Big Move

It’s been a little while since I last wrote (something I will strive to be better about) so for those of you I haven’t caught up with in a little while I want to offer a quick update on what the last few days have held.

After a series of events that I won’t get into here I decided that it was best for me at this time to move out of the Scarlet Thread Youth Center. This will be good for me because the building is constantly busy with unpredictable activities and while I love youth events it is definitely nice to be able to “go home” at the end of the day.

I have been offered the opportunity to live at my Friend Mike and Carrie Becher’s House for the next 9 weeks until Sara and I get married (something I continue to look forward to more and more with each new day). Mike is a Youth Pastor here in the area and was one of the first people I met and spent time with when I came out here.

We have spent the last few days moving everything we could from my apartment to Sara’s (as I will begin living there in November anyway) and today we finished the move with all of the big furniture. As I write this to you tonight I am sitting in my new temporary room at Mike and Carrie’s enjoying having the moving job wrapped up, and excited that we were able to move all my stuff to Sara’s apartment long before the wedding. That will certainly reduce a great deal of stress as time gets closer.

I’m excited about Jr. High Fuze tomorrow. It should be good times.

I’ll catch up with you soon.

-Timbo

Insomnia

It’s 4:34am as I begin this blog post. I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I don’t know why. Sunday Night I didn’t go to sleep until 8am Monday morning. In the middle of the night I decided to make the best of it and headed off to the Youth Center to do some lesson prep for FUZE and just spent a good amount of time in prayer. I figure now as long as I’m not sleeping I might as well take care of business, but I hope to get myself back to some kind of regular schedule soon. I suppose I’m still productive throughout the night, and I’m certainly without interruption, but I am also missing opportunities to connect with people.

Insomnia aside, a couple weeks ago I was asked to join the Youth Impact Team. A group of Youth Workers in the area who organize events and the majority of the major Youth Programs that take place here. As the new guy here I’m glad to be asked to be a part of this team. We are currently working on “One Week” a local work camp that will take place in two weeks which will bring kids from around the area together to serve at different work sites, much the same way a domestic youth mission trip would operate. They have run it here for a few years now and I am eager to be a part of this year’s program. I hope to be involved in future events with the youth impact team as well.

Also coming up in the near future I’m working with my supervisor and friend Don DiCrasto on the Scarlet Thread Golf Tournament for late September. Right now he’s got most of the stuff figured out for it, and I’m just helping to gather some sponsors, but it should be a fun event. I golf a little, but in reality, it’s more like chasing a ball around the golf course for a long time so I’ll be staying off the green out of respect for the other players. )

Sara has been an awesome help over this summer helping me out on Thursdays since her Rec Program is off until September and a couple weeks ago brought her camera along to take some new pictures of us playing around the youth center. They came out pretty well but for those of you who have been confused before about the youth center pictures, I should explain that not only are all the walls in the youth center really dark (dark wood paneling) but to create a cool atmosphere we keep most of the lights off except for the lights over the pool table, café table, some free standing lamps, and Christmas lights that are interwoven into a fishnet suspended on the ceiling. None of it comes out very well on camera but in person it all looks very cool. But check out the pictures and I hope you’ll still get a great (Though slightly dim) idea of the good times we all have together at the Walworth Youth Center.

-Timbo

“The Fuze” and more…

Hey everyone!

I am sorry it has been so long since I have written. Things have been going well with the new Jr. High Bible Study on Mondays, or “Jr. High Fuze” as we are calling it. We start our time off playing group games (and so far I am pleased to report that the only significant injury that has arisen from the event has happened to me – a sprained ankle playing football. The important thing is that the kids are safe. ) ) The group games have been a big hit because it’s an entirely new concept to these kids. They have been coming to the youth center for a while now, but simply to hang out. Playing together and working together as a team in many ways is a new growing experience and is a great bonding experience, an opportunity to learn to trust and respect each other, and just a whole lot of fun.

After game time we sit down for a time in Bible Study. It’s a lot different than my previous ministry and it’s taking a little time to figure out just where to get started to meet these kids where they are spiritually, but I am excited for the opportunity. There is definitely a great need for God in their lives. Please continue to pray for this ministry, and pray that God would give me wisdom as to how to reach them most effectively.

I haven’t yet started the Sr. High Bible study. I am still in the process of generating interest around it. I ask that you would pray that God would show me how to begin reaching those kids with the Gospel most effectively and how I might be able to take the hang-out centered time I have with them right now to the next level.

I was thrilled this past Saturday to have a youth worship team come and make use of the Youth Center for their band practice. While the team didn’t necessarily have anything to do with my direct ministry, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to provide these students (who by the way are all excellent musicians) with a place to play other than their garage. It is my hope that the youth center will continue to serve as a place, not only for the ministry that I do, hands on, but that I can facilitate through the offering of the building.

Prayer requests:

Please be praying that God would provide the volunteers needed for each new program coming up this fall.

Please be praying that God would provide for my personal finances and for the needs of the ministry headed into the upcoming months.

Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness in support of this ministry through your friendship, prayer, and financial support.

I will write again soon,

-Timbo