Alone Again

Alas, Corey and I are alone once agian. It has been wonderful having Emily and Will here for the past 5-7 months and Merryn, and all the other people who have been down.

The last few weeks have been filled with Spiritness and an out pouring of God's love. It has been a wonderful past four weeks. Will, Emily, Corey and I just really started to spend time together in a spiritual way, as i was reminded, over my weekend retreat, the souls of the workers are far more important than the work of the workers. Corey and i deeply cherish are time together as i hope Will and Emily do.
Beleive it or not it is easy to love the people and love the work so much that you forget about yourselves and about the spiritual fuel you need to keep going. I'm talking about something more than Sunday morning church, and monday night young adult bible study, and even more than prep time for teens and childern's bible studies; i'm talking about a true gathering of the workers hearts and souls and spending time sharing and listening and praying together seeking out Christ will for our lives and work. Praise God for this time with the Lord.

In case you are curious over the past few weeks we have been able to minister to people in the community in a way we haven't before, using Christmas as the reason. We had the blessed chance to take cookies and oranges to the Chatom jail and were able to pray with all the inmates there. We also had a chance to take oranges and a christmas note to the teachers and staff out at the elementary school. And we were able to deliver homemade hot cocoa to all the folks that live around the circle here in the community. Corey and i were also able to send out christmas cards and photos to all the churches and folks that have been down since Corey and I have been here. I'm sure that there are other things that I have fogotten that we have done, like having christmas parties, baking endlessly, and still managing to deal with the day to day stuff, where God has awsomely and amazingly worked.

Although Corey and I will miss our wonderful families this Christmas we feel more than blessed to be here to share in the community Christmas festivities and to be doing the service of the Lord. We are going to be "out of the office" starting tomorrow through the 27th but are looking forward to the UNCG group coming down in January and hopefully Joe and Sean the week after Christmas.

So to everyone in North Carolina, and to those others spread around
have a very Merry Christmas from here in Sanktown.

That "G" Word

Saying goodbye insures the opportunity to say hello in the future.

Well, time has indeed flown by. Emily and I will be driving back up to NC this Friday, our internships complete. We'll both be coming back down with a college group for a week in January, but it still feels like we are saying goodbye for awhile. And I have always been bad with goodbyes.

I'm going to be honest with you, and for all of us here at the center, when I admit that we have been pretty slack as a group for a good amount of time. Not because we don't work hard (trust me, we can't avoid that here) and not because we don't care (also unavoidable for us), but we have really lost opportunities to have worship/devotion times with one another. We do have Bible study every week with the young adult group, Kid's Club, and Youth Group as well, but until the past few weeks, we hadn't really set aside the time to be together in the spirit of worship. It hurts me to type these words, but it is the truth. The wonderful thing is that it's never too late to do the right thing.

So, since Jennifer was convicted in this matter after her time at the Youth Workers conference, we have taken steps to rectify our mistakes. And I can't tell you how much I have cherished our private worship times together. It really made a big difference for me in our other weekly activities, and I think that we have learned a valuable lesson about priorities - one that I pray I will remember as I leave this place. I love my brother and sisters here at the center, I am in love with my God and Savior, and I feel like I'm having to say goodbye right here at the beginning!

But I have been reminded recently of the joy that I am afforded in all things, even the sad ones. It is sad to say goodbye, but it serves as proof to how much these people and this place means to me. As Jesus told his followers, you will be sad when I leave, but that sadness will be replaced with a joy that never ends when we meet again (see John 16:22). So it is with all followers of Christ. For us, saying goodbye insures the opportunity to say hello in the future. And I do enjoy saying hello.

Thank you all so much for being a part of our lives! I pray that God blesses and keeps you until we meet again.

Will <><

shopping day:)

Hi again...

So today happened to be errand day.
lovely.

We spend years in movie stop b/c i'm guessin were all movie fanatics.
but anyways we got the movie santa clause 3 for movie night tommorow with the community.


i'm siked, it looks good...
if you already saw it, its ok to say wow shes behind...
hahaha.

alright, sorry to be so short, it's dinner time.


yum yum:]

Well we love yall and things of that sort.
thanks for everything, yall are great.


<3>

Burrrr... It's Cold down here.

hey everyone!

wow, it's almost Christmas time again.

i cant believe i'm going home in a week.

honestly it's kinda sad for me.

but the Lord knows what he's doing.

So anyways..

It is extremly cold down here, or maybe i'm exagerating.

i neverr would have thought it cold be this chilly.

i cold see my breath today walking out of the jail.

Oh...:) to tell why we were at the jail...

