Now that summer camp is almost over...

DayBreak is in its 2nd to last week of summer camp and only now have I been able to find a few minutes to sit down and make a post.

This summer has been...a learning experience. It's been very hard, tiring, emotional, fun and frustrating all at the same time. Our summer camp is for children grades k-5 and we split them by grade into two different locations (we are renting space from a church around the corner for the older group). I'm running the younger group, k-2, and we started out with 18 kids on our roster and it has gone to to 9! A few kids have been expelled and some stopped coming because their parents stopped walking them over here. Despite the craziness, I've been able to see God work. One child asked Jesus to come into his heart! He was genuinely excited as he went around to different kids telling them, "Hey! Jesus is in my heart! I asked him to come into my heart. I can feel him!" :) It was so precious!

To be honest, it has been hard to learn how to really love and show love to the people in this community. I find my frustration creating a wall that causes me to only extend but so much compassion and love. I get frustrated when children fight for no real reason or when parents could care less about the well being of their children or that many adults don't have a job and just sit around all day every day. BUT...because God can do anything, he is daily showing me how to love the children and adults here in Lincoln Heights. I'm realizing that many of the children I work with are wearing masks that make them appear to be strong indivudials who can take anything thrown at them, who show no emotion and can act more like an adult than a child. It's all a facade. The more love and mercy we extend to these children, the more the walls come down and I recognize that these children do show emotion and simply need someone to show them love.

I'm reading a book called, "From Brokeness to Community" and the author states, "It is important to bring broken people into a community of love, a place where they feel accepted and recognized in their gifts, and have a sense of belonging." That is what we (DayBreak) are trying to do. That is what I'm trying to do.

On a little bit of a lighter note, we went on a field trip a few weeks ago to the Folk Life Festival in downtown DC. The festival was on the National Mall. A child decided it would be a great idea to go number one, in front of lots of people, in the middle of the mall. Looking back at it, it's hilarious! At that moment I was not happy!! Haha...What made it worse was that we I dropped the kids and the interns off while I drove around in a 15 passenger van trying to find a place to park, which is almost impossible in the city with a huge vehicle. After having driven around for 20 minutes or so, one of the interns called to tell me the kids were misbehaving to the point that she suggested we take them all back. So, we did. What an experience! :)

Continue praying that God would continue to work even as summer camp winds down. Pray that He would continue the work He has started in this community.