Mission Possible Colorado Springs
The Flip Side
This week has consisted of a five day kids club, adult ministry in Manitou Springs and Downtown Colorado Springs and a three day Sketchboard Evangelism Training at Mesa Bible Church. Working the kids clubs in the Yuma government housing has been very much different from our projects back home. It has been a pure joy, as even the teenagers have such a great respect for the Gospel and what we are doing that they participate with EVERY aspect of the program. Many parents have come out and even participated in some of the games, and we have even seen a group of people getting in their car quietly so as not to disturb the program.....wow, very touching!
Please pray for a native Indian man, Alfredo. He and his three children became homeless after his wife died and a series of events happened. All of the government housing in this area are full and they have not place to go. A lady in the community actually allows the three kids to sleep in her house at night, while Alfredo and his dog sleep at the park. Please pray that either housing would become available to them, or that he would be able to earn $450, enough for he and his kids to take a bus to Tucson where they can stay with family.
Although the kids clubs have been very refreshing, there is a flip side of the coin. The adult ministry has been very hard. Manitou Springs is not as hard as San Francisco in an aggressive manner, but they are apathetic and will just keep walking on by. Please pray for opportunities to share with people and for open doors for the Gospel. -Carmiña
Raining Lollipops
These past couple days have been so amazing. We have recently been going to a really poor area to do outreach to the children. They may be crazy but they are so sweet and patient. They still come out even when it is pouring rain and paint is dripping off the sketch board. They really listened to my kids message and were so willing to answer and ask questions, especially when it meant you got a lollipop when you got the correct answer. They always ask when we are coming back next and run up and give us hugs and high fives before we leave for the day. This one little girl sat next to me the first day and was already explaining to me why she loved hearing about Jesus even before we started the message. Her name is Marissa and she is so cute. We are all bonding with the kids and I always look forward to the next day we go up to visit! -Seneca
Learning Along The Way
The past four days in the Yuma apartments have been such a blessing. This being my third year doing Mission Possible, I have done quite a few kid's clubs and seen a lot of talking, distracted, and too "cool" for us children. Here in the Yuma community the kids are responsive, attentive, and they participate in every aspect of the program. The kids are in need of our attention because they come from homes and families where they probably do not get much attention and love. The community is filled with drugs, and even one family that we've been talking to is homeless. The mom in the family died and through a series of events the family became homeless. We have been praying for this family to find housing, and their situation has really made me think about how blessed I am to have grown up the way that I did. God has opened my eyes to how people in need, who lack material possessions are more open to the gospel because they don't have anything physical in their life to rely on. They need God with whom they can always rely on and trust that He can provide for them. So we have been trying to show the kids that they are so special, wanted, and loved in the eyes of their creator. All the while I am learning along with the kids to fully rely and trust in God that he will provide for me. -Zana
Who Wasted the Syrup
Just 5 days in and I already feel at home here. Its been as fun to acclimate to this group as it was to acclimate to the high altitude. Not only have the girls officially out numbered the boys, but they are also more out spoken. However, none of them can compare to Tim. Everyone has found a special spot in the team that helps piece it together. -Matt
Gasping for Open Air...CampaignersRight when we landed we noticed something different...by just standing up we couldn't breath, but after a few days we started to really like Colorado and it was nice to open a jar without much effort. Despite that, the trip has been really eye opening. The second day of the kids club we found out that two of the kids and their dad were homeless. The two boys were so sweet and they really listened to everything we said. They seemed so grateful for what they did have and it made us all think about how we take things for granted. During the day we have done adult ministry in Manitou Springs and Downtown Colorado Springs. At both places we had trouble with the police because of business owners, but with just moving a couple feet over we were able to continue our messages. This week was amazing and I cant wait to see what God has planed for us next week. -Lauren
