Saturday, August 6, 2011
Goodbye Gloversville
It's 4 in the morning, and we are moving, I don't know if we are awake, but we are moving. Trying to get the vans packed and get out of here by 4:30. It's been a great trip, and we all learned a lot. Isaiah 49. 6 brought us into Gloversville with our flames for God, and now that we have ignited some fires, it's time for us to bring our fire and knowledge back with us.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Today was the last day
Today was amazing to say the least, the whole week was really and so it was really hard when tonight's devotion was all about encouraging each other openly and telling each other what we all love about each other.
This morning we 6 of us worked at the soccer camp, Mike, Brad, myself, Quinn, Phillip, and Duncan all worked with 6-12 year olds interested in soccer and also ministered to them in a beautiful way. We saw talent and spirit for a cause, and a love for that cause that the kids showed. It reminded me of Jesus and how He had such a spirit and love for us, whether we deserved it or not. That's the awesome thing about God, is even though we think we have flaws and imperfections, we are perfect in God's eyes. There is a sign in the Change of 1 window that says "Check your status at the door." What a powerful sign. Just 6 words that can make such a difference. Cyndie talked to us about the differences that were felt between the Gloversville Youth and us, but are there really any differences. We should check our statuses everywhere we go, not just at Change of 1. If we treated each other as equals instead of rich or poor, weak or strong, new york or north carolina, or Atheist or Christian, what would this world be like. It would be amazing to see that life. I have to read these books for my mission year next year. One is called Non-Violent Communication which is all about how to deal with our problems with out bringing out aggression. The other one is called Class Matters and is about not taking race into consideration. If we lived by the guidelines of this book, what would we be like as people? Look at the Truaxs, they don't look at Elle or Prince and think of them as a different race, they consider them family. What if we all looked at each other as family?
The other people stayed at C1 and cleaned up the storefront and did an amazing job with that, I can't imagine how long it took them to get the foam floors back into place, but they had the perseverance to keep trying until it was literally perfect.
Tonight's devotion as I said was all centered around encouraging each other. I'm going to try to say something about everyone, but if I were to say everything that was said tonight, it would take me forever. I'm going to start with Duncan. Duncan is one of the nicest people I know, he is amazing with kids, he never complains, and he has a drive to learn the Word of God. Kirk is an amazing artist and friend, and he is so talented and I have been truly blessed to know him. Tyler is such a great musician, and it has been so cool to see him play with one of the homeless guys just to make that guys day better. Peyton is an amazing sister and so encouraging and also really great with Donn and Cyndie's kids. Steven has a passion to get closer to God through fellowship and he will forever have the fire that burns inside of him. Quinn is an amazing leader and a passionate, passionate follower of Christ. Phillip is so athletic and has skills that he taught to so many of the kids today, but also a quiet and thoughtful personality that can easily turn into a really fun-loving guy. Ben has been through so much, but it's that life experience that allows him to be who he is today, which is an amazing mentor and leader and follower of Christ. Brad is such a cool guy. He acts like a teenager, but has the knowledge of a scholar and is an excellent missions pastor and father and husband. Mike always has a smile on his face and makes really good puns, he encouraged me so much this week and always made me feel welcome. Brenda was the mom of the group, she took care of all of us, and made sure we were doing the right thing in such a caring and loving manner, I am honestly jealous of Steven and Kirk, it has to be pretty cool to have a mom like that, (I love my mom very much though.)
I mentioned tonight how this was my last trip before my mission year to New Orleans. And it is, and I honestly couldn't imagine spending it with any other group of people. This group is so amazing and I love them all so much. I'm going to miss them next year, and I'm honestly pretty scared since I leave in less than 2 weeks, but I know that they will be my brothers forever, and it isn't goodbye, it's just see you later.