We baked cookies and took oranges to the inmates for the holidays.

We also prayed with them as well, which i enjoyed.

I would love to go back soon.

but..

I hope everyone is doing amazing and thanks for all the support;)

Love ya,

Emily

Wonderful visitor

We were just blessed by a visit by Kevan, a member at Poplar Ridge.

Kevan had some vacation time to spare and decided to come down and

help us out. Kevan didn't work on any large projects, mostly tiny

everyday ones, but the difference that it has made in our daily lives

has been ginormous. He fixed heaters, showers, and doors, trimed limbs

and bushes, and played basketball with neighborhood kids. It was great

being able to share our thanksgiving with someone else, someone who

gave us a lot to be thankful about.

and Kevan, just in case you read this, thank you so very much for all you

did and for the wonderful heartfelt conversations and most of all for just

coming down and spending time with us.

In case we don't say it enough, Corey and I love our interns and all the many visitors that take time out of their lives to come down here to Sanktown and who manage to always spread the love of Christ Jesus through word and deed.

God Bless

<><

More Bug News

I figured it had been too long since I wrote about the Sanktown bugs, so here's what I've been dealing with the past few weeks...

The weather has been very wintery-like lately, though today it warmed back up, and so most of the bugs have started to hunker down and hide out. I have noticed a severe decline in the volume of bugs that sneak into my trailer, with one notable exception. Apparently, a large colony of wasps have decided that my trailer will make a good home for the winter, so they have began their invasion. Corey thinks it's payback for our wasp hunting this summer before SOUL started, but that's another story altogether.

Anyway, wasps have been coming into my kitchen and living room at an alarming rate, and since I don't have a flyswatter, I've resorted to using other weapons - namely the dustpan and an oven mitt (not at the same time, though that does conjure up a nice mental picture). The most effective measure has been the use of Raid, however, and so I have doused the outside of my trailer several times. I have also found the main location of entry into the kitchen and spray it regularly - I've plugged about half a dozen other holes as well. I killed 25 in just five days last week (inside only - God only knows how many died outside and in the walls). But this week has been much better - only two so far.

I know writing about killing things doesn't make the most appealing reading material, but since hunting for wasps has become a regular part of my daily life, I figured I'd let you hear about it. Just pray I don't get stung. So far, so good in that department!

Please keep in your Prayers

This morning we found out that we lost a child of the Sanktown community and of the McIntosh Elementary School family. Nathan Reed, a forth grader at the school was killed in a car accident, on his way to school, when another car ran a stop sign and the airbag came out and broke his neck. He is the son of Evie Reed and the grandson of Ms. Judy Faye and the cousin of one of our students,Evie, in the after school program.

Please keep this family and the school in your prayers, during the upcoming holiday season.

<><

SOUL DATES

Guess What Ya'll??

The S.O.U.L. dates are out!!

June 20-26 Sports Camp

July 11-17 Work Week

July 18-24 Vacation Bible School

Tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW the SOUL DATES are OUT

Make sure you help your church find the right date to send its youth and young adults , then raise that money and come on down

i'm still alive:)

hi everyone.

its emily.
sorry i havent been posting but honestly it confused me.
haha.
just kiddin.
so... serious note....
everythings going great down here in good ol' sanktown.
bible study is awesome, were actually all going out tonite to dinner and bowling possibly.
im siked.
whoop whoop
but sorry im being short but merryn and i have to sort some rummage. oh yeah.
haha.
<3>
God Bless
Emily

After School

For those of you who have been praying for the After School Program, i have a great update for you. It seems like it would never come but, we will have our 20th child starting the program on Monday. Actually we will have number 18, 19 and 20 starting. I am so incredibly excited, not just for our numbers but for the family that is starting, the grandmother who is raising the children talked about what a gift from God this program was and that it was just what she had been looking for. And guess what? The grandmother would have never known about our program except for our involvment at the elementary school every week, and getting to know the teachers.

Above you will find a picture of all our kids from last week, except for three, and the three starting on Monday. Aren't they cute? Please continue to pray for the After School program and for all the kids and teachers involved in it.

God Bless

We're Back... In School!

I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but the Friends Center has been making a concerted effort to build a connection with McIntosh Elementary School. Most of the kids we have in the After School Program go to this school, so it's great to have relationships with their teachers, counselors, principle, and fellow students. We have tried to support them in different ways, such as donating backpacks to students who need them and volunteering during special events like their fruit festival and their upcoming book fair.

