After School and Summer Camp, Strategically

Happy Campers

A young man we know played football this past year, for the first time. In our area, a number of middle schools come together at a particular high school to practice as one team. While this sounds logical in terms of maximizing resources (fields, coaches, etc), it also unintentionally excludes many children from participating.

How? Because there is no busing from the middle schools to the high school. So any middle school student who wants to play must either have a ride, or must take the bus home and then walk to the school.

Many families are not able to solve this transportation issue, particularly when both parents have to work, or in a single-parent family. Therefore, those disadvantaged students tend to participate in after school programs at lesser frequencies. This phenomenon is known as The Activity Gap.

One Mom's Solution

The mom of this young man is doing what she can to solve this problem. She had the flexibility to bring her son to practice each day. But she didn't just think of her son's need; she provided a ride for other kids who needed it, too.

I loved how she thought through the extra-curricular activity strategically and missionally.

Summer Camp Strategy

Is your child going to summer camp this year? I hope so. I know that summer camp experiences can be enriching for the mind, body, and soul.

But I also hope that you are thinking through this issue strategically. What do I mean? Check out my post on Just Kind Humble: Summer Camp for a Purpose, to learn more.

Will Our Children Resent Our Ministry?

On Monday, we are starting a new after school program in our community. Engaging and helping children has been a significant part of lives over the past four years. In fact, this will be the third after school program we've helped launch in that time. (You can read about the first and second, both in Allendale, SC).

While we are excited about this starting up, we know it won't always be easy for our family. This two-day-a-week program will occur on the busiest days of the week for our family. (We chose those days because they were best for the community). I know there will be times when we (me, my wife, and our kids) just won't feel energized about it.

When it comes to ministry, I think that's a common feeling. If you are never worn out and stretched by ministry, then it probably means you aren't sacrificing enough.

Of course, you could feel stretched and still not be sacrificing enough, but that may mean that you have things in your life that need to go, so that you can do more ministry (inside and outside of the church). We have had to say "no" to some good opportunities for our children, since they might distract us from our core calling to serve others.

If you are a parent, you know that time is a precious resource. You probably ask questions like . . .

How do I balance my time between family and ministry? 

What do I do with my kids? Should they be involved in my ministry? 

How will all my ministry affect my children? Will they become bitter and resentful?

How should we answer these valid concerns? 

Biblical Principles

Before I give the benefits of letting your children suffer and struggle in ministry, let me make a couple of over-arching statements:

1. Jesus (or Paul or any New Testament writer, for that matter) never taught us to balance our time. Jesus asks for 100% of our life. Yes, we should get rest and downtime, but that has more to do with pursuing God than it does with our family's recreation. 
2. Family does trump ministry, to an extent. This may seem contradictory to the first point. But the issue here is motive. You need to ask why you are involved in a certain ministry? Is it because of self-satisfaction or praise from others? Or maybe it's a fear of man issue (as I struggle with), so that I labor because I don't want others to think less of me. When I was on staff at our church, the leaders regularly emphasized that our work as pastors was subordinate to our roles as husbands and fathers.

The Blessings in the Struggle

That being said, let me outline a few ways that your children will benefit for having to sacrifice and struggle.

1. They will be able to obey God's call, in that we are to serve others. Jesus models the perfect example of serving (Mark 10:45) and being sent by God (John 6:57). By following His example, our children get the opportunity to be God's image-bearers.
2. They will begin to discover and utilize the gifts that God has given them. By us working with children, our daughter has realized how much she enjoys the same. She has become more skilled and nurturing in this process. Now, as she uses these gifts, she can show others how she is God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
3. They will learn that life doesn't revolve around them. Every time our children sacrifice, we remind them that their lives are to be about Jesus, not about themselves. They learn that working hard and blessing others is reward enough.
4. They will be able to serve alongside us, or at least see us serve. When we were in Allendale, the Best Part of My Job was that our family was together all the time at my job, at our ministry. And even if you must serve without your children, it's good for them to miss you some.
5. They will have the chance to build their own relationships. They will get to be someone else's friend, and they will give others the chance to be their friend. When we told our kids that we would be leaving Allendale, they were deeply sad, because of the friends they made. They truly engaged and connected with their community.

