We are ONE in Jesus

I am exhausted!! It has been an incredibly long day, but another awesome one!! I continue to see God working in these kid's lives, while I also witness things that I hate to see. I have seen and heard a lot of things that I usually do not see or hear in my comfortable world at ACU. I prayed before we left that God would open our eyes to things we are not used to, and break me out of my comfort zone-and He has done that.

This morning, we left bright and early to go and serve breakfast downtown at a place called "The Spot" that is run by a ministry called Urban Peak. It is really interesting, because this is not a faith based group or even a ministry-but it is a place that these kids can come and receive a warm meal, hang out and play pool, foosball, or watch a movie-and just have somewhere to chill for awhile. Then, downstairs is this recording studio!! It is set up so these kids can go down there and lay down some tunes if they would like, and there is also this awesome studio where they can breakdance and do some hip hop!! It was WAY cool. UP also has an outreach place across the street where they have resources and help place people into housing. We met some awesome and some interesting people down there, who each had a story. One of the ladies I met actually works there now-she had been a beneficiary of the Urban Peak program and they had helped her settle into a house, and now she was an Youth Outreach Coordinator. I was telling her how awesome that it was that it had come full circle like that-because she could really relate to these kids since she had actually BEEN there. They would be much more likely to listen to her, trust her, and hopefully take her advice and know that she understands.

Then we met at Wendy's with a group that meets every Wednesday for a Bible study with the Dry Bones staff. We ate at Wendy's with them, and then we headed on over to Brunswick for 2 hours of bowling action!! Our group included a guy named Pelonne, and I also hung out with a guy named Cheeto-yes, CHEETO!!! Pelonne had actually never bowled before-but he was great!! In fact, he almost beat us one round (of course, not that hard of a feat-although I did bowl a 102 both times!! Weird!!) It was really neat to hang out with them and get to know them and some of the other people who were there...

A couple of times today I teared up (while I was bowling!!) as I looked around at all of us-as we mixed our groups in with the street kids-and it was just beautiful. We all have stories, we all have different backgrounds, we may even be a different color-but we all have JESUS...and that is all that matters. It just really struck me today. You could not even tell a difference while we were together today-because we were ONE. I'm telling you-I LOVE this ministry!! It is the culmination of two of the things I love to do most and have the most passion for-youth ministry and mission work. That is probably why I love it so much, and why I have wanted to come here for so long...that, and the fact that I can really see with my own eyes and heart how it is changing lives. It continues to amaze me...only one more day left-I am excited to see what God has in store!!

I am headed to bed because my eyes are about half open, but I want to leave you with this:

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be ONE, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be ONE as we are ONE: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me". ~John 17:20-23