Angel's 19th Birthday

My dear friend, Angel, turned 19 last Friday. I first met Angel when she was 9 years old. Her family moved in down the street. She was such a sweet child. When she was 13 she left MN and went to live with her dad. Last spring he was deployed to Iraq so she decided to come back here and live with her mom for her senior year. Even though her family no longer lives down the street (actually they live in our one rental property which is close by) her 3 other siblings come to our church with us. Angel started coming and has gotten very involved. She got baptized a few months back and her testimony was precious. Of all the kids we bring she is one of the few that I feel has really made a committment to Jesus and is striving to live for Him!

For her birthday we had a little get-together at a local restaurant. Her mom, Joyce, came along with her younger sister and a few other kids and some of our youth group helpers. After dinner I had Angel, her younger sister and one other teens spend the night. We watched chick flicks and relaxed. It was fun! Since I am her landlord I bought her some fun new bedding and told her we would repaint her bedroom some fun and crazy colors! That is one of the few things I like about being a landlord.

Encouragement/Discouragement

Tonight I had to take one of my little neighbor friends back home from church because he was really being disrespectful to me. His momma has told me not to put up with it and I am following her instructions. He use to be one of the best kids. He is turning 12 soon and I think there is something challenging about that age. I remember my Mom telling me that you have the terrible 2's and the terrible 12's. He said to me tonight that I was treating him like one of my own kids. He meant it as an insult but I took it as a compliment :)

At youth group tonight there were at least 10 kids from our neighborhood that didn't get a ride to church from me! Praise God that they are getting there on their own and bringing friends. How cool is that! I am so encouraged to see God working!

Prayer requests

I have been feeling so stressed lately and have not been getting restful sleep. My "kids" are on my mind alot. Please pray that I just keep giving them to Jesus in prayer and trusting Him for wisdom in my interactions with them. I have seen satan attacking in so many ways. It is hard. I feel stressed! On a positive note the teens keep coming and bringing their friends to church.

Starting a new blog

I have decided to start a new blog for a few reasons. I find that our family blog is a way for me to keep friends and family informed about our life. It also gives me a way to be creative and is an outlet for expressing what is on my mind. Lately, I have been stressed. The stress is from different areas of life but one in particular is the outreach we do in our neighborhood. I really need to be able to get my thoughts, concerns and prayers out of my mind. I could just keep a private journal but I think this is such a big part of our lives that I want to share with those who care. So if you are reading this please know that I covet your prayers and appreciate you taking an interest in the ministry that God has given us here in our neighborhood.