August 2008 Update

Dear Family and Friends,

I first visited St. Louis in the fall of 2003. I was hoping to discover a love for this city in anticipation of an internship with World Impact the following summer. As I drove the single mile from the interstate to our ministry center, I felt very uneasy. My first instinct was to double-check my door locks and my directions to avoid getting lost in what seemed to be a very rough part of town.

Nearly five years later, driving that same mile brings completely different feelings. I realize the risks are no less nor greater now than they were then but, somehow, I have come to feel at home here.

The Lord worked in my heart that summer in 2004 to give me a great concern for North St. Louis. I did not know then that I would return 18 months later for a full-time position with World Impact. But as I made it my goal to seek God’s Will and go wherever He called me, I saw the path clearly led straight back here.

I could fill a novel with stories and still have more to tell from my experiences in the city. I have seen more than enough brokenness, poverty, abuse, hopelessness, and neglect to last me a lifetime. Thankfully I have also seen triumph, generosity, rehabilitation, strength, and great love. I would have to write a second novel to share all of the lessons I’ve learned. One that stands out above the rest is this: God is faithful!

Your partnership attests to His faithfulness. I could never have made this journey without you. There are no words to express adequately how grateful I am to God for each of you. Ministry in the city can be very difficult. Without your support, encouragement, and prayers I would never have lasted more than a few weeks. Ministry in the city can also be highly rewarding. My time here has been precious and has deeply impacted who I am, how I view the world, and my relationship with God.

As you read this letter I have already moved to Dallas. I will start classes at Dallas Theological Seminary later in the month. I have found a roommate, an apartment, and a new church home. I am excited to have a fresh start in a new city but it has been bitter-sweet to bid farewell to the place I’ve made my home for the past few years. I hope to keep in touch with each of you in the years ahead. Please check in often for the full report on my life as a Texan.

It has truly been a blessing and an honor to serve God in the inner city of St. Louis with World Impact. Thank you for your commitment to me and this ministry. I encourage you to continue praying for and supporting what God is doing in St. Louis. For though I know my time there is over, much work remains.


With a grateful heart,

Beth

July 2008 Update

Dear Family and Friends,

One Tuesday afternoon after finishing up Bible club in my back yard, I was loading our material box into the car. Suddenly I saw Demetrius, who had just left the back yard, running toward me from his house.

“I forgot to give you your hug!” He exclaimed excitedly as he ran toward me with open arms.

My heart melted within me as I reached out to squeeze him tightly and realized that it would be moments like these that I will miss most when I leave St. Louis.

Six-year-old Demetrius started coming to Bible club activities during Spring Break. His bright smile and eager attitude make him a truly enjoyable addition to our program.

When I discovered that his house is just up the block from mine I started waving to him and his family whenever I passed by. At first they didn’t seem to be able to figure out who I was or why I was being friendly. In fact, it took a few times before anyone waved back.

Finally, one day as I was walking by, a woman stopped me to introduce herself as Demetrius’ mom. Diana had spoken with other members of our staff team before, but this was my first interaction with her. She wanted to tell me how much Demetrius enjoys coming to Bible club. She was eager to sign him up for the entire summer’s worth of activities, too!

But the most notable part of our conversation came when she said to me, “I trust you with Demetrius.” She told me I could pick him up anytime, take him anywhere and she would know he was safe. What a huge compliment! I consider it a wonderful privilege to work with the children in my community and love to see families showing such faith in us to entrust their little ones into our care.

This month is a bitter-sweet one for me as it will be my last full month with World Impact. You will hear from me one more time before I move in early August, but as I thought about how I wanted to spend my final days of ministry here I couldn’t help but also think about my favorite times over the past 2 ½ years. It is incredible to stop and consider all the Lord has done in such a short time. Thank you for supporting me through it all!

Serving in the city,

Beth

Flood

Some of you have expressed a little curiosity and even a little concern about the news reports on the flooding along the Mississippi River that has made it to St. Louis.

Rest assured- the water is no where near my house or street and most likely won't affect my day-to-day existence in any majorly inconvenient ways.

But I did take a trip to the water's edge today to see the river for myself. If you've been here to visit me you might recognize the river front below the arch... or you might not since it's all under water!

The last one shows the plaque marking the level of the river in 1993... just for a little perspective.

Summer Program '08

Our summer program is off to a great start...

This summer we are attempting to repeat the success of last year by hosting Bible Clubs all summer for children and youth ages 6-14 in our local community.

Back Yard Bible Clubs are being held at each of our staff homes twice a week.
World Impact Kids Club meets daily Monday-Thursday at our ministry center.

So far we have been really pleased by the turn out... we have varied numbers at Back Yard Club but nearly 30 kids are coming each day to Kids Club! One thing that is really fun is seeing so many of the same faces from last summer return for activities this summer.

Our staff team has grown as we have two interns, Noah and Stephannie, here for the summer to help us out. And a new staff member, Jason, has also joined the team to help us reach out to the kids this summer.

We just finished Week 2 of seven weeks of programs here in the city and I have much to share from the past 14 days of activity... here's a few snapshots of what we've had going on:

Summer Program '08

BACK YARD BIBLE CLUB
Activities in the back yards include games, songs, snack, a Bible lesson, crafts, and memory verse work...