Ministry is a discipleship issue. In sacrificial service, we are able to help our children know Christ more and grow more like Him.

And along the way, we parents get the same blessings.

Your Turn . . .

I’d love to hear your comments or questions, on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments section.  

Also, if you liked this post, please consider sharing it with others. It’s easy – you can just click one of the buttons below.
  
Related Links:

• Missional Kids   
• Missional Parenting: There's Nothing to It  
• A Mission for Our Family  

Elijah Is Thriving

He still does like solo, intellectual activities

I wrote earlier about how we've seen Hannah be a nurturer (and then Sender as an entertainer), especially as we've moved to Allendale. And being here, we have seen Elijah (our middle child, and older of our two boys) thrive as well.

Elijah has come a long way since his Rough Start. His personality (along with with his passivity) led him to usually be not-so-enthusiastic about playing sports or with groups of boys. Plus, there were very few boys his own age near our own home in Greenville. It was hard to blame him for just wanting to sit inside the house all day.

But since he started going to the Boys & Girls Club virtually every day in 2011 (starting in April), he has thrived, almost becoming a different person. He got the chance to play with other boys every day, from board games to 4-square to soccer. The physical activity has been great for him.

He has a best friend that started coming to the Club over the summer. Elijah desired to be in the Talent Show every week. No more brainiac introvert! (Well, at least he has moments of not being a brainiac introvert.)

It's fun for me as Dad to have watched his personality change and expand, in a good way. Every man needs community, and every boy needs to start developing that.

Praise God for giving us this opportunity for our family!

Related Link:

• "How Are Your Kids Doing These Days?" (October 2013)

Hannah the Nurturer

We've recognized in Hannah for a while that she is really great with nurturing younger kids. Whether helping with younger kids in our church, or engaging toddlers in our home when friends come over, or taking care of Sender, she labors to make toddlers and preschoolers feel comfortable. She is very gentle and patient, for hours on end.

But this personality trait is not manifested likewise with kids her own age. She does make friends, but she tends to be more cautious. Part of this may be because she's not always quite sure how she fits in, and that she is examining and evaluating how she might do so. It’s challenging to reach out to others when you feel like an outsider.

I've been concerned for this as we've settled in Allendale. Through conversations with her, I didn't see her dramatically strive to connect with kids her own age, especially at the Boys & Girls Club. She was comfortable for sure, but not seemingly on a mission to engage her friends. Was it because she has felt like too much of an outsider to be hospitable?

But even as an “outsider” one can still be hospitable. Biblically, the idea of hospitality (xenophilia) means "loving strangers." In an isolating place like Allendale, SC, you do have to work hard to reach out. For some here, it’s about earning trust, because they have been taken advantage  of by outsiders. And for others, it’s just about being used to doing things themselves, or relying solely on close family.

But the more I observed her, I think it's fine that she doesn't feel the need to dramatically strive to connect. Why? Because to her, being in Allendale and making friends here is really no big deal. The kids look different, and they come from different backgrounds, but so what? Hannah, being a nurturer, just wants to be a kid who hangs out with other kids.

I like that. I like that she sees herself as fitting in with all these new friends in Allendale.

Related Links:

• Elijah Is Thriving   
• Sender the Entertainer  

Birthday, Anniversary, and Mentor Weekend

We had a great weekend. Let's re-cap:

Birthday.  Elijah turned 8 on Saturday. I love this boy so much! I love watching him learn, build, and create. I love that he has a best friend at the Boys & Girls Club in Allendale. I love that for all that he knows and is serious about, that he's also still a kid who loves to play and laugh. I'm So Blessed to Be His Dad!

