Got Some Catching Up To Do

I didn't realize that I last posted on here Dec. 15!!  So much for "every couple weeks" for updates.  I apologize!  Life has been hectic and unfortunately, this took a back burner.  However, for those of you that have been following, praying, and supporting this ministry that Ray has going, I want to make sure I give periodic updates! 

Ray is busy, as always.  He has some irons in the fire to get some help with the ministry in Staten Island through Edge Impact Inc, which is the non-profit that he started in an attempt to extend his ministry beyond Staten Island, Lord willing. He has a couple churches that are interested in stepping up, as well as the possibility of the college Ray attends starting an internship for credit type program designed specifically to help Ray.  Ray is excited, but stuff like this takes time and a lot of logistics planning, so please continue to pray for him.

Aaron has fallen off the map.  I have talked to him on Facebook a couple of times in the last couple months, but he has not been coming to youth meetings since I left, with maybe one exception.  He hasn't communicated with Ray as to why that has happened, so please, be praying that Aaron would come back.  He's around, just disconnected.  I believe God will use Aaron in huge ways within that ministry and to help Ray.  He's just young in his faith and battling "the flesh man."  With time and prayer, I believe he will come back around.

Jordan's family is in turmoil again, with her parents both wanting to separate.  Jordan is really torn because she loves them both and doesn't know whether to go with her mom or stay with her dad.  Jordan is a neat young lady with huge potential!  She is one I saw struggle most with not becoming a product of her environment.  I talk to her about once or twice a week, so I am pretty well appraised of what is going on with her.  Pray for healing and reconciliation for her parents and for that family on the whole.  Not sure about the salvation of her parents, so the safe thing is to pray for their salvation until it's established, right? :)

I am tentatively planning to go back to that area the end of March if my thumb will cooperate.  There is still a possibility I will require another surgery on it, and if that's the case, it will be around the end of March.  There is wiggle room, obviously, but not a ton.  It probably won't be another 6 week trip, but I am hoping for a couple weeks so I can reconnect with the kids and help Ray some more.  I got an email from Ray of a list of names and backgrounds for each of the kids that is or has been in the VanBuren youth group.  I will be posting that after I edit it.  Please commit to pray for these kids by name.  If you want me to email you a copy of the list, let me know.  My email is firefighterspeedo@gmail.com

You guys are amazing.  Thanks for your prayers and support of this ministry!  It is making an impact for eternity!  Love you guys!

Just an Update

Hi All,
Sorry it has taken me longer than a week to get an update out!  'Tis the season, right?  The kids in Staten Island are doing well.  I have been in touch with Jordan and Aaron both, and get fairly frequent updates from Ray about how the ministry is doing.  The big happening recently is that Ray's ministry, Edge Impact Inc. got it's 801c3 designation from the government, and is now an organization that people can give funds to and get tax credit for.  Ray is excited about it.  It took a long time to get all the ducks in a row just to get the paperwork submitted, and he wasn't sure it was going to push through the IRS before the end of the year.  God is good! 

Ray will be headed out here to Oregon in January, and we are all pretty excited to connect with him.  He hasn't been here in a couple of years, so it will be great to have him here!  He is wrapping up the last bit of the landscaping for the year, and now looks forward to snow plowing for the winter.  Please be praying that God continues to meet Ray's need for work in the landscaping off-season.

There isn't much more to report right now...but check back here in another week or 2 to stay up to speed :)
Have a great Christmas!  Love you guys!

Excited and Looking Forward

I have been home for a couple weeks now, and I'm re-adjusted to West Coast time and life is pretty much back to "normal," whatever "normal" is!  My Thanksgiving was really good.  It was kicked back and relaxed, and I got to be with some of my favorite people.  Definitely have a lot to be thankful for these days!  It's been interesting getting back into the swing of things.  People actually read this blog while I was gone, so it was like they were right there with me on my adventure, and I have been able to talk about my trip like they were there.  So, thanks for reading this!  I have gone back and forth on whether or not to continue posting here, but it seems like just being home is a poor excuse not to post.  There is still ministry going on, both in New York and right here at home that I'm excited about and I hope you will be too.  There is still a battle raging for the kids' hearts in Staten Island, and they still need your prayers (our prayers) the same!  So, I have decided to make a concerted effort to post here at least once a week or so to keep everyone up to speed.  I will stay in contact with Ray, and as stuff comes up, I'll let you know here.  So, the moral of this story is to stay tuned in :)

