Friday, July 9, 2010

HALF-WAY through SUMMER DAY CAMP!




I don't know where the time goes, but it is sure going by in a hurry!  As I sit here and type, I can not believe that we have three weeks of Summer Day Camp under our belt... with 3 more to go!  Needless-to-say, our days are full and we are keeping busy with the kids!  From crazy games to crafts and small groups to reading, we are having a great time and truly imparting into these kids lives.

This past week, we made a trip out to the San Francisco Zoo!  With it being the first Wednesday of the month, we were able to get everyone in for FREE because all San Francisco residents can get into the zoo for free on the first Wednesday of the month.  The kids had an awesome time and LOVED seeing all the cool animals.  We even got to take one little girl for her very first time... how special it was!

In other news, David has been working hard to break into the 'gang' above our house.  He has been up there twice in the last week to take some of the guys food and to play basketball.  It has been a slow go with the guys not really sticking around to 'hang out'.  Please be praying for David and his team as they continue to work on building relationship with these guys.  It is very challenging and can be disheartening at times, but we continue to have faith in our Lord and that He is able to do the impossible!

We are also looking at having a staff member move into the first floor of our house by the end of the summer.  We are excited to see staff come on board!  There is the possibility of having two other young ladies join us this fall.  One my be here as early as August, with the other arriving in September.  

With the close of summer coming up quickly, we are praying about starting a "Kid's Klub" and "Youth Group" as a continuation of Summer Day Camp.  We want to provide a platform to continue to build relationship with the kids and youth, as well as, sow into their lives.  We are not sure what this will look like, but are seeking the Lord about His plans for the fall.  

***Be sure to check out the videos from this past week at camp!  

Blessings to you all!  Thanks for stopping in... we'll see you later!





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Me and Miss Ria

Me and Miss Ria
Ria lives with her Grandmother and is staying with her cousins for the summer here in Hunters Point... she is a true sweetheart in every sense of the word!

Serving Lunches...

Serving Lunches...
Thanks to the government, we have been able to provide FREE lunches to the kids every day!

Being Silly...

Being Silly...
This is Kyra who comes to Day Camp with her sister and two cousins... she is every bit as adorable as she is in this photo!

Getting 'Mummy-fied'!!!

Getting 'Mummy-fied'!!!
This is one of the crazy games we played with the kids this week...

Haning Out...

Haning Out...
David hanging out with the kids as we wait for their rides to pick them up...

Summer Day Camp 2010!!

Summer Day Camp 2010!!
Group picture taken at Golden Gate Park this week...

Our Neighborhood

We live on the south-side of San Francisco in a forgotten neighborhood made up of over 30,000 residents. 61% of our neighbors are African-American. 16% are Hispanic and 8% are of Asian decent. Of the 30,000 neighbors we have, 134 are Caucasian. Needless to say, we stand out a little bit!


Gun shots and sirens are a regular occurence here in our neighborhood. There are 16 known gangs located within our streets. Our neighbors have the highest asthma and infant mortality rate in the state of California. Apart from those issues, our neighborhood is home to many other health related problems due to the fact that it is built on an old Naval Shipyard which was abandonded shortly after WW2. To this day, it releases toxic chemicals into the air.


As we have spent time studying the neighborhood, it is easy for us to get overwhelmed by ALL the problems, but God has kept revealing to us the potential of this neighborhood if His people would turned to Jesus.


The Vision...

Due to the numerous gangs in our neighborhood, it is extremelly complicated and difficult to hold community wide events. With each gang comes a complete territory, creating lines that can not be crossed. For that reason, we have broken up the neighborhood into 5 key areas. Four of the areas are different public housing projects. The fifth is around the corner from where we live.


Our plan is to start engaging the youth in programs such as sports clinics, dance clubs, art/graffiti groups, etc... to offer them a positive alternative to gang life. Our desire is that these ‘clubs’ would lead into discipleship groups located in the 5 key areas. We would eventually like to partner with local churches and key leaders in the community to form a youth church. We hope to start our first discipleship group here in our home and help run sports clinics at the local recreation center later this year. We are also constantly out on the streets, telling young people about Christ, and building relationship with them. We are in the process of turning our garage into a mini-youth center equipped with a X-box, TV, and, hopefully, a pool table. We want to offer a safe place for youth to hang out instead of being out on the streets.