Today we took some of our 6th graders who are about to start middle school out for a graduation celebration from SOZO Kids.  They start school Thursday and are full of mixed emotions about being middle schoolers.  I have mixed emotions about this transition too...middle school isn't as friendly as elementary school and these kids will have to face a lot more then they have previously and so much more than I had to face in middle school.  What is cool though is they have SOZO leaders there to help support them on their journey. Float Fridays is their version of SOZO and will provide a safe place for them to be and thrive. 

The best surprise of our time together came when we handed out their graduation presents...hardcover Student Life Application Bibles (thanks to a fundraiser from our church's co-op school). They were so excited about them and started looking up topics in the back to find out what 'God thought' :) They were engaged in them for a good 10 minutes, almost entirely guided by their own curiosity!  I can't wait to hand the rest of them out to the other 6th graders!!

Victory!

Weeks of planning, my car trunk filled with crafts and games, an inbox full of e-mails, hours in prayer, over 40 different volunteers (just for my two sites alone!) and over 150 kids receiving the love of Jesus = VICTORY!!

The city of Tacoma was filled with youth in red shirts these past two weeks, youth who came for urban missions in Tacoma.  Youth who came to have their lives transformed by Jesus and then out of the overflow, share that with the kids of Tacoma.  We also had the Catalyst Training School http://catalystschool.com/ join us, who are 18-29 year olds from all over here for a summer of training in missions, prayer and restoration and who just left for Cambodia to do five more weeks of missions.  It was incredible to watch all unite for kids in Tacoma under the banner of Jesus!

Week one we partnered with SLAM, a summer program for elementary aged kids who are at the Rescue Mission Family Shelter and Tyler Square (transitional housing).  Our youth were intimidated at first, unsure of how to initiate with the broken kids who were really shut down. By the end of the week, there were even tears saying goodbye from some of the kids who had been so impacted by the love of Jesus that was demonstrated to them.  There were also many kids who responded to receive Jesus in their hearts-praise God!

Face painting

Dance competition

Balloon animals

Preaching the Gospel to the kids

crafts

One of our volunteers being pulled into the water at the Spray Park

Week two we all went a few blocks down the road to the Boys and Girls Club and volunteered with their program and ran three days of events filled with crazy team challenges (like how many cheetos can your partner have stick to your face that is covered in whipped cream), games (like field noodle hockey played with pool noodles and a beach ball), crafts (like moon sand) and a carnival with two jumpy toys, face paint, balloon animals and ice cream.  Most of these kids our SOZO team had not met before and they all had a chance to hear about SOZO Kids!  We LOVE to partner in the community and believe that this partnership will be fruitful for years to come!

Girls hanging out

Making Gak

Balloon animals

Basketball in the jumpy toy

Noodle hockey

Face painting

Trying to get the frozen t-shirt out of a ball during the competition

Frozen t-shirt winner!

Joyful Spirit

I have a precious nine year old friend at SOZO Kids.  She is one of our regulars and is brought weekly by her grandma.  I don't know much of her story as she has been told she is not allowed to share it.  I only know that she has not lived with either parent in a long time.

This past week, I found myself in the midst of many kids yelling at each other and she was right in the middle of it.  It took a couple of minutes to get everyone to stop and I finally was able to pull her away to a quieter place to talk.  She was very angry and ready to do what she needed to do to defend herself.

Whenever there is anger, I know to look for hurt and fear underneath, so I began to ask her questions.  Her anger soon turned to tears as she shared about how other kids were making fun of her. I asked her if she gets made fun of a lot and the tears became stronger as she shared about the things that she is teased for at school--among those things were her name and her size. She also shared how she doesn't feel like she has very many friends.  

My heart ached talking to her...she has been rejected by so many already at age 9, including her parents.  We talked about the power of forgiveness and that Jesus wanted to heal her heart from all of her hurt.  She began to pray with me, forgiving her friends and schoolmates for the teasing.  She then shared about how she got her name; her dad had sent a message to her mom when she was in labor with her name and that it meant "joyful spirit."  She has clung to this story as a connection to her parents and was so hurt that others make fun of her for it.  With tears in my eyes, I told her that her name is true, that she does have a joyful spirit.  I was also able to communicate God's love for her, that He made her well, and that He loves everything about her.  It was a powerful moment and I really believe the truth penetrated to her heart.