But probably the biggest outreach effort has been to volunteer as assistants during normal school days. Jennifer, Emily, and Merryn have been volunteering at least once a week for over a month now, and I know that it has made a difference in lots of lives. It is so cool to see our kids get off the bus for after school and say things like, "Ms. Jennifer, I saw you at my school today!" The teachers receive a big blessing as well when they have someone else in class to help kids that are struggling. Simply being around people can show them that you care about them.

Last week, I had the opportunity to go along with the girls for the first time. We arrived just as lunch was winding down, and I was placed in a fourth grade class. The teacher told me that they were working on math just before lunch and that I could help some of them that were having a hard time with it. So I figured that I'd take a few of them to the side and work with them while she continued on with the rest of the class. Well, that's not exactly what happened. We walked into class, and she said, "Here's my book. You can use the projector or the whiteboard or whatever you need. Now class, pay attention to him." And she sat down at her desk. So, to my complete surprise and amazement, I proceed to teach math for the next hour and a half! It was a fun experience, but I must be careful to thank God for getting me through it without any problems or severe anxiety.

Looking back, I really believe that it was important for me to be there, not because I'm effective at teaching or work well with kids, but because I'm male. I know that in the community we're in, male involvement in family life isn't exactly stellar. And at that school, I haven't once seen a male teacher, administrator, or any other staff. Jennifer may know more about this than I, but I don't know if any of those kids have ever seen a male authority figure at school. So maybe it was a big deal that I stood up in front of a class of fourth graders.

Pray for the schools down in Washington County, Alabama. I think the girls would agree that the term "our kids" is changing from "the ones who show up around the center" to "all the kids we see at school each week." Corey is volunteering today, as I type, and I hope that at least one of us can make it out with the girls each week. We trust that God takes our small gifts and turns them into big blessings!

<><

New Pictures

Hey Ya'll i just wanted to point out the new pictures posted just this week on the blog. They are all very recent events or outtings here at the center. Please share the blog with others and spread the news of the work happening here.

God Bless

We're Back... IN ALABAMA

Sorry that no one has written the last 16 days, things have been really busy since we got back from North Carolina. We had all kinds of exciting happenings happening last week, we went to the Exploreum in Mobile with the After School kids, helped Mount Moriah Baptist Church hand out their Angel Food Ministry, and held a Fall Festival for the community. Wheww.. last week was a lot of fun!
This week has been pretty average we had after school, rummage, youth group, young adult bible study, and work of course. Today, being Halloween, we are having a halloween party for the after school kids, and a scream fest movie night with the teenagers. So as you can see we have got our hands full again today.
I did want to stop and thank all the churches that allowed Corey and I to come and speak and for the warm hospitality that you all showed. Please keep holding us in your prayers and in your thoughts. We are so blessed here to have three interns,currently, Will, Emily, and Merryn, and of course our after school program teachers, whom without we could not function. Corey and I are so pleased to be here and to be serving you in Your ministry here at the Friends center in Sanktown, Alabama.
Please don't forget to get all your Christmas Rummage items to the YM office no later than the Friday before Thanksgiving, that would be November 21, make sure to check with the Yearly meeting office for any changes in that date. And please please consider making a one time gift to the center, or joining in our Hands On Help program and becoming a monthly sponser, remember as you bless us God will continue to bless you.
Well as always check out the new pictures, and the list listed to the right of the blog.

God Bless, and Happy Halloween

We're back...

Hey friends, we made it back up to NC safely on Monday, and I think I can speak for us all when I say I'm very glad to have some time to spend with family and friends. I love being down in Alabama, but I miss seeing you people too!

I thought I'd give some updates on some of the stuff we've been doing behind the scenes. So basically, everything that Corey's been working on for the past few months, haha. There have been some vast improvements in the back rooms of Turner and the shop. Thanks to the groups we had down for SOUL's work projects week, a lot of stuff has been moved out of those rooms and into the new storage building. So, for those of you that don't understand the full scale of that impact, we can now walk through the back rooms without stepping/squeezing/crawling over stuff on the floor. Plus, thanks to the help of the Western Quarter work group, one of the rooms has finally been transformed into the new youth room (shown on the left). Very exciting!

The shop has also been cleaned out and organized to a degree I've never seen. Corey's worked hard on getting it to the point where he knows what he has, how much of it there is, and where it's located. And not only can you walk through the room without traversing a maze of machines, supplies, wood scraps, and countless other things, but he's actually been able to park the lawn mower and trailer inside the building and - get this - even the van! (Not at the same time...) I can't tell you how much these seemingly tiny blessings excite me, but perhaps if you've had to deal with those rooms in particular at some point in the past, you can understand how I feel.

