I've been doing some thinking about the events that have taken place this week, I stand on the corner of Payson and Frederick Ave. and I watch deal after deal after deal take place, and I wonder how long it's going to be before we're burying another one of our kids (people)? I watched the other day as one of my favorite kids, we'll call him "1" ran from the corner to the place where their goods were stashed and did the exchanges while the dealers stood on the corner and watched. Why is this happening? Why is it so obvious to innocent people walking by, and ignored by the people who can do something about it?
"1" is such a polite, good, respectful kid, and I want so bad to run to him everyday and shake him and ask him what he's doing, ask him why he's putting his life at risk and why he's throwing away his future. Doesn't he know these dealers are using him so that they don't get caught? Doesn't he know there is a better life for him? I've been in prayer for him constantly the past few days, I hope he comes to Metro Kidz next week, so we can talk with Pastor Mike, I hope we can pray over him, I hope that he knows we love him.
Another boy who's caught up in the junk is "N.A.P" In fact he wasn't allowed back in the block party because he was on the lot hustling, why? He too is a good, respectful kid who has just fallen into the mix. What more can we do for these kids other than love them? Reach out to them when they come and acknowledge them when we see them? I pray constantly for N.A.P. and his brother N.P., I met their momma on Saturday outside the block party, she loves her kids, she really does but she's another struggling single mom, who is losing her kids to the streets.
I've seriously come to my whit's end with this, two corners hounds in general break my heart, they are there night and day and recently I had a conversation with them, and prayed that they would follow the lead of their friend "K." You might remember "K" from my blog a few weeks ago, he found me in Subway, we talked and prayed and now he's out of Baltimore City, in a safe place getting the help he needs, his desire is to not return to the city life. His mother is so happy that he's getting the help he needs and even desires to move so that when he comes out of treatment he can come home to a safe place away from all the junk. I'm continuing to pray that God will bless this family with a new home, some where far away from Baltimore and far away from these friends that could be a hinderance in "K's" life, I also continue to pray that he grows, he accepted Christ a few weeks ago and my prayer is that he continues to run after Jesus.
So my prayer today is that these boys will see that there life is worth so much more than they think, and that there is something better out there for them. I pray that each and every one of them is delivered from this life. I pray that they see how much I and everyone else at Charm City loves them.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A few pics from Block party
Picture #1 Beautiful babies playing in the moon bounce!Picture #2 Sidewalk chalk is always a hit!
Pictures #3 Harry plays happily with Leggos
Picture #4 Cha-Cha slide always gets our party started!
Pictures #5 The Food Czar (known as www.shaunbwilson.com) did an amazing job with food coordinating!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Does Anybody Hear Her...
I was sitting in my office tonight talking with Ms. Roxanne about Amanda, and this song popped in my head, this song has several different meanings, but it made think of Amanda, could anyone hear her? Could anyone see what she needed, was there something that we could have done differently? I can't stop thinking about how much her life meant to so many people, while others turned there noses up at her, I can't stop thinking about how to all of us she was a beautiful person whose life got cut short.
I ask that your prayers be with us this weekend as we celebrate the life of someone beautiful!
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction.
I ask that your prayers be with us this weekend as we celebrate the life of someone beautiful!
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Block Party, Post Block Party and Prayers`
Wow, I don't even know where to begin this blog, the block party was amazing, however the events following it, have broken my heart along with many others that serve with me at Charm City. This past weekend will be one I will not forget for a long time, for many reasons some sad, some super exciting and some just because this weekend rocked my world in ways I may NEVER be able to explain!
On Friday our missions team from Carpenters Church in Pennsylvania joined us and humbled themselves at the door and served us to the maximum, thanks to them we now have all of the classrooms in the down stairs in working order, they also fixed a toilet, helped us flier the neighborhood with Block Party Fliers and rocked people's world in the neighborhood in the process. Saturday they helped us pull off the block party, which was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. It didn't stop there though, these kids worked their hearts out helping to set up, execute and clean up the block party, then they went to Fell's Point and loved on some our homeless friends, came back helped clean up the church and then in the morning they helped us pull off our Sunday morning service, by rocking us with some amazing worship.