I then asked her if she had anything else in her heart that hurt and she nodded, beginning to share how painful it is to not see her parents.  She let me pray over her and I boldly asked for healing, protection and that she would know she was loved by the God the universe and a Dad that will never leave her side. 

I have had many desperate prayer moments...moments where everything in you aches to see the fulfillment of "on earth as it is in heaven" where the fullness of God's power manifests itself.  This was one of those moments.  The world would say she is on the path to many destructive things based on her life story thus far...I believe that God has purchased life abundant for this joyful spirit and am grateful that I get to be a voice in her life telling her this truth.

Dinner with Jesus

Last Thursday we had our usual dinner at our house for youth.  This week, in addition to our middle school gals, we had two other gals...one who is 15 and has been prostituting for the last two years and another who has been in and out of our juvenile detention facility quite a bit. It was the first time that either gal had been to our house and they are kids that our ministry have been pursuing for years...and they were in our dining room!  

There is something powerful about sharing a meal with others in your home.  It is amazing how at home these kid have felt and how they seem to be able to be themselves.  There is a deeper trust that is built and walls break down. Jesus knew what he was doing when he ate with "sinners."

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"  On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."  (Matthew 9:10-13)

Photo Shoot With Thursday Discipleship Gals

Focused

I remember back in November when I started  giving rides to “Trianna” and her friends weekly to SOZO.  We built a relationship and she began to trust me and open up about her life.  Then one night, I got to pray with her as she accepted Jesus.  Later that night, when I was driving her home, she said, “well, I guess you are my mentor, and I was wondering if we could hang out sometime.”   She stole my line!  I was getting ready to ask her, but she did not find it necessary to wait for my invitation of mentorship! 

Since that day, she has been my faithful car buddy weekly to SOZO, we have frequented several milkshake establishments together and she has been a regular to our Thursday night dinner at our home for middle school girls.  Trianna is marked by leadership, a mother’s heart, grace, passion, love, service, faith and perseverance.  I often marvel at how this 13 year old could be flourishing as much as she is with all that she has experienced.  

Trianna, like any of us, so longs to be known and loved.  She recently shared with me a poem she had written, matter-of-factly sharing some of the pains of her heart.  With all that swirls around her in life, she understands the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness in a way that challenges me.  She has rarely shared a difficult thing that is going on without communicating her trust in who the Lord is and how He is meeting her in her prayers.  

God is God...faithful, good, trustworthy...regardless of what circumstance is blaring in Trianna’s life (or in my life).  As I continue to grow in relationship with her and other youth--all who have stories that I can hardly fathom--I have been driven to the to the Word of God to tighten my grip on the rock that cannot be shaken, Jesus Christ. 

So often I find myself focused on my circumstances.  As I look at them, I am filled with emotions (fear, anger, hopelessness...), expect disappointment and often imagine the worst possible outcome.  Yet when I am fixed on who God is, I see truth and am filled with hope, knowing He reigns over everything...period.

I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven. (Psalm 123:1)  He is our living hope,  and there is true fruit in allowing Him to reign at the center of our thoughts instead of our circumstances.  Trianna is living, thriving evidence of this reality.

Family Dinner

Last Wednesday we had an impromptu dinner guest.   All of us were home for dinner that night (which is rare with the four of us!) and we were just finishing up cooking when Chrisy walked in the door with "Shanika" (one of our "regulars" now to our Thursday discipleship times, who is a middle schooler).  Katie was practicing on the piano and Shanika quickly joined her and wanted to learn how to play.  When we sat down to eat, Shanika prayed for our dinner...and for each of us individually... and added her thanks that "we all get to live in this great place...or I mean thank you that they all get to."   This was not her only reference to "our house" that night where she included herself as a part of our house!!

I love that Shanika got to be at home, in our home.  I love that she saw a "family" dinner.  I love that she was loved for who she is.  I love that she got to be celebrated as she told us about her life.  I love that she so easily fit in with us and was herself.  I love that all of my roommates and I can love kids together in this way!

Thank you, Jesus, for family dinners!