Another thing: we've been able to get benches built on the new porch at the rummage building (again, thanks to SOUL for the porch). I know the ladies that show up early for rummage sale have been enjoying them. Corey and I are both pretty proud of them... especially me since I'm construction and tool-challenged. I'm just glad they're still standing and providing a little more safety for people up on the porch.

Lastly, I'd just like to offer a big, overdue thanks to the work group that came down from Western Quarter awhile back. They were hard workers and continually displayed hearts willing and determined to follow God's calling. They were a pleasure to have down, and I'm convinced that God will continue to use the work they put forth to bless us and others at the center. The bunk beds they built are great - I know because I sleep in one every night. May God bless each of you in your service to Him.

Random

So we haven't had anything to exciting happen lately except for a little boy, Mason, slicing his big toe open playing hide and seek. He was screaming so much even the guys playing basketball stopped and came to see what happened. He was fine, we elevated his foot, cleaned it up, and his mom took him home. Emily and I both thought the kid was dying the way he was screaming, and the other kids were yelling, but he was fine, he was more scared about "getting a shot" was going to feel than about the cut. Oh and by the way he was wearing those shoes called Crocs, and a stick went into one of the holes.
We are gearing up for the Basketball Tournament coming up this Saturday. Each team is three players with one sub, if they want, and they play until they lose twice. The winning team gets a prize and all the rest get the pleasure of having a fun day of playing basketball. We are going to be selling full concessions this time, hot dogs, french fries, candy bars, blowpops, soda, and of course gaterade. The youth group is helping run this event, in hopes of raising money to go to tremors and summer camp. Over all it should be a good day!

We will be coming to North Carolina on Monday October 13. Corey and I are speaking at Springfield Friends on Wednesday October 15 at 6:00pm, South Fork on Sunday October 19 at 11:00am and at Archdale at 6:30 pm, on the same day. We would love to see everyone, we are going to be giving a presentation about the center, and its programs, and answering questions.
Thanks -

LOVE OF GOD

Thanks Philip Andrews, this really gave me a lot to think about and consider.
Hang in there, read the math stuff, and all will be revealed

Mathematics
Absolutely amazing!
Beauty of Mathematics !!!!!!!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this... 101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint: What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.
How about ACHIEVING 101%?
What equals 100% in life
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

If: H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And: K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But: A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there,
It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!
It's up to you if you share this with your friends & loved ones just the way I did..
Have a nice day & God bless!!

Praises

I want to just say "Praise God"!
God i doing a great work here, and everything that is being done is a gift straight from God. Our young adult bible study is going great. We grew by one person last week and had a great meal and fellowship time before hand. We talked about "sex" and what that means to us and what God's plan for sex is and how we should respond to that. At youth group we talked about being in the Spirit vs. being in the flesh and how it pleases God for us to let Him guide our lives.
One exciting piece of news is that next week the youth group is going to be moving into their new youth room, which is the old rummage room. It has been cleaned out, and swept out, and all it needs now is for us to move the chairs, and couches in and add a few things like some old christian band posters i have, and some carpet we found in our house thats just sitting in our extra bedroom. I think the kids are really gonna like it, and hopefully over time we can decorate and really make it great for them. God is Good!!
Please be in prayer for our upcoming events espically the 3S dinner and the basketball tournament because although these are for the community they are also fundraisers for the youth group, and in a way service projects as well. I only hope that they can grow through them and come closer together as a group.
Oh and i just thought i would mention, if there is anyone interested in bringing down Christmas Rummage in November please let Darlene know with in the next couple weeks.
Thanks again for all your support and prayers and remember if you are interested in Corey and I coming to speak at your church, small group, or any other group jsut give us a call.

Jenn

Prayer Requests

Hi everyone,

I'd like to encourage you to take a look at our prayer requests list (along the right side of the blog) from time to time, as we'll be updating that section as frequently as possible. Your prayer support for this ministry is both vital and deeply appreciated, and through it God blesses us all with opportunities to impact others' lives! Sharing specific requests with you is an awesome way to facilitate these opportunities, and I'm going to expound on a few tonight.

The After School Program is experiencing some rough weather at the moment. We've lost several kids due to a few families moving away, and we may lose more soon. A couple of other kids have been very sick and have been out of school and the program for over a week. Our current financial situation is affecting the program's employees as well. One exciting piece of news: we're currently pursuing a grant that could provide a great deal of financial support, so please keep us and the kids in your prayers, that God's will might be fulfilled in all of these situations.

