Thoughts on this past week and a big thanks to an influential man with a contagious heart for the city

Here I am, getting ready to start week 4 of this internship, looking onto this next week of Camp Hero and looking back to all that’s happened, particularly this past week at in particular.  These past 3 weeks have been so challenging and informational/insightful.  I’ve learned so many things here and there, most about both myself and faith so far.

Haha, I first off want to say that I have the utmost respect for teachers.  Camp Hero was so challenging, for many reasons, and the fact that teachers deal with things day in and day out is incredible.  While I don’t mean to be disrespectful necessarily to many out there, but we continually need greater teachers.  Within the past two weeks or so, we’ve learned so much about the public school systems and all that is wrapped up, discussed, and involved in that.  It’s an unfortunate fact that so many people realize that the young children in many schools are being slighted, but the necessary change isn’t able to be made due to unions, tenure, and other things.  Now I know that there is so much to be said about that, but in what I have been able to look back and see from the schooling I’ve been privileged to receive, so many kids are missing out on quality education.  Due to that, many lose interest, drop out, continually get stuck in the poverty from which they came, etc.  I say all that to praise the many good/great teachers out there who have a heart for teaching students and teaching them the value of learning and becoming better people in that area, and also to encourage those who are going to college to become teachers.  I’ve talked to a couple education majors in the past and one of their statements has stood out to me this whole time.  This isn’t verbatim, but he pretty much said that he would never work in an urban setting and would go far from it.  While I’m struggling to figure out where I fit in this whole equation with where I’m at now, I just want to add my voice to the crowd of those saying that there is a need for great teachers who are willing to step up to the challenge and reach these kids who are otherwise going to get pushed through the system by people who may not really be looking out for them so much as their paycheck.   The urban community needs to be reached in so many ways, physically, educationally, and spiritually. 

I’ve been able to work with 3^rd graders at Camp Hero with another intern and a teacher from a local public school.  From 9-noon, it’s Mr. Mark who is teaching them and giving them lessons that have to do with literacy and things like that, then from 1-2:30, Jill and I have them and either do games or crafts and stuff.  It’s been one of the toughest things, just between realizing that it’s partially a summer camp, they need the push to learn and progress so they aren’t behind once the year starts, etc.  I’m struggling to find out how I can be most effective with this wonderful opportunity that we’ve been placed in.  While they may get on my nerves often due to whatever reason, I desperately am looking for a way to let God’s love show through me and let him use me in a way to best serve these kids.  As I had mentioned before, this is becoming a hot summer, both in temperature and in violence (2 shootings within the past week, a double homicide 1.5 weeks ago, and just heard shots a couple min ago).  These kids are growing up in an environment that doesn’t necessarily help them succeed.  Hopefully people like those at Providence Bible Church, Camp Hero, Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Metro Denver, and more can continue to have an impact that begins to change this community from the inside out literally, like we’ve been able to experience now and more-so after we leave. 

Today’s sermon has been working on my mind all day and I know is going to be a constant challenge in my everyday life from now on.  The basic point, in short, was realizing the blessing, purpose and inevitability of enemies.  The sermon was over 2 Samuel 16:5-14.  Pastor J talked about how even though David was being cursed, David took it as something to leave in the sovereignty of God and if it’s from God, then he accepts it, if not, God will deal with Shimei on His terms.  J was contrasting how the typical reaction nowadays and even back in that time was to fight fire with fire, in a sense, and how David, MLK, and even Jesus took a radical move to not fight back, even calmed those with them to not fight back.  They fought fire with true love.  They truly embraced the meaning of love your enemies.  I know that with all I’ve been learning and being challenged with, I cant just keep it to myself, I’ve got to share it somehow, I’ve got to stand up for the good things that I’ve seen here that may not be somewhere else.  Since I’ve been here I’ve been challenged with my faith and where it really is and how strong it is (if it’s even really there).  Something said in the sermon that really stuck with me was, “Faith without risk is a dead faith.”  I wholeheartedly believe that and I know that if you’re not really risking something, how can you say you really believe and are fighting for something? Things really grow, impact, and spread many times through adversity, and the things that are being fought for in the city are so far against the common way of life that it’ll be a long time before it gets righted, if ever.  But just because it may be hard and nothing may be happen in my lifetime, that doesn’t mean I give up caring for the orphan, widow, and the forgotten.  I’m continually being shaped into having both a heart for the city, and a heart for the world.

Who woulda thought that 3 of us from Cedarville, from the
same class, would be in the same city for the summer?

*P.S. – none of this would happen without the influence of one of my profs, Dr. Cook.  Thanks Dr. Cook for all the things you are doing at Cedarville, all the people you bring in, the weekends you simulate, the videos you show, and the heart for the city that you truly have and are trying to open up so many people’s eyes to.  We continually need more people like you in our lives.  I know I've got so much more to continually learn, but I wouldn’t be here getting impacted, with these other awesome interns (2 from Cedarville as well), and learning these things if it wasn’t for you :)