I have decided not to go back to NJ this month.  There is a youth retreat that Ray is hosting/sponsoring, and he really wanted me to come back to be a part of that project, but it doesn't work out fiscally, nor does it work out with the worker's comp. stuff I have to deal with here.  There's not much I can do about the WC deal except roll with it and trust God.  Ray needs some help there, but I also know that God can raise up a young lady to come along side him in the ministry that has a heart for Jesus first and the kids second.  Ray is in a unique situation because he is single, especially when it come to working with the teen girls.  There is only so much "help" and counsel he can provide.  Be in prayer that someone would stand in the gap and meet that need in Ray's ministry.  Ray does have a few young men, college age, that are eager and excited to come help Ray and help him establish Edge Impact Inc, which is Ray's ministry.  This is really exciting, and I know from talking to Ray that he is excited about them helping.  But it doesn't help as far as a college age young woman to help with the girls in Ray's youth group.

The plan right now is for me to get through the next couple months and I am praying about going back to NJ/NY in March, and maybe taking a group from church with me.  Spring break seems to be the most reasonable time to go since people aren't in school, and then I will likely stay a while longer to help Ray.  I have also decided, since I am so close to an Associates degree, to finish it up in Criminal Justice.  There are too many credits that I have right now that won't transfer to an out-of-state school, like Gordon, and it seems lame to just flush them, so the Criminal Justice associates degree will transfer, mostly because it's a degree.  I'm going to finish it in criminal justice because one of the programs I'm really focusing on that Gordon offers is the Juvenile Justice Ministry program.  It just makes sense :)  I really feel like this is what God is laying on my heart to pursue, so I'm gonna go at it full tilt.  Like Pastor Mike says in describing me, "110 mph and no breaks."  I might as well live up to it!

There are a couple of prayer needs back in Staten Island.  Aaron is job hunting and is trying not to be discouraged.  He hasn't had any call-backs on applications he's turned in or interviews he's done.  Please be praying that he not be discouraged, and that God would make it really clear where he is supposed to be working.  Aaron is still doing great otherwise.  He is still reading his Bible and growing.  Keep praying on that front too--that God continue to work in and through Aaron.  It may be the change God makes in him that brings Aaron's family to Christ.  How cool would that be!!!?  Jordan also needs our prayers.  Pray for her family.  Things have been a little tense.  Her grandmother, who lives with the family, is in poor health and it has put strain on other relationships.  Also pray for her parent's marriage.  Jordan also has a lead on a veterinarian who has an interest in training his own people, and being a vet tech or vet is one of Jordan's dreams.  Pray that the opportunity would arise for her to get in touch with this veterinarian.  Pray for Ray's ministry in general and for Ray.  The guy often burns the candle at both ends.  Pray that God would provide for his finances and for his energy.  The apartment in Snug Harbor (Staten Island) is still un-rented.  Pray for wisdom for Ray in how to proceed with that whole situation.  He's beginning to wonder about it becoming an apartment for short and middle length missionaries to land. 

Here on the home front, life is great.  I have had several ministry opportunities since I have been home.  From talking to the waitress at breakfast my first day home about Jesus and the importance of being in a local body, to reaching out to the kids back in Staten Island.  It's been really good.  Amy Nicholson and I are in cahoots in planning some street evangelism stuff when she is home on Christmas Break.  We are both super stoked about this opportunity!  Amy is a young lady who was my first "mentoree" back in the day :)  Robyn, who I am blessed to have as my current "understudy" :) is also wanting to get involved in ministry, so she will likely be going out with us.  Those of you in range...ie in the same geographical area that I am, let me know if going out and talking to folks about Jesus is something you are interested in!  The more the merrier! 

I think that's all I have to report currently...as if it's not enough, right?  Like I said, check back every so often- I'd say once a week- and see what's new.  Thank you for reading this thing!  It's a tremendous blessing and encouragement to me~ Love you guys!

Thankful On Every Level

I know it's early for "Thanksgiving" food, but it's not too early to talk about thanksgiving.  I'm always entertained by how easy it is to talk about how thankful I am, or we are, around this time of year, but other times of the year, it's like we just walk around in our own self-centered, ego-centric little spheres.  I'm as guilty as the next person, but it doesn't make it right.  On the way to Staten Island on Friday night, Ray and I were having a great discussion about entitlement, and I shared with him my experience(s) on the ambulance with Paul, when Paul and I would talk about our attitudes of entitlement, usually about getting off on time.  I shared with Ray how the paradigm shift happened for me, and for Paul, because we understood that we were really entitled to nothing, but only as a result of God's grace in calling us and saving us, and Jesus' finished work on the cross, can we gain anything.  However, we are never entitled to anything, and we really don't have "rights".  Just a couple thoughts to provoke you :)