This morning we 6 of us worked at the soccer camp, Mike, Brad, myself, Quinn, Phillip, and Duncan all worked with 6-12 year olds interested in soccer and also ministered to them in a beautiful way. We saw talent and spirit for a cause, and a love for that cause that the kids showed. It reminded me of Jesus and how He had such a spirit and love for us, whether we deserved it or not. That's the awesome thing about God, is even though we think we have flaws and imperfections, we are perfect in God's eyes. There is a sign in the Change of 1 window that says "Check your status at the door." What a powerful sign. Just 6 words that can make such a difference. Cyndie talked to us about the differences that were felt between the Gloversville Youth and us, but are there really any differences. We should check our statuses everywhere we go, not just at Change of 1. If we treated each other as equals instead of rich or poor, weak or strong, new york or north carolina, or Atheist or Christian, what would this world be like. It would be amazing to see that life. I have to read these books for my mission year next year. One is called Non-Violent Communication which is all about how to deal with our problems with out bringing out aggression. The other one is called Class Matters and is about not taking race into consideration. If we lived by the guidelines of this book, what would we be like as people? Look at the Truaxs, they don't look at Elle or Prince and think of them as a different race, they consider them family. What if we all looked at each other as family?
The other people stayed at C1 and cleaned up the storefront and did an amazing job with that, I can't imagine how long it took them to get the foam floors back into place, but they had the perseverance to keep trying until it was literally perfect.
Tonight's devotion as I said was all centered around encouraging each other. I'm going to try to say something about everyone, but if I were to say everything that was said tonight, it would take me forever. I'm going to start with Duncan. Duncan is one of the nicest people I know, he is amazing with kids, he never complains, and he has a drive to learn the Word of God. Kirk is an amazing artist and friend, and he is so talented and I have been truly blessed to know him. Tyler is such a great musician, and it has been so cool to see him play with one of the homeless guys just to make that guys day better. Peyton is an amazing sister and so encouraging and also really great with Donn and Cyndie's kids. Steven has a passion to get closer to God through fellowship and he will forever have the fire that burns inside of him. Quinn is an amazing leader and a passionate, passionate follower of Christ. Phillip is so athletic and has skills that he taught to so many of the kids today, but also a quiet and thoughtful personality that can easily turn into a really fun-loving guy. Ben has been through so much, but it's that life experience that allows him to be who he is today, which is an amazing mentor and leader and follower of Christ. Brad is such a cool guy. He acts like a teenager, but has the knowledge of a scholar and is an excellent missions pastor and father and husband. Mike always has a smile on his face and makes really good puns, he encouraged me so much this week and always made me feel welcome. Brenda was the mom of the group, she took care of all of us, and made sure we were doing the right thing in such a caring and loving manner, I am honestly jealous of Steven and Kirk, it has to be pretty cool to have a mom like that, (I love my mom very much though.)
I mentioned tonight how this was my last trip before my mission year to New Orleans. And it is, and I honestly couldn't imagine spending it with any other group of people. This group is so amazing and I love them all so much. I'm going to miss them next year, and I'm honestly pretty scared since I leave in less than 2 weeks, but I know that they will be my brothers forever, and it isn't goodbye, it's just see you later.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Can't believe it's Thursday
Today was another great day. We started off with scraping down the brick walls with our wire brushes. The worst thing that came out of doing that was Duncan's "kennel cough," but he is much better now.
So like everyday I'm going to tell some stories and make analogies to those stories. The first story was during the fellowship dinner with the folks from the recovery clinic. We were getting ready to sing songs. And the first song was Amazing Grace. Quinn, Peyton, and Tyler didn't know all of the verses, so some people had to call out the verses to keep the song going. They stopped the song after the second verse, and they were about to change songs, when one of the people in the crowd started singing the chorus "the earth shall soon dissolve..." and then Tyler picked up the song again, and everyone started singing that part. That was so amazing to hear. It made me feel like even when you think the fire is dwindling and about to go out, you can throw some gasoline on the fire, and it will ignite once again with a full force. It was beautiful to hear the song rise again just when we thought it was over.
The second story involves Ben. Ben has been amazing this whole week. He has gone to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and become quite the celebrity this week. But his greatest moment in my opinion came from the dinner tonight, when he stepped in of the recovery members and said "My name is Ben, and I am an alcoholic, and I'm also a Christian." It reminded me of David and Goliath, David stepped in front of a huge adversary and faced his fear to accomplish his goal and come out on top. He talked to us and the men and women and told us his story, and his recovery. He talked about getting sober and finding Christ. And to all of us, this was the best story that he could tell, because it was a story of coming out on top. It made me think of Psalm 23, the psalm is all about a shepherd guiding his sheep through everything. In the psalm it uses words like "valley." Ben had obviously been through many valleys, and it seemed to become a deeper valley, but he surrendered himself to God, and he was saved. I used a verse today from Ephesians for my devotion tonight, I had written my devotion before what Ben said, but it ended up fitting really well, so here it is:
Ephesians 2: 1-10 says 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In my NRSV version, the title of the passage is "Death and Life." I found it interesting that death comes first. The passage mentions desire and sin, but then talks about being saved and being God's masterpiece. What a cool title, God's masterpiece. Ben is God's masterpiece, we all are, we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death every day for our whole life but as long as we surrender ourselves to God, he will protect us and return us to the Kingdom of Heaven, and that is the best guarantee that I can think of.
