More Christmas!

December has been quite a busy month!  Thankfully, we have had four hard-working interns to lead or help with various projects.  Here are some of December's happenings in picture order as you'll see them below:

 

- Making candy bags.  I believe the goal was around 2,000, and I'm not sure if that was reached or not.  Each one had a candy cane, chocolates and other candies, a gospel tract, and a flyer about Kids Club.  Many were distributed at a huge Christmas event in collaboration with another local ministry, Crossroads Youth Intervention.  Some were sent to children on an Indian reservation, and others were given to our Kids Club kiddos.  You can see some more pictures on our Facebook page of the candy operation and the CYI Christmas event.  Aim Right had a donor specifically underwrite the candy bags, which was a HUGE blessing.  It's not normal for Aim Right to devote quite that much $ to just buying candy!

 

-Minute-to-Win-it games at City Night.  Let's just say that eating a donut on a string with no hands is probably harder than it looks.  Lots of hilarity with those activities!

 

-Staff Christmas party.  Kegan and Branden had their home all holiday-ed up and hosted the event.  Caleb and Stephanie did a great job preparing a feast.  Everyone came dressed as a Christmas carol.  I'll let you try to guess the carols and put the answers at the end of the post.

 

-Kids Club Christmas play.  Branden (aka Professor Wonder) coordinated a play for Kids Club, and various actors demonstrated the Christmas story from the Bible.

 

 

Carols #1, 2, 3, 4

 

A Movie, #5

 

Carol #6

 

 

Carol #7

 

Carol #8

 

Carol #9

 

And...a video.  I have watched this several times.  It not only makes me smile, but I think it is a much needed perspective this time of the year.  Even if you wouldn't receive a single Christmas gift this year, you would still be extravagantly blessed, compared to how much of the world lives.  If you had or have two parents who were or are active and involved in your life, you're blessed.  If you felt safe, protected, and loved while you were growing up, you're blessed. 

 

I recently attended a seminar about children who go through traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Their number one need is to feel safe.  They need somebody to trust who won't let them down.  I think about the kids who come for Rec Center and then stay for hours afterwards, too.  There are few boundaries for them at home, and probably not much safety there either, since boundaries usually foster safety.  It is our prayer that those kids can feel a sense of safety at Aim Right, and we can point them to the One who is the Prince of Peace and an eternal refuge.

 

#1 - Santa Baby

#2 - Jingle Bells

#3 - Last Christmas

#4 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman 

#5 - Who family from How the Grinch Stole Christmas

#6 - Silent Night

#7 - Jingle Bells

#8 - The Little Drummer Boy

#9 - Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

 

 

Not an Ordinary Start

I have a quote taped to my Rolodex that says:  "A leader is a person who enters into the agony and the pain of the people of their time." That is reflected in the writing below, as Caleb shares some sobering encounters he has had recently.

By Caleb Reed:

What is ordinary? What is normal?  Yesterday was anything but that. I woke up to what I thought was going to be a typical day.  I had plans of writing this article (on a different topic), plans of working on goals and strategies for 2017, and maybe even swinging through Starbucks for a Christmas Blend Dark Roast.  Well, today has been far from ordinary.  Late last night, I received a message about a young man who overdosed and was sent to the hospital, not doing well at all.  This morning as I prepared my heart and mind for visiting him, I reflected on the past years of seeing this young man grow and mature.  I reflected on the time that he was awarded “Camper of the Week,” and how he had been setting the example for many young men and women to follow.  As I walked into the hospital room, I could tell he was surprised--surprised that I had come to visit, but thankful.  We had a good visit talking about the past, the present, and the future, and he said, “I got real lucky. This could have been a lot worse.” 

There are a lot of lessons here to be learned by this young man, and my prayer is that he takes this as a wake up call and that we as the body of Christ can surround him and support him in his daily life.  Through visiting this young man, I learned of another young man who was shot over the weekend. This young man I have seen grow up and come in and out of the church.  As I learned more and found out that he was doing ok and the gunshot was not life threatening, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

You can quickly see that this day has been anything but ordinary.  My heart has not been this heavy for a while, so today has been spent in prayer and conversation with God.  It has been spent reaching out to some young men who are heavy on my heart whom I know God has big plans for, but it takes them surrendering their lives completely to Him.  While visiting one young man today, I said, “It’s time to get things straightened out. I want to be able to visit you like this, face to face.  I don’t want to visit you in a hospital bed, behind bars, or worse. It's time to walk the straight and narrow.”  He agreed, and we spent our time talking about some exciting things in his future. 

I share all this to open the door and let you as the reader see into some of the things we deal with while working in the inner-city.  Now more than ever, I feel in my heart and see with my eyes the need--the need for strong men and women of faith to step out and reach those who are hurting, those who are lost, those who are searching for direction in life.  We have a need, and it is not going away anytime soon. That need is a community that needs to experience the transforming power of JESUS. 

Join myself and our team in prayer as we continue to reach the youth of our community!  

Children's Museum Outing with Carle

Hello! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Carle Troyer, and as Amy mentioned in an earlier post, I just got here in November. Life here is very fast-paced, but thankfully I have adjusted well to being here. I know that this is exactly where He wants me!

One of my favorite things to do since being here has been the times that I have been able to do things with some of the kids outside of our normal programs. I was able to take Stefanie, Aleah, and Sienna all to the Children’s Museum one day. Since they had all three been there before, they were showing me all their favorite things to do. The museum has lots of fun things for kids to do. Most of the things we did were hands-on things.

 

This was at the top of the playground thing that had a boat and tub attached to it.

Everything was overhanging so they could look out and see everyone below.

Half-way through our time there we decided to get lunch at McDonald’s. Sienna asked me, “Do you know that we’re all sisters?” Me: “O, yeah, how come?” Sienna: “Because of Jesus we're all sisters.” It melted my heart. I think sometimes I forget how much these kids really do understand and retain what they are taught. I am thankful for these three girls and letting me get to know them more. It was so much fun spending time with them. It was a great day!

 

 

 

  Pretending to plant and water flowers

December Mobile Pantry

Most of the phone calls we receive at Aim Right these days are about our monthly food distribution. When I give out information about the time and place, I also tell the caller: "You will get a LOT of food!"  You can tell which individuals are veteran Mobile Pantry folks from because they're the ones who brought rolling carts, storage tubs, and even toddlers along to help carry their goods.  We have great help from several ladies in the community who volunteer; they help set up and hand out food, as well as sweep the parking lot, break down boxes, and wash tables afterwards.

 

On the "menu" today was:

• Lettuce - various kinds
• Cabbage
• Brussel sprouts
• Radishes
• Eggplant
• Cherry tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Watermelon
• Bread - various kinds
• Bottled water
• MIST cranberry/lemon-lime soda

Now for some pictures of the chilly morning and the Mobile Pantry...