God used these youth in ways they don't even know this weekend, they changed lives with their actions, their smiles and their humble hearts. I can only pray that they all went home changed in one way or another. This morning their pastor returned to set up our sound system for us, I know in my heart this is a relationship that will continue to grow and hopefully we can continue to partner for upcoming events and projects.
The Block Party, wow is all I can say, once again in the end I stood back and thought to myself wow, God used US to pull this off. There were some things we did differently this year, that I really liked including having a Baltimore Free Store Free Market, renting a Block Party Trailer and no stage. Somethings we didn't do this year, I think would have worked out better, but all in all it was a HUGE success. The crazy thing is, that it appears we served more people this year than last and that just down the street while there was a Muslim outreach event happening, while we were having a rockin' party for Jesus!
Somethings that stick out the most to me from the event 8 people got saved that day, I am still getting emails from people who served with us, telling me awesome stories about people that they met and connected with. I met "K" this man who really desires to be delivered from this neighborhood and this lifestyle, as he stood with tears streaming down his face telling us about his life of being broken and battered, I had to hold back my tears. Looking across the lot and seeing the cha-cha slide being danced by everyone, white, black, young, old...it was such a bonding moment, and one that I prayed for. I can't stop thinking about the whole day, images pop into my head and I just think to myself, wow did that REALLY happen...or wow that was awesome...or wow I am so happy we did things this way this year.
One thing that will forever be etched in my mind, is the hug and the prayer I shared with Amanda...knowing that I will never see her again, that we'll never hear here call Pastor Mike her Pasker or that we'll probably never ever see Arianna, Alicia or Josh, or that I won't wave to her on the corner of Payson and Wilkens. It was a complete and total God thing that Amanda was at the Block Party on Saturday and that most of us who've formed a relationship with her, got to lay our hands on her, whether it was a hug or a prayer, we all shared some form of communication with her that day.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, there was an unidentified body found in S.W. Baltimore that morning, the person had been brutally murdered...it turns out this body that had been beaten an left for dead on the corner was our dear friend Amanda, someone we all loved, someone we all prayed for and with, someone that we loved despite the choices she made, despite the fact that sometimes she didn't love us back. She let the streets get the best of her, she made decisions that put her in a compromising position and someone took advantage of that and now she's gone from us.
From the second the Block Party trailer was packed up until the current second I sit here writing this, Satan has been busy in our body, first two vans, same night, within an hour of each other break down, second Bruce gets extremely ill and ends up having his appendix removed, third Amanda is found dead, one of us experience severe personal attacks from Satan, one of us it beaten down so bad it's hard to get back up...and the list goes on and on...so right now I am begging you to lift our little family up in prayer, pray for Satan's hands to be bound in our work and our lives, pray for lives to be changed because of Amanda's death, pray for miracles to happen. We lift up our new Block Party friends and old ones as well.
I cannot begin to Thank all of you for your support whether it through serving with us, donations, prayer or just a thought about the block party. I hope that your lives were rocked just as much as ours were!
Thanks!
<3 and prayers friends!
On Friday our missions team from Carpenters Church in Pennsylvania joined us and humbled themselves at the door and served us to the maximum, thanks to them we now have all of the classrooms in the down stairs in working order, they also fixed a toilet, helped us flier the neighborhood with Block Party Fliers and rocked people's world in the neighborhood in the process. Saturday they helped us pull off the block party, which was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. It didn't stop there though, these kids worked their hearts out helping to set up, execute and clean up the block party, then they went to Fell's Point and loved on some our homeless friends, came back helped clean up the church and then in the morning they helped us pull off our Sunday morning service, by rocking us with some amazing worship.
God used these youth in ways they don't even know this weekend, they changed lives with their actions, their smiles and their humble hearts. I can only pray that they all went home changed in one way or another. This morning their pastor returned to set up our sound system for us, I know in my heart this is a relationship that will continue to grow and hopefully we can continue to partner for upcoming events and projects.
The Block Party, wow is all I can say, once again in the end I stood back and thought to myself wow, God used US to pull this off. There were some things we did differently this year, that I really liked including having a Baltimore Free Store Free Market, renting a Block Party Trailer and no stage. Somethings we didn't do this year, I think would have worked out better, but all in all it was a HUGE success. The crazy thing is, that it appears we served more people this year than last and that just down the street while there was a Muslim outreach event happening, while we were having a rockin' party for Jesus!