Summer Program '08

FIELD TRIPS
There will be several opportunities this summer for children involved in clubs to attend reward field trips. They earn points through attendance, good behavior, and Bible verse memorization. It is really fun to see the kids beam with pride when we announce they have earned a special trip and know that they will enjoy the activity even more because they had to work so hard to be there.

Summer Program '08

SWIMMING
Each week we will take kids from a different Back Yard club on a swim field trip to a local state park with a great pool for an afternoon of fun in the sun.
Our first trip was supposed to be last Friday, but it got rained out. Instead we took the kids who earned that trip to a movie and out for ice cream.

Yesterday we enjoyed sunny skies most of the afternoon and the kids loved being in the water and sliding down the slide over and over and over again.

At one point there was thunder in the distance so we had to evacuate the waters for 30 minutes. As we waited for the lifeguards to clear us for re-entry the kids worked on their tans and played on the playground. But they were restless until they could jump back in that clear blue water!

The way our trips are funded is through supporters who send donations for summer activities. When I told the kids we had friends sending money so they could go swimming their eyes lit up. "What should we do in response?" I asked. Venetra replied quickly: "We should call them and say thank you!!!" Well instead of calling we opted for writing thank-you cards in the van on the ride to the pool.

Summer Program '08

FISHING
This afternoon Andrew and I took Adam and Kameka fishing at a local park.
Kameka had never been fishing before... which might explain why she wanted to stick the whole pole into the water in her first attempts to attract fish.
We explained the proper technique and before too long she was proudly holding the line to a freshly-snagged aquatic creature.
Of course it was too scary to get near, so she had a volunteer help her release the fish back into the water. Adam was a pro from the start and nearly every time he cast his line it came back dragging a fish. Even Andrew and I got to share in the fun and each of us had a little luck, too! What a great time!

June 2008 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Once a month we hold “Fourth Friday Family Fun Night” for children involved in Bible Club. These evenings are designed for the youth to invite any of their relatives so we might encourage families to spend time together and so we can get to know parents better.

Attendance at Bible Club had been low for a few weeks and only one mother told us she would be joining us with her three young daughters. So, to be honest, I was expecting a very relaxed evening without many people.

I based all the plans I made for the evening on this. I only bought a few pizzas. I planned to play two simple card games. I picked out a 30-minute cartoon to watch. And, in my mind, we were set.

The doorbell started ringing at 6:20, ten minutes early. As several excited children flowed through the front door I soon realized my expectations were to be well outdone. Immediately I shifted into go-mode with my first concern being that we would run out of food. As the crowd grew to include a number of older youth I also realized we needed more than card games and a Veggie Tales cartoon to entertain them.

It turned out to be a crazy night. Many of the kids who came had not been to any of our activities in weeks. They were out of practice in following our rules. They must have all eaten pounds of sugar before coming in, too, because they had tons of energy. Thankfully, we switched gears pretty easily and filled the time with gym games that allowed the kids to burn off some of that energy and enjoy their time with us.

It was truly an exhausting evening but I am really glad so many kids showed up that night. We decided just days earlier to make a major change in our programs and, in preparation for summer, to move our weekday activities for the month of May into our back yards. We also decided to change the age limits on our Bible Clubs so more of the older youth could be involved. That Friday night was the perfect opportunity to fill the kids in on our plans and invite them to join us!

That evening was simply another reminder that sometimes my vision is so narrow that I easily miss what God is doing while I watch for what I expect to happen. I am so thankful He knows best and continues to accomplish His Will in my life and this ministry, even if, at times, it means working in spite of my plans!

Serving in the City,
Beth

Search & Give

Have you heard about "Good Search"?.
It's a search engine powered by yahoo that makes donations to non-profits when you use it.
On your first visit you choose a charity from a list and each time you visit they donate 1 cent per search to your charity!

If you want to set up your internet searching to help fund our ministry, choose World Impact Inc (Los Angeles, CA) as your charity of choice!

Click here to try it out for yourself!

Looks like there is also a way to donate when you shop online through "Good Shop".

A summer preview

At the first sign of warmer weather we decided to move our weekday Bible Clubs outside! Each of our staff homes has a great backyard and lots of kids living nearby so, instead of waiting for summer, we began Back Yard Bible Club a month early this year.

Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon we tote our boxful of markers, scissors, glue, and construction paper to a different location to lead Bible lessons, games, crafts, and other fun activities for neighborhood kids.

Attendance the first week was great! Many of the youth attending were involved in activities last summer and are looking forward to our full summer program which will begin next month.

Please pray for these club times... for the seeds of truth being planted in the hearts of the children, for deeper relationships to be built between us and their families, and for great weather because it's tough to lead Bible club outside when it rains! (Like it is today.)

Ariel and I had a great time making soldier puppets for our story about David & Goliath. But the wind was blowing so much we struggled to keep them within reach!

Jaya was extremely proud of her puppet. Usually a camera-shy kind of girl, she smiled brightly as she displayed her work for all to see!

Arson Update

The past two nights have been quieter and, as far as I know, the arson fires in our neighborhood seem to have stopped. Perhaps the stormy weather that moved into the area has had a little to do with that. Praise God for rain! Overall, the latest tally was 11 fires in 4 nights. The last one was set Sunday evening about six blocks east of where I live. There has still been no one hurt but also no indication that the police have caught whomever is responsible.

Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the safety of both our missionary staff and our neighbors!