Ben's testimony was amazing and the fact that he shared it with complete strangers was even better, but were they really strangers? Or were they future neighbors in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father? Ben has been through so many trials but he never let go, and we know that as Christians, we will be persecuted in this life, we will be ridiculed, but we can't let that keep us down. We will walk through all sorts of valleys and travel through all sorts of storms, but there is an end to the valley, and God will lead us to the eye of the hurricane and into safety, so we can't stay down. If you ever feel down, then I dare you to move.
I'm making today special and having two videos, but everyday is special, because God made it.
So like everyday I'm going to tell some stories and make analogies to those stories. The first story was during the fellowship dinner with the folks from the recovery clinic. We were getting ready to sing songs. And the first song was Amazing Grace. Quinn, Peyton, and Tyler didn't know all of the verses, so some people had to call out the verses to keep the song going. They stopped the song after the second verse, and they were about to change songs, when one of the people in the crowd started singing the chorus "the earth shall soon dissolve..." and then Tyler picked up the song again, and everyone started singing that part. That was so amazing to hear. It made me feel like even when you think the fire is dwindling and about to go out, you can throw some gasoline on the fire, and it will ignite once again with a full force. It was beautiful to hear the song rise again just when we thought it was over.
The second story involves Ben. Ben has been amazing this whole week. He has gone to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and become quite the celebrity this week. But his greatest moment in my opinion came from the dinner tonight, when he stepped in of the recovery members and said "My name is Ben, and I am an alcoholic, and I'm also a Christian." It reminded me of David and Goliath, David stepped in front of a huge adversary and faced his fear to accomplish his goal and come out on top. He talked to us and the men and women and told us his story, and his recovery. He talked about getting sober and finding Christ. And to all of us, this was the best story that he could tell, because it was a story of coming out on top. It made me think of Psalm 23, the psalm is all about a shepherd guiding his sheep through everything. In the psalm it uses words like "valley." Ben had obviously been through many valleys, and it seemed to become a deeper valley, but he surrendered himself to God, and he was saved. I used a verse today from Ephesians for my devotion tonight, I had written my devotion before what Ben said, but it ended up fitting really well, so here it is:
Ephesians 2: 1-10 says 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In my NRSV version, the title of the passage is "Death and Life." I found it interesting that death comes first. The passage mentions desire and sin, but then talks about being saved and being God's masterpiece. What a cool title, God's masterpiece. Ben is God's masterpiece, we all are, we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death every day for our whole life but as long as we surrender ourselves to God, he will protect us and return us to the Kingdom of Heaven, and that is the best guarantee that I can think of.
Ben's testimony was amazing and the fact that he shared it with complete strangers was even better, but were they really strangers? Or were they future neighbors in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father? Ben has been through so many trials but he never let go, and we know that as Christians, we will be persecuted in this life, we will be ridiculed, but we can't let that keep us down. We will walk through all sorts of valleys and travel through all sorts of storms, but there is an end to the valley, and God will lead us to the eye of the hurricane and into safety, so we can't stay down. If you ever feel down, then I dare you to move.
I'm making today special and having two videos, but everyday is special, because God made it.
And on the third day...
Today was really special for us, but even more special for Steven Denny, who celebrated his birthday today sooo...
We had an amazing day today that started with a trip to the Adirondack Mountains and the lake house that Cyndie's parents own. We had an array of things to do today and it involved boats and sour cream and onion crickets. The day was filled with God and the kingdom that he has made for us here.
There were a few special things that happened today that I want to talk about. First off we went to the lake with the 1 Gen group which is Donn and Cyndie's youth group. We got the chance to meet them and meet fellow brothers and sisters of Christ just like us even though we are hours apart. Another cool story is about Kirk and Quinn, they went sailing out on the lake, and besides the fact that sailing is awesome, they had a great chance to grow in their fellowship in Christ on the boat as they got stuck out in the water. The wind all of the sudden gave out and Kirk and Quinn felt a feeling of abandonment. But then all of the sudden the wind came back and they were able to sail. Thats a lot like God. Sometimes we can feel a sense of abandonment, but God never leaves us, He stays with us and is always searching for us and loving us. And so even though we can feel like God has left us behind, he is really just testing our faith, and letting us know, that God comes in the whisper of the wind.
