Life in Phases: August 2009

8.20.2009

The Food Cupboard in Action

Well today we have something special for you. After 4 years we did something today that we have never done before. Today we took some pictures of the food cupboard in action. So you are going to see a rare glimpse into the food cupboard and who we serve. The reason why we haven't taken any pictures of the food cupboard over the years is because the majority of people we serve don't really like their pictures being taken and we want to honor that. But lately we have tried to think of some different ways to raise money for the food cupboard and we came up with some different ideas involving making brochures, pamphlets, and some other creative things along those lines. So with that we realized we needed to get some pictures of the food cupboard actually running.

So today I asked all of the people we serve if it would be okay if we took some pictures of the food cupboard in action. They were kind of hesitant at first but they eventually all agreed that it would be okay. I hope you enjoy seeing the food cupboard in action. And oh ya I also have a 20 second video as well....it is not too exciting but it's a glimpse into what we do on a daily basis.

8.13.2009

Ahhh... the City of Brotherly Love

Ahhh... the City of Brotherly Love. For those of you who do not know, Philadelphia translated in the Greek means the "the city of brotherly love". On any give day the City of Brotherly Love is tested to it's core by crime and violence that breaks you heart and doesn't feel much like a city of "brotherly love". But the one thing that is very interesting about the Ghetto is with all it's issues there is a huge sense of community among everyone who lives there. It is very different from the life I once lived, one where everyone has their own house with their own yard and fence....their own little life. Here you live pretty much right on top of one another and if not on top of one another you at least share walls with your neighbors. You can't help but live life with everyone around you. With that you get to know your neighbors and everyone around you pretty well. You become very aware of who they are as people. You learn their likes and dislikes, wants and desires, as well as their needs. We have gotten to know so many people because of the simple fact that we all live so close to one another. And hey, don't get me wrong their are times we need to get away from people from time to time...(I think that is why we love to go camping.. haha). But their is definitely something I believe the Lord has placed here in the Ghetto to glorify Himself and that is community. I think sometimes we miss out on all the Lord has for us because we live secluded lives. When we get out and interact in people's lives we experience the life that the Lord has always wanted us to have...with people. It is something to think about..... So after all I believe Philadelphia does actually live up to it's name as The City of Brotherly Love.

Some Faces of Philadelphia

8.04.2009

To Peru and Back

Well it has been a few weeks since our last blog, we have been all over the place this past month. I've been on a mission trip to Peru, visited my family in Texas, and just this past weekend Anna and I and her whole family went to Chicago to see her brother and sister-in-law and their new little arrival into their family. So it has been a crazy month full of great times all that I am so thankful for. I went to Peru with a good friend of mine from Texas, I went with him and his wife and some college students from their church. It was an awesome experience for me to see what the Lord was doing in Peru. We were in Peru for 9 days and were busy every single one of them. We partnered with an American missionary couple who live in Iquitos, Peru, they work there with a local bible school who trains and equips their students to go out and share the gospel through church planting. We went up the Amazon River and visited one of the church plants from the bible school. It took a 2 hour bus ride and a 6 hour boat ride up the Amazon to get there. We spent 5 days at the village in the jungle building a house for the pastor and his wife, doing VBS with all the children(where I got to dress up as a clown...I was kind of frighting though), as well as having church services at night. I was blown away by the joy of the pastor and his wife, though they had very little they were so happy and joyous... and children of the village... well they just touched your heart by the all joy that they had. On the day we left the village we stopped in Nauta, Peru and got to play football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball with some local young men and women there. We had a great time playing sports (esp. football) and at the end I got to share the gospel with all of them. It was awesome to see how the Lord can use something like sports to bring people to know him as Savior. We got a lot accomplished on the trip, we built the house of their dreams for the pastor and his wife, we brought joy to children through loving on them, and we brought the wonderful news of Jesus to many who had never heard it. All in all it was an amazing trip, one that I will never forget as long as I live. I know I am forever changed from it, in many ways that I have not even realized yet. I thank the Lord so much for it. I have also enclosed so photos from the trip, I hope you enjoy them.