June Update

Dear Family and Friends,

I love how long the days last during the summer time. A later setting sun means more day light hours to be outside with the community. Jason & Nancy Phelps, my upstairs neighbors, and I have been intentionally spending as much time as possible in our yard to get to know individuals on our block better.

“Look at me! Look at me!”

These attention-seeking acclamations often come from Deonte, a 6-year-old boy who lives close to me. He loves to show me his “back-flips” (glorified cart-wheels, really) when he plays in my yard. It’s even cuter when his 4-year-old sister tries to mimic his movements. Her “back-flips” are really just somersaults, but they receive an equal amount of praise from me. I love spending time with these kids and many others who live on my block. The kids seem to like being around us and playing in our fenced-in, grassy-green yard, too. They really enjoy running from and after my puppy, and have even offered to help Nancy with her garden!

This month we will host a Back Yard Bible Club at our house. For two weeks we will invite any and all neighbor kids between the ages of 6 and 12 to join us for Bible lessons, crafts, games, snacks, and more! We will wrap up our Bible Club with an afternoon field trip to a swimming pool at a local state park and return home to host an evening BBQ open to the whole neighborhood. Our goals are to become better known in the community, create opportunities to begin new and build on existing relationships, and, most importantly, to share the Gospel.

I am really excited for the neighbors to see us using our home to serve them and glorify God through this outreach. Hopefully the kids who come to Bible Club will also become involved with our full summer program, which will run out of our Ministry Center for the next six weeks.

The time I have spent outside up until now has already proven to be so effective in ministry. At first only a couple of the kids knew my face, now adults up and down my block are friendlier: saying hello, waving as I drive past, and sometimes striking up conversations with me. I have such hope for these small steps to become huge avenues for God to work through me in reaching each one of my neighbors.

Thank you for praying for these outreaches and that God will use them to provide many opportunities to minister His love in the city.

Serving in the City,
Beth