New Friends

I love the way kids can just instantly bond with one another in the name of play!  They don't care about skin color, economic status, education level, or even if they know each other's names!  They just want to play with someone their own size!  I have watched this happen so many times in the last couple of weeks.  As the weather has warmed, kids naturally want to play outside - ride bikes, walk the dog, etc.  There are so many children in this neighborhood, I don't know how we will ever get to know them all!  But, we have gotten to know our next door neighbor and her 4 children.  They are perfect playmates for Emma and Cooper - 2 preschool age boys & a little girl Emma's age.  As soon as they see that we are home, they are knocking on the front door!  Yesterday, I  walked into the living room to see a little face plastered to the window looking for Cooper!  It's wonderful! 

Adults, on the other hand, are much more stand-offish.  We have learned that people can be hurtful and unkind at times, so we tend to be more guarded with who we let into our lives.  I have seen this in the last couple of weeks, as well.  We had the opportunity last week to invite some teenage boys in our neighborhood to participate in a youth retreat sponsored by Austin Peay State University.  As we first approached each mother, we could see their stiff body language and somber faces bracing for bad news or a request for money.  Then, as we explained that her son had been nominated to participate in this retreat, free of charge, because of his standing as a good role model and positive leader in the neighborhood, we saw smiles spread across their faces and a sense of pride swell up from inside.  It was so much fun to get to deliver that good news!   I hope that we have planted some seeds of trust that will lead to friendships in the future.

This week, I am finalizing plans for a month of "healthy living" classes for the women of the neighborhood.  These classes will meet each Tuesday in April.  Our home church, Second Baptist, is going to sponsor the classes, which will be taught by RN's from the congregation.  They will teach about living a heart healthy lifestyle, basic first aid, and how to prevent infection.  Then on the last Tuesday of the month we are going to have a clinic night, where these ladies can have their blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, etc. checked.  Again, I am praying that new friendships will be planted and that we will begin to build up some trust in the neighborhood.

If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Ecclesiastes 4:10

Unpacking

You never really know how much "stuff" you have until you put it all in boxes and then unpack it again!  That has been the primary focus for us this week-unpacking our new life here at Challenge House 3.  We've actually made pretty good progress!  We are basically down to just figuring out where to hang all the wall photos and curtains.

We have already had several meetings here, with another big day planned for tomorrow.  We have a Girl Scout Troop that meets here every Thursday, so we got to meet those sweet girls this week, several of which live here in the neighborhood.  Friday, the Leadership Hopkinsville class sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce came by to see the house and learn about the ministry that happens here.  I had the privilege of sharing our family's testimony with the group. 

This week there is a group of about 50 young men from Boston coming to spend their spring break doing community service in Hopkinsville.  Tomorrow, they are focusing on serving the West Side and CH3 will be "command central!"  Can't wait to come home and see what they have done to help our neighbors!

Now, we are anxiously awaiting spring so that we can get outside and start building some relationships!  I don't think we will have a hard time connecting with the children:)  On Monday, we were going into the house the same time the elementary school bus was coming down the street, when suddenly we heard our names being yelled out!  We turned around to see several children we've met through the children's ministry at SBC waving out the windows and shouting, "Hi Mrs. Lori!"  What a great confirmation that we are right where God wants us!

Blessed Beyond Measure

WOW!  What an exciting week we have had!  Last Sunday our home church commissioned us as neighborhood missionaries, pledging to support us in deed and in prayer.  Since we are Southern Baptists, this was followed by a potluck lunch:)  Then, those that we able walked the block and a half or so to our Challenge House, where we encircled the house, hand in hand, and prayed over it and all those that will be affected by the ministry taking place in it.  What an awesome experience this was!  Such a sweet fellowship with our church family.

On Monday night, ladies from the Beth Faul WMU group came to the Challenge House and cleaned it from top to bottom.  These awesome women came straight from work, cleaning supplies in hand!  They did everything from vacuum and dust to clean the refrigerator shelves.  Another blessing to know that my family could move into a clean house.

Two retired men from our church donated  a 40+ hour work week to paint the entire downstairs of our CH. This will be the common area of the house that will be used by any group that comes in to have a meeting or Bible study.  Such a relief to know that it is freshly painted and ready for whatever this ministry brings our way!

On Thursday, we had a buyer put a contract on our "old" house.  The circumstances behind this buyer choosing our house and the details of the purchase contract leave no doubt that God was in that situation!  We will have a couple of extra weeks to finish moving out the last of our stuff, and maybe even have a moving sale, before the new owner takes possession. (We are waiting on an outdoor storage building to be installed at the CH, so we had to leave behind everything in the attic and garage of the old house.)

Yesterday, Saturday, was our big moving day!  We had 9 men from church show up to help with the move.  We were done in a couple hours!  My mom and I were even able to get a good bit of the kitchen unpacked! 

Even today at church the blessings continued to flow.  We had several people approach us about wanting to reseed the front yard, having a friend remove a tree stump in the backyard (which is holding up the progress of our outbuilding), and just blessing us with gift cards!  We feel so loved as God continues to use our church family to confirm this life changing decision!

Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Luke 6:38