God is so good in the hood!

Warning! This will be a long one but please read! :)

It's only been a week but it feels longer, in a good way! Our orientation and training gave mind blowing exposure to the beautiful & valuable people on the west side of Montgomery. I can't even begin to tell you what a privilege it has been to be here and come alongside these kids, the community, and staff. Our orientation week consisted of going through the notebooks, first week of camp with the kids, starting our 2 books, going to the civil rights muesum, Dr. Martin Luther Kings church, and the Rosa Parks muesem. It lead to wonderful and hard conversations about issues that are still very very present today. 2 things that have sent shock waves in my life were Ervin and Frog's testimony, you see pictures of Ervin right above in the rocking chair and Frog right above that. Lots of tears shed while they were speaking! Frog grew up here on the west side of Montgomery and joined a gang at the age of 10. He then dropped out of school in 7th grade and continued to be involved in "gang bangs" throughout this area. They would plan and plot robberies and much more. By the age of 15 Frog was put in jail for 4 years and was released at age 19. Frog is naturally a leader so he became top in his gang and everyone listened to him...most people in these neighborhoods feared him. Once he got out of jail the next incident happened at a block party where a guy thought Frog took his money. The situation quickly rose in lots of anger and Frog was shot. Frog was so angry he didn't even want to go to the hospital and he went to find the guy. A week later, Frog found him and shot him back. At this point in his testimony you could hear and see Frogs pain at his life before Christ rocked him..at one point he put his hands over his face and just sighed. After he retaliated he then started to come around Common Ground and would work and hang out with them but still continued to "gang bang". Slowly, over years staff here would have conversations with him and share the gospel. After time the Lord opened Frogs eyes and completely changed him..he no longer desired drugs, he left the gang, he wasn't feared anymore..but a soldier for Christ. Uncle Ervin (it's what he's called and he is also who will be living with us for protection and to push us towards the Lord) had a similar but slightly different testimony. Total, Ervin spent 13 years in prison. They were spread apart but the least was a 5 year sentence. Ervin never joined a gang because he was good friends with all the leaders but he would rob stores and was involved with drugs. Ervin became a believer while he was in jail, isolated with nothing but the word. He said "I knew I was totally different when we were outside playing basketball..a man slapped me..and I had no desire to retaliate." To see the heart of Christ in these men and how loving, gentle, and different they are really shows me how big God is. In the words of a dear friend who is also an intern "After God got ahold of me..i didn't miss it...the addictions to people..alcohol..reputation..I didn't miss it...none of it."
So..on to the kids! I have girls who are 13 and up, we have 11 total and we split them up into small groups on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It's been a challenge to gain their trust and build relationships with them. 13 is the best age in the world :) I am so grateful for these women and my heart breaks to all they have to deal with at this age..drugs, violence, std's, alcohol, and broken homes. This week we have been studying Psalm 8:1 and creation in Gensis. They have made up a rap to the verse and it's so sweet! One of the girls in my group is a believer and when we were at the zoo last week I asked her what her life looked like before she became a believer and she said "I used to be so bad Mrs. Bfree! I would cuss out adults and other children, disrespectful, and disobedient. Now I just want to live for Christ!" It's been so sweet to see her obedient heart to Christ. Last week her sister wasn't listening to me and she pulled her aside talked to her, rebuked her, and had he apologize to me. It's so sweet to see the radical change!

Things i've been learning..oh goodness to wrap them up and share.. If I were to try to wrap them up right now and share my summer so far it would look like a 2 year old wrapped a christmas present with two left hands. God has been breaking me over A LOT. He has been showing me so much in my life that is not pleasing to him, what it looks like to enable the poor not to just 'treat them' , and how it's mutual exchange..I'm learning so much more from them than I am pouring into their lives..infinitely so! What a privilege it is to be here! The Lord has really been tearing down a lot in my life that's been so painful but so good! I always want to go back to what's true? as I wrestle and repent (turn the other way) of sin. One question that has been resignating in my mind is something BK said in a talk last week "Are you willing to reorient your life? Why are you living comfortably?". How have I made my life in such a way that I pass by the poor, that I don't seek to make everyone my neighbor, that I've somehow justified it that it's ok that I don't pursue the poor. God's word says that if I don't do that then the love of God isn't in me. It has been messing me up but I love it!

Please pray for open doors with the girls. Pray for favor and friendships to be formed. Pray for their hearts to be pierced with the gospel and that they would long for Jesus. Pray for clarity of His word. Pray for the interns that we would get rest and crave nothing else but knowing Jesus and making him known. Pray that we would have wisdom to be self-starters and anticipate any needs around here. Pray for our sweet staff up here that they would get rest and crave nothing else but Jesus as well. Pray for the west side of Montgomery that it would resound with the glory of Jesus. Pray for believers in the world..that we would invest and really build authentic relationships with the "poor".

" The point is simply that, for his own glory God has chosen to reveal his kingdom in the place where the world, in all of it's pride, would least expect it, among the foolish, the weak, the lowly, and the despised." -When helping hurts

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

"Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:5-10