Now, to get into what I'm thankful for on this occasion.  I posted last right after I got back here from Boston.  I was missing the Robinsons (still am!), and trying to get back in the ministry groove.  I am happy to report, it didn't take any time at all, and I was back in action!  Praise God!  Friday night there were 3 youths and two adults (me and Ray) that went into New York City for the young people's service at Times Square Church.  Aaron, Jordan, and Richey went, with a fair amount of enthusiasm :)  We caught about the last 20 minutes of the service, and the pastor had been talking about Rahab's story in Joshua 2, and then again in Hebrews 11.  He talked about who she was and who she became.  He said she made choices when God confronted her.  She first she listened to God, second she trusted God and third she obeyed God.  As a result of her responding to God, she lived with God's people; God provided her with a husband; God stripped away her old identity as a prostitute and made her righteous.  As Christians we are called into relationship with Christ (which transforms our identity), commanded to obey God's Word, trust God, and fellowship with one another.  As a result, we can say who we were before Christ, and now say who we are as a result of the Holy Spirit working in us.  This was the gist of the message.

At the end of the service, the pastor gave a call for those who wanted to make a first time decision for Christ to come forward, and he also extended an invitation to those who just wanted prayer.  Aaron asked Ray and me if we would go down with him and pray with him.  Of course we said, "yes" to Aaron.  Later when I asked Aaron what it was, specifically, that he wanted  prayer for, he said, "I didn't need prayer for anything in particular, I was just overwhelmed with how thankful I was for what God has done for me and I just wanted to be sure to thank him."  I just kind of shook my head up and down, but was speechless for fear of tears.  It was the most profound thing I had heard anyone say in a long time.  It was like a splash of water on my face on a hot day, and it was awesome.  I'm so amazed and blessed and encouraged and excited by what I am seeing in Aaron's life, and how much he has grown just in the short time I have been around.  The crazy thing is that Aaron is not plugged into a church, his home life is a wreck, but he is faithfully reading God's Word, he is praying, and he is in contact with me and Ray through the week, and I am watching the transformation take place.  This is what's going to be hard to leave here and return home from.  But I am SO thankful for the opportunity to walk with Aaron, even if I don't get to come back, for the time I had. 

I thought I came here to minister to these young people, and though I did, I think I'm the one going home having been ministered to.  I know that's generally the way these trips go, but it's never any less amazing to me.  I'm humbled by God's grace, especially in retrospect!  I also thought I came here to work with the young ladies in Ray's ministry, and though I did make a connection with Jordan on a couple occasions, she never really did rise to the challenge or show an interest in really connecting.  I also made contact with a couple of other young ladies, but they just kind of fell off the map after the first week.  It was Aaron that kept rising to the surface, and who wanted to be invested in, and who was hungry to learn.  I certainly wasn't going to walk away from the opportunity.  It made me really glad I really love football and basketball :)

Yesterday, I got to spend some time with Aaron in the city.  I wanted to go to Ground Zero and Times Square in the daylight hours.  Originally, it was supposed to be Jordan, Aaron and myself, but Jordan backed out at the last second.  I pulled the truck over and talked to God about it just being me and Aaron, and decided it was probably fine, and so we went.  It was great!  The weather was beautiful, and Aaron and I had a blast.  I felt safe because I had Aaron with me.  He's a big guy, so I figured as long as I didn't get too far from him or make the wrong person mad, I'd be just fine.  Ground Zero was pretty intense.  I went into a "preview" museum, which was basically a shop that had 9-11 gear and an area that talked about the bigger museum available to tour for a fee.  It instantly took me back 10 years to watching the TV screen as the 2nd plane hit the tower, and watching the towers fall, and seeing people jump out of windows.  I definitely felt like I was standing on hallowed ground.  There is a new tower going up where the Twin Towers once stood.  It's called the Freedom Tower, and it looks like it's about half way finished.  After that, we went to Times Square.  That place was a zoo, but it was fun at the same time.  I went back to the 3 story Toys R Us to get some things for Emmary and a couple other people.  That store is some serious fun, kid or not!!  I also went into Planet Hollywood and a couple other random places.  I even walked down Broadway.  It was an eventful day.  Once I got tired of people invading my bubble, which doesn't exist in New York City, we hopped on the ferry and came back. 

