiar faces yesterday. Joe and Lisa Byler, former Phoenicians, flew into Phoenix with a group of youth from Riverview Mennonite Church in Pigeon, Michigan. Joe was on Aim Right's board for several years, and Joe and Lisa both served in many capacities at Aim Right throughout the time they lived here. The youth group left today to drive to Mexico to (rather quickly, I assume!) build a house there for needy families.
The Riversiders spent their 24-ish hours in Phoenix eating Mexican food, sightseeing downtown, helping with Kids Klub, and hiking a mountain. It is always a blessing to have additional volunteers for Kids Klub, and these were easy to spot, since everyone was sporting bright green.
Joe shared a little about The Haven, a children's ministry their church facilitates in Michigan. It is similar to Aim Right in that it offers an after-school program and kids club outreach for local children. Children from Haven's Kids Club had even prepared a video greeting to our Kids Klub. After watching the greeting, our children enjoyed sending a greeting back to Haven while someone captured the words and waving on video.
If you think about it, pray for the youth group as they serve in Mexico. I'm sure they would appreciate it!
The Riversiders spent their 24-ish hours in Phoenix eating Mexican food, sightseeing downtown, helping with Kids Klub, and hiking a mountain. It is always a blessing to have additional volunteers for Kids Klub, and these were easy to spot, since everyone was sporting bright green.
If you think about it, pray for the youth group as they serve in Mexico. I'm sure they would appreciate it!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Glorious Ruins
Last Friday evening, Caleb spoke about "Glorious Ruins" at Teen Night. The three different outfits you'll notice in the photos below were intentional. The tattered clothing helped to illustrate how we have ruined our lives by sin. The formal clothing showed how God wants to clean us up and turn us into glorious ruins.
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