Somethings that stick out the most to me from the event 8 people got saved that day, I am still getting emails from people who served with us, telling me awesome stories about people that they met and connected with. I met "K" this man who really desires to be delivered from this neighborhood and this lifestyle, as he stood with tears streaming down his face telling us about his life of being broken and battered, I had to hold back my tears. Looking across the lot and seeing the cha-cha slide being danced by everyone, white, black, young, old...it was such a bonding moment, and one that I prayed for. I can't stop thinking about the whole day, images pop into my head and I just think to myself, wow did that REALLY happen...or wow that was awesome...or wow I am so happy we did things this way this year.
One thing that will forever be etched in my mind, is the hug and the prayer I shared with Amanda...knowing that I will never see her again, that we'll never hear here call Pastor Mike her Pasker or that we'll probably never ever see Arianna, Alicia or Josh, or that I won't wave to her on the corner of Payson and Wilkens. It was a complete and total God thing that Amanda was at the Block Party on Saturday and that most of us who've formed a relationship with her, got to lay our hands on her, whether it was a hug or a prayer, we all shared some form of communication with her that day.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, there was an unidentified body found in S.W. Baltimore that morning, the person had been brutally murdered...it turns out this body that had been beaten an left for dead on the corner was our dear friend Amanda, someone we all loved, someone we all prayed for and with, someone that we loved despite the choices she made, despite the fact that sometimes she didn't love us back. She let the streets get the best of her, she made decisions that put her in a compromising position and someone took advantage of that and now she's gone from us.
From the second the Block Party trailer was packed up until the current second I sit here writing this, Satan has been busy in our body, first two vans, same night, within an hour of each other break down, second Bruce gets extremely ill and ends up having his appendix removed, third Amanda is found dead, one of us experience severe personal attacks from Satan, one of us it beaten down so bad it's hard to get back up...and the list goes on and on...so right now I am begging you to lift our little family up in prayer, pray for Satan's hands to be bound in our work and our lives, pray for lives to be changed because of Amanda's death, pray for miracles to happen. We lift up our new Block Party friends and old ones as well.
I cannot begin to Thank all of you for your support whether it through serving with us, donations, prayer or just a thought about the block party. I hope that your lives were rocked just as much as ours were!
Thanks!
<3 and prayers friends!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!
So today was AMAZING! Tuckers missions team arrived today and WOW are they amazing! They have worked their little hearts out today, they set up not one, not two but THREE classrooms, working classrooms something we've been praying about for a LONG time, and we just haven't had the time to do, the clothes closet which if you've EVER been to Charm City you've seen it, is organized and you can see the floor, the girls got all of the stuff ready for the Block Party and now, well we're going to bed five hours earlier than last year!
I can't believe in less than 12 hours we're pullin' this off :)! It's going to be great! Keep an eye out for pictures and stuff :)!
Pray for tomorrow if you think about it :)!
I can't believe in less than 12 hours we're pullin' this off :)! It's going to be great! Keep an eye out for pictures and stuff :)!
Pray for tomorrow if you think about it :)!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Block Party and other Random stories
I just realized it's been officially two weeks since I've updated, for that I apologize I have been completely consumed in planning the 2nd Annual Metro Kidz Community Block Party! It's happening this weekend at Charm City from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.! Everyone is welcome! They'll be carnival games, a moonbounce, clowns, A Baltimore Free Store, Free Market and Free Food! We hope you'll join us!
So many exciting things are happening in my Charm City world, this week we send two of our high school girls off to college for the summer, they and I are very excited about this. They'll be living on the campus of Towson and UMBC this summer, while taking college classes and having the opportunity to live outside of their environment. I am not only so proud of them, but so happy that they'll have the opportunity to see what awaits them out there! So please keep "C" and "S" in your prayers this summer. Pray for their relationship with God, that while they are away from us it will still continue to grow, pray for them to see what's out there, that there is a whole world of amazing opportunities that awaits them outside of this neighborhood.
