Long Overdue Update

SUMMER CAMP



To date, I have been on staff with Common Ground for 5 months. It has been a wonderful five months! God has taught me many things one of which is that, “He who calls us is faithful.” The summer months began with our 9 week summer camp. We had 5 college interns, and about 70 children. We were with the children 5 days a week for 8 hrs each day. To say that we were busy would be an understatement. Our topic of focus was the Creation, Fall, Redemption Story. The children enjoyed learning that they were created in the image of God. They were sad to hear about the sin of Adam and Eve and hopeful in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The summer was great! It was such a joy to hear the children recite verses like Psalms 8:1; Romans 3:23. God did an amazing job in allowing us to be a part of bringing His Word to the children while tangibly being able to demonstrate the love of Christ to them. One of the little girls shared how thankful she was to God for allowing us to teach her about the Bible. So neat!!! Overall the summer provided the opportunity for me to build relationships with a few of the mothers in our neighborhoods. I am looking forward to seeing how God will use me in the lives of the women and children.

Please pray for the relationships that God has allowed me to have with a few of the women...pray for salvation and spiritual growth...I will update you soon on these women...

Please also pray for the completion of our minisitry building. We are hoping to be in our building soon. We miss the kids!!!!

Just a Thought

One of the re-occurring questions shared this summer by the staff and the interns was, “what does it mean to love justice and mercy?” I was challenged in many ways to examine my heart in order to identify ways in which I have averted my eyes to the needs of the poor and oppressed. It is so easy for me to be comfortable in my own life, while not giving active thought to the plight of others. Living in the community in which we do, it is clear that the effects of what we see are not simply the results of personal sin. Yes, I emphatically agree that all of mankind and societies problem both on an individual and a conglomerate level are a result of living on a fallen planet. But, what I seem to have overlooked was the contributing factors that leads to or propagate the condition of a neighborhood that is characterized by crime, poverty, broken families etc. Factors such as generational patterns, social and racial injustices... The fact of the matter is God says that we are to actively minister to the needs of the poor, both the spiritually poor and the physically poor. How does one do that? Within Montgomery, there is such a divide not only between blacks and whites but also between rich and poor, church goers and non-church goers. I struggle daily with this divide because honestly at times I feel caught in the middle. Why is there such a divide especially between the races and the wealth? I don’t think I have an accurate, one statement answer. I hope that as I continue to live and serve the Lord here things will hopefully become clearer. I also hope that while I am here my desire is to not avert my eyes to the needs of the poor nor look condemningly on the affluence of the rich, but to learn how to understand this world and community through the lens of the Scripture humbly, respectfully and compassionatley so. May God help me!!!