Camp 658

This week my sister, Melissa, and I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer with Project 658 as a "coach" at Camp 658.  This camp was organized and held at a local apartment complex in a low-income area of our city.  For four days we got to hang out, play with, and reach out to children from the surrounding area.  It truly was an incredible experience.  We did arts and crafts, sports, games, and of course talked a lot about Jesus.  The kids have an incredible spirit and were so full of life and joy. 

Each day we would walk to the surrounding apartment complexes and go to the doors to pick up the kids.  Some kids didn't speak English, but still wanted to come.  They were all so sweet and fun.  Many of the kids would just run up, grab your hand or crawl on your back, and be ready to go.  I can tell you I got a major workout from carry kids around all week!  Just an added bonus!  Two days of the week were dedicated to art and two were dedicated to sports and playing outside.  The kids loved it all.  They were up for anything and it was so sweet to be able to teach them new things and see their little faces light up when they accomplished something.  

I truly believe that Jesus calls each of us to serve our cities and  communities.  We are all so blessed to know Christ and need to be a light in the world.  Whether you like working with kids, adults, the elderly, or just doing something with your hands, the Lord can use your talents and skills.  Trust that you can make a difference.  Just holding a child's hand or serving someone a meal goes a lot further than we think.  So get on out there and make a difference!  You will receive just as many blessings as the people you are serving.

Music to my Ears

This is The Church by Elevation Worship.  This is my prayer and represents a desire to serve others for our Savior. 

We are the change
the world is waiting for
We've got a love
the world is desperate for
We will lead
and take to your streets


Now's the time for us to rise
and carry hope and let love shine
and show this world that mercy is alive

Now's the time for us to rise
and carry hope to hopeless eyes
and show this world that mercy is alive

We're not afraid
we will abandon all
to hear your name
on lips across the world
we will run
in the wake of your love

Fill our hearts with your compassion
let our love be active here

One for One

For my birthday I decided I wanted to get my first pair of Toms Shoes and my wonderful hubby obliged.  He originally bought me a Vera Bradley laptop case, but it ended up being too small for my computer, so this was a great alternative.  It was a hard choice, but I decided to go with the red Classics.  Having a size 11 foot that happens to be very narrow does not make for easy shoe shopping.  I went to one store and tried them on.  The 11 was too loose, but the 10 felt small.  Feeling discouraged, we left without my Toms.  I decided that I wanted to try them on again just to make certain.  I tried on size 10 and it is snug, but the clerk said they would stretch a good half size, so I decided to go with them.  I am still trying to figure out what to wear them with, red is a dicey color but I love them (any suggestions would be appreciated).  They are so comfy and feel like I am wearing socks.  I am so excited to have them and to know that I was able to send a pair of shoes to a child.    

Love Week 2011

 

It all started a year ago in February.  Our church, Elevation Church took on the challenge to serve 5,000 hours around the city of Charlotte.  We busted the record, giving over 10,000 hours of service.  This year for the second annual Love Week they raised the bar big time.  Partnering with 25 other churches we pledged to serve at least 25,000 hours across our city.  One of the core values of our church is radical generosity and this is a testament to that.  Beginning on February 27 we set out for a week of service initiatives and projects.  Some projects took place with our outreach partners like Crisis Assistance and some were new projects like cleaning up parks and sending shoes to children in need.  Sunday after church Brandon and I participated in our first event.  We put together soup bags to be sent to Haiti through Stop Hunger Now.  These soup packages were specifically going to be given to children before they go to school so that they can have the energy to learn.  

 (picture on Holly Furtick's Blog )

On Tuesday our small group signed up to work with Soccer 945, which is a soccer league for homeless men.  We signed up to help cheer on the teams as they played.  I got stuck in traffic and was unable to make it in time, but Brandon went straight from work and was able to participate.  I was bummed, but there were over 200 volunteers who participated.

Finally, Saturday we signed up to serve at Bright Blessings which is an organization that provides birthday parties for homeless children by partnering with local schools and homeless shelters.  This organization is amazing and so inspiring.  They provide gifts for the birthday child, a party, a comfort and care package with toiletries, a blanket, and stuffed animals, along with snacks and games.  They have a grant with First Book, Inc. and receive new books to give to the children.  We mainly worked on assembling the comfort and care packages and organizing the new shipment of books.  We had a wonderful time and are hoping to volunteer here on a regular basis with another couple from our small group.  

Love Week is a great initiative to go out and love on our city.  Total, over 33,000 hours were given in love to our city.  How amazing!  We should all be reminded that service and radical generosity should be one of our personal core values not just for one week out of the year, but for each and every day.  Thank you Elevation for leading the way in generosity!