There is one more story about Shaun, a really cool guy from 1 Gen. We were playing with this inflatable whale and penguin.When all of the sudden the whale started floating away, I tried to swim after it, but then the whale was going faster. I sensed a lost cause, so Shaun went after it. Meanwhile Duncan and Philip went and got the paddle boat and started to go too. Duncan threw his life jacket to Shaun who really needed it. And they kept paddling some, then came back around and got me and just gave up on the whale and also left Shaun. So we all get back to shore, but Shaun and the whale were waiting on the other side of the lake. So then Phil and I go to get Shaun and the whale. We get them both, Shaun ties the whale to the boat, and we bring them both in. This story is like people more than God, sometimes we turn our heads when we don't want to deal with something but thankfully God doesn't ignore anything about us. God cares about every detail about us, and he wasn't going to let Shaun be left out in the water with that whale, because he cares about all of his creatures.
The song for the day is "How He Loves Us" by the David Crowder Band. I chose this one because God gave us this fabulous day to enjoy our lives and see God's beautiful green earth. This day was fabulous and it allowed for us to enjoy our fellowship and what God has made and how much He has blessed us and how much He loves us.
We had an amazing day today that started with a trip to the Adirondack Mountains and the lake house that Cyndie's parents own. We had an array of things to do today and it involved boats and sour cream and onion crickets. The day was filled with God and the kingdom that he has made for us here.
There were a few special things that happened today that I want to talk about. First off we went to the lake with the 1 Gen group which is Donn and Cyndie's youth group. We got the chance to meet them and meet fellow brothers and sisters of Christ just like us even though we are hours apart. Another cool story is about Kirk and Quinn, they went sailing out on the lake, and besides the fact that sailing is awesome, they had a great chance to grow in their fellowship in Christ on the boat as they got stuck out in the water. The wind all of the sudden gave out and Kirk and Quinn felt a feeling of abandonment. But then all of the sudden the wind came back and they were able to sail. Thats a lot like God. Sometimes we can feel a sense of abandonment, but God never leaves us, He stays with us and is always searching for us and loving us. And so even though we can feel like God has left us behind, he is really just testing our faith, and letting us know, that God comes in the whisper of the wind.
There is one more story about Shaun, a really cool guy from 1 Gen. We were playing with this inflatable whale and penguin.When all of the sudden the whale started floating away, I tried to swim after it, but then the whale was going faster. I sensed a lost cause, so Shaun went after it. Meanwhile Duncan and Philip went and got the paddle boat and started to go too. Duncan threw his life jacket to Shaun who really needed it. And they kept paddling some, then came back around and got me and just gave up on the whale and also left Shaun. So we all get back to shore, but Shaun and the whale were waiting on the other side of the lake. So then Phil and I go to get Shaun and the whale. We get them both, Shaun ties the whale to the boat, and we bring them both in. This story is like people more than God, sometimes we turn our heads when we don't want to deal with something but thankfully God doesn't ignore anything about us. God cares about every detail about us, and he wasn't going to let Shaun be left out in the water with that whale, because he cares about all of his creatures.
The song for the day is "How He Loves Us" by the David Crowder Band. I chose this one because God gave us this fabulous day to enjoy our lives and see God's beautiful green earth. This day was fabulous and it allowed for us to enjoy our fellowship and what God has made and how much He has blessed us and how much He loves us.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Day Two!
Hey everyone! We had another awesome day today in Gloversville. Today was a little different, there was spray painting again, except this time it was spray painting a white wall with white paint, mostly to get rid of the graffiti and also to help the outside alley look nicer. Other groups went around the city and handed out fliers for the Change of One Soccer camp. I think everyone was the most impressed with Donn's oldest son, the little evangelist, Ayden who handed out so many fliers in the coolest places that people would really see. It gives me hope for the upcoming generation of Christians.
