Teens on a Mission: Philadelphia

Hey everyone!  I've been so caught up in my own busy days that I haven't sat down to write in ages.  This year has been incredible.  I've wrestled a little with what to share and what not to share, because so much of the story is not only mine, so I've been living it and not writing it.  But I've missed being here in this space with you all, so I'm excited to be back!

Sunday at 4 a.m. (yes, that's right) we woke up to drive four of our teenagers to church, where they were meeting the teens in Thrive Student Ministries at Bangor Baptist to depart bright and early for a week in Philadelphia doing missions work.  It's been an amazing process, because the trip required each teen to raise $800, and that amount seemed incomprehensible sometimes (x4!), but the Lord, in His perfect faithfulness, provided.  (Here's a photo from 4a.m. - Kanishko snuck out of the shot, but here's my hubby with the girls!)

The teens will be working in the city all week, and they took a prayer tour yesterday - here's a photo of the skyline from their last stop.  They also sat together under an overpass where, each night, homeless people gather to sleep, and they saw shoes hanging from electrical wires over the streets and learned that this usually is in memory of a child who died from gang violence or drugs.

Before heading out each morning, they gather to read the Bible and have some prayer.  Today, their reading is from Matthew9: 35-38 "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" 

Today, I'm praying that each of the teens on this trip will be broken by the same things that break the heart of Jesus, and I'm asking that as the Lord will take those broken pieces and put them back together in the shape of his perfect will for each of their lives, that he will form in them hearts that hear His voice and are willing to walk in uncomfortable places, just like Jesus did when he put on human skin and walked on this earth.  I'm asking the Lord to speak into each life how He desires to use the gifts and talents knit into each teenager for His glory and for the good of others.  I'm asking God to take this week and fill each moment with His presence, and I ask He would grow each of these students into young adults who chase hard after the heart of Christ in the hurting parts of our world and that "his harvest field" would have some lifelong workers in these students.  

If you'd like to pray for these kids and for Philadelphia with me, please do!  And if you'd like to leave your thoughts or prayers in the "comments," I'll be sure the kids see them when they get home.  Thanks friends!

Today I Wonder

Many days, I find myself rushing through a long list of things I think I must do only to end up missing out on some of the things that mean much more.  My laundry gets done.  The floors are clean.  My menu for the week is planned out in advance.  My emails are answered.  Those things are great, and they are important parts of running a house.  But they are not the most precious threads woven into the fabric of making a home or raising a family. 

Today I wonder a few things.  I wonder what would happen if my "to do" list took a back seat to my "to be" list.  I wonder if I can learn to see the world from my children's perspective a little better if I slow down a little bit and let their playful rhythm guide my dance steps.  I wonder if I'm missing some of the joyful moments of small things that God wants to give me as blessings.

As I think about these things, I'm smiling.  I'm looking forward to my middle schooler waking up and wanting to tell me the stories she has already told me a thousand times about what happened at school this week.  And I am excited to listen to them like it's the first time I've heard them.  I will look her in the eye instead of listening-while-emailing.  I'm eager to lift my toddler out of her bed and hear her laughter.  I will sit on the floor in the middle of all her toys and play dollhouse with her instead of folding laundry while she plays. 

Today I'm asking the Lord to help me see my time as He sees it and to invest it wisely in the moments that matter the most.  

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  Psalm 90:14