So as I was driving into the neighborhood for church on Sunday, I couldn't help but let a couple of tears roll down my cheek, I watched three very beautiful (to me) women get into three different cars and well it doesn't take much to figure out for what. I wanted so badly to pull my car over, ask them what they needed and drag them away with me. It breaks my heart to watch this happen. As I continued to drive I watched deal after deal take place...and my favorite boys were out of my favorite corner. The funny thing is though since our "run-in" those dealers leave when my car pulls up and don't return usually until after I am gone.
There hasn't been much else going on! But please keep praying with us for workers, we've decided we need about 10-15 more people to be able to break our groups down even smaller, also please keep praying for finances, and finally for patience for all of us.
Thanks friends! Hope to see some of you on Saturday!
So many exciting things are happening in my Charm City world, this week we send two of our high school girls off to college for the summer, they and I are very excited about this. They'll be living on the campus of Towson and UMBC this summer, while taking college classes and having the opportunity to live outside of their environment. I am not only so proud of them, but so happy that they'll have the opportunity to see what awaits them out there! So please keep "C" and "S" in your prayers this summer. Pray for their relationship with God, that while they are away from us it will still continue to grow, pray for them to see what's out there, that there is a whole world of amazing opportunities that awaits them outside of this neighborhood.
So as I was driving into the neighborhood for church on Sunday, I couldn't help but let a couple of tears roll down my cheek, I watched three very beautiful (to me) women get into three different cars and well it doesn't take much to figure out for what. I wanted so badly to pull my car over, ask them what they needed and drag them away with me. It breaks my heart to watch this happen. As I continued to drive I watched deal after deal take place...and my favorite boys were out of my favorite corner. The funny thing is though since our "run-in" those dealers leave when my car pulls up and don't return usually until after I am gone.
There hasn't been much else going on! But please keep praying with us for workers, we've decided we need about 10-15 more people to be able to break our groups down even smaller, also please keep praying for finances, and finally for patience for all of us.
Thanks friends! Hope to see some of you on Saturday!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
"K"
Wow, so I can't even begin to describe how I am feeling tonight, God used me in a way I don't think I was quite prepared for tonight, however it happened and I walked away feeling like a different person, in a way I can't explain, like I felt like my life has been forever changed. So tonight I went to Subway before prayer, to get out of the building and eat before I took some medicine, well I ordered my salad, and sat down pulled out my bible and started reading, all of a sudden I heard, "Excuse me ma'am can I sit with you," when I looked up I saw who I later learned was "K", he said he saw me reading my bible and thought I could pray with him. He told me he's 18 about be 19 and he's a dealer, he started weeping, telling me he wanted out, but he's fearful for his life. He told me that his mom is a "church lady" like me and she's been begging him for years to go to church, and he wants too...but he feels his mom has given up hope on him. He also told me wanted to graduate high school this year, but he got too involved and lost interest in school, so he's hoping to take classes this summer and finish by winter. By the time he finished telling his story he was weeping, begging for prayer, he wanted prayer for hope, for his future and for guidance of a positive male figure. It wasn't until after this boy poured his heart out to me that he said, "Umm...so what are YOU doing in a neighborhood like this?" I got to share my story with him, tell him about Charm City and invited him to Metro Kidz, not sure if he'll actually come, but I told him he'd be more than welcome!
I left Subway with a smile in my heart, I felt relieved that because I had a bible sitting on the table someone felt like they could talk to me. I spent my time in prayer meeting tonight praying for this boy, for hope, for his life, for his future, for God to do a mighty work in him, for a strong positive male influence and for God to use him among his drug dealing peers. I also spent time thanking God for using me in a way I never dreamed, for allowing me to be approachable and for giving me the words to calm this poor, broken heart.
Also one other thing you can join us in prayer for tonight:
Bruce's Family, his grandfather is dying and we're praying for a miracle to be done in Bruce's Family
I left Subway with a smile in my heart, I felt relieved that because I had a bible sitting on the table someone felt like they could talk to me. I spent my time in prayer meeting tonight praying for this boy, for hope, for his life, for his future, for God to do a mighty work in him, for a strong positive male influence and for God to use him among his drug dealing peers. I also spent time thanking God for using me in a way I never dreamed, for allowing me to be approachable and for giving me the words to calm this poor, broken heart.
Also one other thing you can join us in prayer for tonight:
Bruce's Family, his grandfather is dying and we're praying for a miracle to be done in Bruce's Family
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