We had a lot of cool stories from today that happened during the block party and a lot of sad ones too unfortunately. One thing that Phil Daniels pointed out is that there were so many young couples with children. I mean I am eighteen, and to put it as Mr. Holmquist said, "if we had taken a left turn instead of a right, then we would be them" and it's true, if I had taken a wrong turn down the road, then it could be me pushing the stroller down the street. However the good part of that story is that they were coming out into the community and trying to be a part of the awesome block party. Another bad thing that happened today was while I was running the bounce house and Peyton was inside, someone tripped over the cord and it started to deflate, needless to say we were freaking out, however the kids seemed to be fine.
But now for the good stories. The Holmquist Trio met a potential faithful servant named Joshua. Joshua received one of the bibles that we had brought with us and Quinn highlighted some major verses. Joshua clearly had a curiosity and a passion for more knowledge about Christianity. Joshua's story reminded me of a book that I have been reading named The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Shane is this awesome guy who graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and runs The Simple Life in Philadelphia. Part of Shane's "simple life" involved a summer working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta. After cleaning the wounds of a leper, a job that no one would stand up to do, the leper looked Shane in the eyes and said "Namaste." So many people think that word is just a yoga term, but it's so much more than that. One definition is "the God in me sees the God in you." I think the Holmquist's could truly see God in Joshua, and I can't wait to see Joshua grow and find our Savior.
One more good story is about Duncan. We all had specific jobs, and Duncan's was face painting. He didn't consider himself an artist, especially when he was working by Kirk, but he had me fooled. Duncan was doing such great work with face painting, and every butterfly and heart that he painted on a kid meant the world to them. But then Duncan's chair got taken, and he had to start face painting while he was one one knee. His knees started hurting and he was tired, but he kept doing the work, and that is what this week is about, that is what the main verse for the week is about "be strong and courageous and do the work," that is what we are doing, and that is what Duncan did today.
So, today's song is called "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North. I chose this one because that is what the block party tonight was all about. It was us youth surrounded by a hurting community that needs help and love. And just like song says:"Cause I, I love you I want you to know That I, I love you I'll never let you go"We love this community, and we won't ever let it go.
We had a lot of cool stories from today that happened during the block party and a lot of sad ones too unfortunately. One thing that Phil Daniels pointed out is that there were so many young couples with children. I mean I am eighteen, and to put it as Mr. Holmquist said, "if we had taken a left turn instead of a right, then we would be them" and it's true, if I had taken a wrong turn down the road, then it could be me pushing the stroller down the street. However the good part of that story is that they were coming out into the community and trying to be a part of the awesome block party. Another bad thing that happened today was while I was running the bounce house and Peyton was inside, someone tripped over the cord and it started to deflate, needless to say we were freaking out, however the kids seemed to be fine.
But now for the good stories. The Holmquist Trio met a potential faithful servant named Joshua. Joshua received one of the bibles that we had brought with us and Quinn highlighted some major verses. Joshua clearly had a curiosity and a passion for more knowledge about Christianity. Joshua's story reminded me of a book that I have been reading named The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Shane is this awesome guy who graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and runs The Simple Life in Philadelphia. Part of Shane's "simple life" involved a summer working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta. After cleaning the wounds of a leper, a job that no one would stand up to do, the leper looked Shane in the eyes and said "Namaste." So many people think that word is just a yoga term, but it's so much more than that. One definition is "the God in me sees the God in you." I think the Holmquist's could truly see God in Joshua, and I can't wait to see Joshua grow and find our Savior.
One more good story is about Duncan. We all had specific jobs, and Duncan's was face painting. He didn't consider himself an artist, especially when he was working by Kirk, but he had me fooled. Duncan was doing such great work with face painting, and every butterfly and heart that he painted on a kid meant the world to them. But then Duncan's chair got taken, and he had to start face painting while he was one one knee. His knees started hurting and he was tired, but he kept doing the work, and that is what this week is about, that is what the main verse for the week is about "be strong and courageous and do the work," that is what we are doing, and that is what Duncan did today.
So, today's song is called "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North. I chose this one because that is what the block party tonight was all about. It was us youth surrounded by a hurting community that needs help and love. And just like song says:"Cause I, I love you I want you to know That I, I love you I'll never let you go"We love this community, and we won't ever let it go.
First Day!