So, my adventures are coming to a close.  In about 48 hours I'll be boarding the first leg of my flight home.  Pray for me.  Pray that this sticks, and that I won't forget what I learned.  Pray that I won't just go back to "life as usual."  I have some big things to consider and pray about as I come home, and how I decide on those things could determine if I come back to the East Coast full time.  Thank you guys for following me on this trip.  Your following has been a source of serious encouragement to me!  Love you guys!

The New WTC Tower

WTC Tower--Freedom Tower

Me Standing in the Cemetery at St. Paul's chapel with Ground Zero in the Background

St. Paul's Church was unscathed when the Twin Towers fell!

OK, Nancy Ek, Interpret :)

US Customs House

Couldn't help it

Staten Island Ferry

Only in Times Square could you find a McDonalds sign like this!

Look at ALL THE PEOPLE!  Get outta my bubble!

Last Glance at the Skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge....For Now :)

It's TOO quiet...and other reflections

Well, I'm back in New Jersey, sitting at Ray's.  The jury is still out on whether or not I am excited to be back here....well, at the house anyway.  It's too quiet.  No little people giggles; No snuggles from them when they get up from their naps; no sibling wars over who is louder, who is better at Wii; who's turn it is to do such and such a chore; no morning chaos getting the older two off to school and all four of them dressed, fed and ready to roll...and I miss it.  Don't get me wrong, I miss Jacob and Amy too, but there is something nearly magical about watching a family that size move and function and love each other, and I think first and foremost, it comes from the grace that only Jesus can give, second it comes from great training from parents who love each other and the little people God has given them, but the little people seal the deal.  I really like them...a lot.  And this house, in Chester, NJ, is too stinkin' quiet!  Ah, well....motivation, perhaps to visit this side of the map more often :)  What I am excited for is getting back in the groove of youth  ministry and seeing how God is going to use me for the last week (perhaps) that I have here.  It's been a trip that has pretty much blown my mind, and it's not over yet. 

Aside from the being sick part, even the extra week in Boston was a pleasant and sweet surprise that allowed me to enjoy friendships on a deeper level--to solidify the bond and truly enjoy the people I was with.  I got to hear from Aaron in Staten Island, who doesn't even sound like the same guy these days, and is doing awesome.  He finished the book of John in his Bible, and I sent him on to Acts.  He is excited, and he said for the first time in a long time, maybe even for the first time ever, he is happy.  How great is our God?!  I have to call him again today, given the chance, and catch up with him, but I anticipate that I will get a good report.  Aaron seems to be the young person that God put in my path to really connect with, and that God really moved in.  Although, I have watched him move in the lives of the teens in Ray's church youth as well.  Good stuff has been going on.  God IS moving in this generation of young people.  My prayer is that the apathy and sense of entitlement that they seem to have will be transformed into a love for others and a desire to serve.  I know it's a tall order, but the God we serve is a God of complete transformation, not just of behavior modification. 

I still have a thousand ideas, a heart that feels like it is going to burst at the seams, and that emotional sensation of walking the line somewhere between uproarious laughter and joyous tears.  It's odd, but it is good.  In case anyone wonders, God really does seek to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or imagine.  All it takes is us asking with truly humble hearts and a willingness to do what he lays on our hearts.  I have a lot to pray about, a lot to talk about, and a lot to look forward to with eager anticipation and hope.  It's all about the hope we have because of what Jesus accomplished on that cross and who he has called us out and made us to be.  Don't miss out!  Talk to people so they don't miss out!

Please be praying with me as I consider staying on this side of the map for another week.  There are a lot of things that have to happen in order for me to stay.  I have to get my flight pushed back; I have to get the green light from the worker's comp people; I have to successfully reschedule my appointment with the hand surgeon for as soon as I get home as I can; and I have to be sure it's what God is calling me to do, and not just some great idea I have come up with that seems fun.  I will get an answer from the worker's comp folks some time today or tomorrow.  It starts with them.  If I come home as planned next week, Praise God!  If I get to stay an extra week, Praise God!  It's all his deal anyway, and I'm gonna be happy either way.  But it doesn't hurt to ask him, or to ask you to pray with me.  Love you guys!

