Sunday, March 08, 2009

The letter

Our preacher shared a letter with us from one of the guys who worked on the building. I don't remember the details well enough to share the whole letter, but the gentleman said that they came expecting to give, but they received a lot more than they could have ever imagined. He said they were all extremely blessed by the reactions of the kids & adults.

These guys were a real blessing to us, as well. The kids are more excited than I've ever seen them.

This evening, we moved all of the craft stuff & everything into the new building. Most of the kids were happy to help. We got it done with time to spare. After we got everything moved, & some shelves assembled, the kids played charades. I also told them that we're working on getting a new Youth Director. I told them that the preacher has one in mind, & everything looks promising, but they weren't getting rid of me, yet. I wanted them to know what's going on, & that I'm not going to abandon them to someone else. They have been abandoned too many times, as it is. Not necessarily intentionally abandoned, but parents end up in jail, or prison & the kids still feel abandoned. I am finally gaining their trust, & am not about to derail that, now.

A couple of kids are having to deal with their Dad going to prison for 2-5 years. I don't know the reason, but figure it was drug or alcohol related. Their Mom came to church last week, & today. I told her that she has great kids & that we love them, too. Then, I thanked her for sharing them with us.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

The work crew came in Friday night, & worked all day yesterday, & half a day, today. Our building has undergone an unbelievable transformation. The outside looks the same, but only due to lack of time, & too much wind.

16 guys came in & put linoleum in the front area, built a wall inside, painted the big area (about 1600 square feet), took out cabinets that were no longer usable, installed doors, put in a dropped ceiling, tweaked some electrical wiring, & left the place as clean as it was when they got here.

Wednesday, the kids & I will set up tables & chairs, & possibly put together some shelves. Some of the kids have seen the building, & they were so excited that it showed when they talked to the workers. The workers said that made the whole trip worth it.