There are some other things that people are dealing with around the community, and I'm sure they and we would appreciate your prayers for them as well. Feel free to respond to our posts with comments, prayers, or your own prayer requests through the comments link below each post - we love to hear from you! Thanks again so much for your generous and faithful support! May God bless you richly in your walk with Him,

Will <><

Youth Group

Hey Ya'll

Last night was a good night at youth group. We had 14 kids there, which is normal for us. We were really blessed by having one of the kids, Rhea, make breakfast for dinner, who was suppose to make it last week but she was bitten by a snake the day before. We had bacon, sausage, biscits, eggs, and gravy, yuumm yummm good!
Will lead the kids in a game called "grab the finger", and I have to say i have never seen them have so much fun! It was a little game where you have to put your pointer finger inside the flat palm of the person to the right of you, at the word "go" you have to try and grab that finger while trying not to have your finger caught by the person to your left. It was hillarious watching the kids dp this and it was just competitive enough that they really got into it.
Below you can find pictures from the game at youth group, from Kids Club on Sunday where we made a Volcano and watched it blow-up, and from the Girls Only Lock-In.
Well, check out the pictures and leave us a message.
Thanks, Jennifer

Love Is In The Air

Hey, so don't worry, there will be some interesting updates coming soon, but before we get there, I'd like to expound on a situation we've been dealing with for about two weeks now. Most of you know that we have plenty of bugs to play with down in Sanktown: fire ants, wasps, horseflies, scarlet ants, hundreds of species of spiders, mosquitoes, etc. But we've been introduced to a new kind of critter recently. And its name is love bug.

Why is it named love bug? Well, this particular bug has been in mating season for awhile, and as a result, they have been flying around stuck together in pairs. The bigger female drags the male around behind her, and he flaps his wings when they're airborne and walks backwards when they land. Now this doesn't really sound too bad, especially when you compare them with the other nasties that bite, sting, or suck your blood. The problem isn't what they do, it's all in the numbers. Because there are hundreds and hundreds of pairs. Per building. Per vehicle. Sometimes per doorway. Literally. And when you have to work outside, or walk outside in certain areas, they cover you. Just ask Emily. Her front doorway has been black for over a week.

So we've made a few adjustments this past week, like having snack time with the after school kids inside instead of out on the porch, and we're beginning to sweep up the dead carcasses in the lodge, which they've invaded. But all in all, I don't mind them too awful much. I mean, if we have to endure a plague, I don't mind it being a plague of love. In fact, that may be something we'd all benefit from.

"I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love..."

Hosea 11:4

Football!!!

Ok i like football, and i dare say my husband, Corey, would marry football if a person was allowed to marry a sport.
I say all of this to say that we have been to two football games in the last three days. We went to the Leroy Varsity game on Friday to see TJ play, and to watch Crystal do flags, we also saw about 85% of our other youth group members and even had the pleasure of a van ride to and from the game and of course a side trip to McD's on the ride home. Then today we went to the McIntosh Jr Varsity game to watch Ashlynn cheer and see another kid, Jeffrey, a regular at the center, play.
I now say all of that to ask.... Why can't anyone tell us when the actual game starts instead of telling us when half time starts? We would actually love to hear the national anthem played and i am sure Corey and Will, at the least, would like to see a kick-off. I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves: Why don't they just look on the internet at the school websites for the times? Well, we figured the kids, you know the ones who go to the schools, would actually know what time their games start; go figure right?
Anyway we are very very proud of our kids and all the hard work they put into their football, flags, and cheering. I am also proud to say that both our teams won their games, one with a big blow out.
By the way, please be praying for us and the next storm that is suppose to be coming through here in a few days; for Will and all the work he is doing in the After School Program, with our ACT prep class, and working with Corey; for Emily's upcoming activities: a Girls Night, this saturday night and for "YABS": Young Adult Bible Study starting this monday that she will be leading.

Thanks again for stopping by and seeing what we are up to.

First Post

Thanks to Will for getting this whole thing set up and thanks to all of you who are reading this blog.
I am really excited about this site and hope that everyone who reads it will be excited about it too. I hope to post on here, on a weekly basis, all the important /funny /and interesting things that happen down here at the Choctaw Friends Center.
Corey and I have been here since February 24th and out two interns Will and Emily have been here since June. We all went through our first S.O.U.L. as staff members this summer and are now working together as team members on many different programs and in the community at large.
We have many different things going on like the After School Program, Youth Group, Rummage, Kids Club, ACT prep, a GED class, Middle and High School Tutoring, and a Young Adult Bible Study. We also provide a food pantry and services for families that have lost their homes due to fires and for new and expectant mothers.
Alrighty, well this was a pretty formal post, hopefully not every post will be like this and hopefully you'll be hearing from someone other than me all the time.
C-ya Later <><