Meet Boston and The Boston Robinsons

So, this blog post has been a long time in coming.  A lot has happened, and I was supposed to have left Boston this past Monday, but am still here.  The first 6 days of my visit were FANTASTIC!  I got to hang out with 4 really great kiddos and spend some time with two really great friends who love God and love their family.  It doesn't get much better :)  I got here on Halloween night and was thrown into the mix right away doing the school run for Lauren and Samuel, who go to the elementary school down the road, and Mia, who goes to a preschool just a bit further away.  Then I got to sit in Amy's moms soul care group (small group) at 7 Mile Road Church.  It was awesome.  It was great to see moms get together for the sake of digging into God's word and sharing how it impacts and challenges moms to become better parents.  I think it was Thursday night that Jacob and Amy's regular Soul Care group met at their house and that was cool too!  Jacob shared his "life line", which is basically a more in-depth personal testimony.  Each of the members in the group will share theirs as a "get to know you" tool.  All of the couples in the group have little ones, so it was fun to get to meet them too. 

Friday my gut gave me quite a bit of trouble, so I spent the day laying on the couch feeling pretty lousy.  By about 6 pm, it had relented enough that I was able to eat some chicken and rice, and enjoy family fun night.  One of the things the Robinson's do every week is family fun night.  Their kids are 9, 6, 4 and 2 and they have a time of giggling and dancing and silliness.  It was wicked ahwesome (insert Bahstahn accent here)!  In addition to the 6 Robinsons and me, Grace Kruse, their Pastor's wife and her two little girls came over to join in on the fun while her husband Matt and the 2 boys went to a football game.  The Kruse's have 4 kids as well, and they are all right in the same age range as the Robinson kids.  Grace is one of Amy's closest friends here in Boston.  It was certainly a time of semi-organized craziness and fun. 

I woke up Saturday feeling really pretty good, which was awesome because we went to down town Boston for the day.  What an adventure.  I love history, so this was like a dream come true for me.  I felt like all the stories I read in my text books and novels growing up came to life.  I stood in the area that the Boston Massacre took place, I got to see some of the graves of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and got to experience one of the oldest cities in the United States.  It was really neat.  It's certainly a city that I would love to come back to and spend some significant time getting to tour and hang out in.  I also got to walk through the Holocaust Memorial.  It was enough to bring tears to my eyes.  I wasn't able to get any good pictures of it, but it's something I encourage you to go look up on line.  It looks like a glass tunnel, but if you look closely at the glass on the sides, there are numbers.  It's all the numbers of the Jews taken prisoner in the Holocaust divided by concentration camp.  There are quotes from individuals in the camp that moved me to my core.    The weather was pretty cooperative Saturday as well.  It was a bit crisp, about 50*, but it was sunny and the wind was calm, so it was fairly comfortable for the way we were all dressed.  The kids were in great moods, and there weren't any melt downs :)  The meal of the day, maybe even for my East Coast experience so far was Mac and Cheese with Lobster and Shrimp.  It was a party in my mouth!  I ate way more than I should have, and was pretty sure I was going to pop the button off my jeans.  But it was SOOOOO good!!!  I ate it for lunch and for dinner, and told Amy if her breakfast idea didn't work out on Sunday, I'd eat it for breakfast on Sunday too.  It was uh-mazing, as Emmary would say. 

Sunday I got to go to church with the clan.  They go to 7 Mile Road Church in Malden, MA.  Paul has told me about this church and how much he enjoys the preaching here and the music and the fellowship.  He said when he comes here, he finds himself singing louder than he sings anywhere else, and that he finds it really easy to engage.  So, you can imagine I was pretty excited to be a part of this community.  It was great!  Matt brought the Word and handled it very well.   I felt welcomed like family, and it was easy to see that the people were the same on Sunday as they were the rest of the week.  They meet in a gym just like home, so it was really familiar.  I loved it.  I still miss my church family, but God has been really gracious to plug me into church bodies here on the East side that I can relate to and  connect with.  I'm really thankful.  Sunday is about where my good times end.

Sunday night my gut really started to feel lousy, and Monday I started throwing up and it hasn't stopped.  I have been throwing up and in pain since then.  I have had 3 ER visits in 3 days, and my doctors back home have not been much help to me.  They basically told me today that unless I get on a plane and come home, they can't really help me at all.  The problem is that I don't think I could get on a plane and fly at this point.  I can't go more than 20 minutes without throwing up.  This was the only thing I didn't want to deal with on this trip....but I also know that God is not absent in this and he isn't leaving me to deal with this on my own.  So, please pray for me.  I really want to get back to New Jersey and Staten Island to do ministry--that's what I am here for, after all.  I'll keep you all posted.  Enjoy the pictures!  Love you guys!

Where the Boston Massacre Happened

Me, Sophia, Mia, Sam, Lauren @ Old City Hall

Me & Silly Sophia

The First Public School Started in Boston!!

Occupy Boston....couldn't resist taking a picture

Boston Fire House



Boston EMS (next to Fire House)