We had an awesome first day. Mr. Holmquist brought up the fact that we sat for 12 hours yesterday, and we walked for 12 hours today. It wasn't quite that bad, but it was a lot of walking, but in a way that is a good thing because it gives us the opportunity to be like the locals. So many people in this city walk as their main form of travel. We started the day with touring the Gloversville area with Donn and Cyndie after visiting the trendy Change of One Ministry building! The building is obviously made into a cool place for not only youth to hang out but also adults. The facility has been remodeled completely and through gracious donations from the community Donn and Cyndie have a really great place to do outreach through. Also right nearby is the Solutions center for pregnant women who are going through tough times in the city who need help, the ages range from teens to one woman who is 60 years old. That is just one example of the ministry of Gloversville trying to help this city.
We had a prayer walk planned for the night, so to get ready for that we split into two groups. One group got to use spray paint and paint all of the brown, rusty chairs into a sleek black. Another group used wire brushes to clean off the brick walls in the Change of One building. The room quickly became dusty and kinda hard to breathe, the same with outside, but thats kinda like God with Gloversville; when we were stuck in the room, we couldn't see perfectly through the room, and breathing in the dust was just as bad. And when we tried to go outside, the same problem persisted. For Gloversville, it requires them to walk away from the security of the room and the close proximity, they have to go down the street or the next couple of blocks, but they have the opportunity to find God. And thats what the prayer walk was for me.
We split into four groups and took on different parts of the city. Touching stories ranged from a girl from Solutions who had never prayed before to walking by a locked car that had a crying baby inside with no parents in sight. The walk had so many people there, all there to walk around the city and pray on different corners and ends of streets. We got the chance to see all of the city, talk with its members, hear their stories, and realize how blessed we are to live the lives that we live.
This prayer walk taught me that so many people go through valleys. Psalm 23 tells us that we are God's sheep and He is our Shepherd, that he will guide us through all of the valleys and dark places in our lives. The walk reminded me of the troubles that so many people go through in their lives and its because of those troubles that many people don't believe. So many people talked about how the city of Gloversville used to be thriving, but now it isn't, that it is at a new low. It's obvious that Satan is trying to make roots in Gloversville, but our God is greater, and stronger, and He is for us. God is in this city, and He isn't going anywhere. Steven Denny took a picture of a sign that said "Tough times don't last, tough people last." what a great testimony to faith too. Like I said earlier, there will be valleys in our lives, because we aren't any different than the people here, but God is going to be here for us through everything, and even though this city is having a hard time, they can't pay attention to the disasters in this city, they need to listen to the whisper after the storm. The song for tonight is "God of this City," God is and forever will be in this city.
We had a prayer walk planned for the night, so to get ready for that we split into two groups. One group got to use spray paint and paint all of the brown, rusty chairs into a sleek black. Another group used wire brushes to clean off the brick walls in the Change of One building. The room quickly became dusty and kinda hard to breathe, the same with outside, but thats kinda like God with Gloversville; when we were stuck in the room, we couldn't see perfectly through the room, and breathing in the dust was just as bad. And when we tried to go outside, the same problem persisted. For Gloversville, it requires them to walk away from the security of the room and the close proximity, they have to go down the street or the next couple of blocks, but they have the opportunity to find God. And thats what the prayer walk was for me.
We split into four groups and took on different parts of the city. Touching stories ranged from a girl from Solutions who had never prayed before to walking by a locked car that had a crying baby inside with no parents in sight. The walk had so many people there, all there to walk around the city and pray on different corners and ends of streets. We got the chance to see all of the city, talk with its members, hear their stories, and realize how blessed we are to live the lives that we live.
This prayer walk taught me that so many people go through valleys. Psalm 23 tells us that we are God's sheep and He is our Shepherd, that he will guide us through all of the valleys and dark places in our lives. The walk reminded me of the troubles that so many people go through in their lives and its because of those troubles that many people don't believe. So many people talked about how the city of Gloversville used to be thriving, but now it isn't, that it is at a new low. It's obvious that Satan is trying to make roots in Gloversville, but our God is greater, and stronger, and He is for us. God is in this city, and He isn't going anywhere. Steven Denny took a picture of a sign that said "Tough times don't last, tough people last." what a great testimony to faith too. Like I said earlier, there will be valleys in our lives, because we aren't any different than the people here, but God is going to be here for us through everything, and even though this city is having a hard time, they can't pay attention to the disasters in this city, they need to listen to the whisper after the storm. The song for tonight is "God of this City," God is and forever will be in this city.
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