God blessed us with another incredible serving day in the great city of Philadelphia! Today was a fun mix of new places and familiar faces as many groups not only got to partner with new organizations but also got to return to previous serving sites to continue developing relationships with children.
Serving Group 1 -
Serving Group 1 began the day at Impact Thrift Store, an organization that donates the profits they make from the store to help local ministries. After sorting, stacking, and tagging hundreds of donations, the group drove back to Camden to reunite with their friends from the Neighborhood Center Summer Camp (the same site they had visited the day before). The Group helped clean up the gym at the facility and got to spend a lot of time interacting with and playing with the children. The team also got to meet Michael, the director of the center, who sincerely thanked the group for being there to love on those kids. Michael's gratitude was evident, and the team felt just as thankful to get to be a part of all that God is already doing in this place.
Since they've been spending a lot of time driving in the van, Group 1 has started an exciting habit. Whenever the van stops at a red light, the team always scans the area to see if there are any homeless men or women around. If so, group members eagerly donate an extra portion of their lunches to that individual in need. The staff has been amazed at how your children are not just content to serve once they get to a site, but that they insist on taking every opportunity to serve that God puts in their path!
After dinner at a Jamaican restaurant, Group 1 got to take a turn experiencing the prayer tour in the evening. Many of your children boldly prayed out loud for the people of Philadelphia and the issues they face during this time.
Serving group 2 -
Serving group 2 spent the morning at Helping Hands Rescue Mission, an organization run out of a church building that ministers to homeless men in the area. The group was greeted by Pastor Mike, who has been serving with Helping Hands for over 15 years. After a brief orientation, the team split up into 3 groups. One group spent the morning in the kitchen creating snack packs for the homeless. Another group worked in the fellowship hall organizing care packages for the clients, while the third group spent some time outside beautifying the church grounds. The team was inspired by Pastor Mike's dedication to the Mission, and they felt privileged to get to be a part of all that Helping Hands is doing in the area. During lunch, Pastor Mike spoiled the group by sharing some delicious desserts with everyone. However, the team's favorite gift was Mike's words of encouragement and exhortation to the group, where he advised everyone to get a great education and to glorify God with their lives.
In the afternoon, Group 2 returned to the Honickman Learning Center to continue to build relationships with the children there. The class Group 2 is working with wanted to do something to help others, so they decided to raise money for Operation Smile, an organization that funds surgeries for children with cleft lips/palettes. The team helped the children research the issue and create fliers to publicize their fundraising efforts. Seeing children who come from such challenging backgrounds and severe poverty want to reach out and help others was a humbling and motivating experience for Group 2.
After leaving the Learning Center with promises to return the next day, Group 2 enjoyed some delicious Malian food at a local restaurant before embarking on the prayer tour. The team loved getting to see and pray for different parts of the city to end their serving day.
Serving Group 3 -
Serving Group 3 again started their day at the Honickman Learning Center and had the opportunity to take the kids to the pool for the morning. Your children were very intentional about building relationships with the kids during this fun activity, putting aside their own desires to focus in on the desires of the children.
In the afternoon, Group 3 went to help at a ministry called Ray of Hope, started by a gentleman named Raymond Gant (who, interestingly enough, is highlighted in a book called "Everyday Heroes"). Today the group was helping Raymond literally clean up the streets around Kensington, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The group did such a great job cleaning the area that Raymond let the group go early because they did even more than he was expecting. With their extra free time, the Group went to hang out by the famous LOVE statue before going to experience Hands of Hope, the ministry that hands out bagged dinners to the homeless in the area. Your children did an incredible job of loving homeless men and women in tangible ways by not only providing them with a meal but also by initiating conversations and helping people feel valued and important.
For dinner, Group 3 joined with Group 4 to enjoy some Vietnamese cuisine.
Serving Group 4-
In the morning, Serving Group 4 returned to the Harold Davis Summer Camp to take the children from the projects to the movies. Opportunities like this only exist for these children when there are volunteers present to take them, so the group felt very honored that they could bring a little joy in this way. After a great morning with the kids, Group 4 got to enjoy some "water ice," Philly's unique version of a slushy. After their post-lunch treat, the group went to the Salvation Army in the afternoon to serve. The team split up into two groups. One group took care of the grounds, doing general lawn care and improving the area. Inside, the second group spent their time cleaning and organizing the donations. At the end of their time at the Salvation Army, Pastor Tony prayed for the group and gave the team an awesome challenge. He encouraged your children not to be thermometers (people influenced by the conditions/environment around them), but to instead be thermostats (people who control or influence their environments). These inspiring words really resonated with the group as they reflected on all God has been teaching them so far.
As mentioned above, Group 4 joined with Group 3 for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Serving Group 4 also got to participate in the Hands of Hope program, delivering dinners to over a dozen homeless people and engaging several of them in conversations about life and faith.
For Porch Time tonight, all groups met at the beautiful Azalea Gardens, which served as a wonderful backdrop to hear God's message to us this evening. Tonight Craig spoke on 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, urging us all to be vessels of God's love to everyone we meet. We were challenged to not only live this concept out on a mission trip, but to put this principle into practice back at home, too.
Tomorrow night we will have a time of extended small groups in lieu of Porch Time. We hope you will help us prepare to discuss all that God is teaching us by attending the Wednesday night prayer meeting at 7pm in the SM Worship Room. Kelley and Jeff Clark will be leading that time, and we hope you will join us as we cover both the Philly and the North Carolina trips in prayer.