Anniversary.  Yesterday, Joanna and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. Besides going to Savannah (see more below), we didn't do anything really special. But I am reminded how grateful I am for My Excellent Wife.

The past couple of weeks, one of the staff at the Club has been out a good bit, due to a family situation. With 45-50 kids each day, and only 2 remaining staff, I've needed her there. So, for most of the past 2 weeks, she has been educating our kids all morning, and serving at the after school program (until at least 6pm) every afternoon. Joanna is my partner, and I could not do this without her. (For a great article on marriage, read The Truth About Marital Compatibility from The Resurgence.)

Mentoring.  We took a quick trip to Savannah to see a family that has been mentors for us for a number of years. The husband was my boss for 4 years, and personally mentored me for at least 2 years before that. The wife has poured into Joanna since before Hannah was born (10 years ago). And, to make the circle complete, Joanna and Hannah were at their house 8 years ago, the day that Elijah was born. (Joanna left her place just after lunch, and Elijah was born at 3:25 PM.)

Since we're in the midst of a job change in Allendale, this trip to see these mentors was timely. We enjoyed "downloading" all that has been going on with us, and getting feedback. We appreciated how they loved on Elijah with brownies, ice cream, and a gift. We were thrilled to serve and worship alongside them on Sunday morning.

One of the biggest encouragements we received from them was something they said that was not in a structured teaching moment. We were sitting around the table eating lunch, and our children were chattering away about all the "important" stuff on their minds. Joanna and I tire pretty easily of their constant talking, and maybe you parents understand this, or maybe you are a lot more patient than we are.

But, in the midst of all this, these mentors (who, in less than a year will have only one of their three children still at home) said, "We miss this." What?! "We miss our kids being around the table talking, with everyone enjoying each other." 

We saw and felt what they had enjoyed, and now were now missing. And we were encouraged and challenged all at the same time. Though we are often tired and frustrated and impatient with our children, we need to cherish what we have for now. It won't be long before it's gone.

If you are an uptight worrier and planner like Joanna and I are, be sure to slow down, and to step back. Enjoy the moment with your children and of your children. Unlike with Christmas shopping, there are no returns in parenting.

Related Links:

• Our Traditional Anniversary    
• Our Anniversary (2012)
• Time to Dream, Discuss, and Plan  
• "How Are Things Between You and Your Leadership?"     
• Just Like Me    

Favorite Tweets for October

You can follow me on Twitter: @EspinosaJoey

1. .@joshuaesc @SCStateFair Haiku submitted. What do you think? http://scwordsmith.com/2011/09/26/its-fair-haiku-season/
2. My Amazon wish-list is growing faster than my budget, and my allotted reading time.
3. 5 Things Better Than an Obedient Child. / Great post for #parents. http://bit.ly/oI4HcW
4. #YomKippur. I will be fasting today, in between meals. http://t.co/X0UbrxBV
5. Marvin Love & @jdkeever are opposing captains in kickball. This might be the end of relationship btwn @gracechurchsc & Vision Ministries
6. "Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally." Oswald Chambers
7. Hannah & I are at the school's Student Council induction ceremony. Almost half of the council are kids fr the Club. http://twitpic.com/7368lm
8. My daughter, at the state fair: "You can get deep fried ANYTHING here!"

MC Escher in Lego

Sky and Water

When I was a kid, I loved the works of M.C. Escher. I even had a T-shirt, with the design to the right, of Sky and Water. I was fascinated with how he could trick make my eyes not believe what they were seeing. It was probably the only time in my life that I enjoyed not knowing the answer.

I also liked Legos. I had 1000's. It used to be that all there were were regular "town" creations -- cars, houses, police station, etc. But I moved into castle sets. Now, there are at least a dozen series of different sets -- Star Wars, ninja, Pharaoh, and whatnot. I brought Elijah and two of his friends to a Lego store last December; it took them over 45 minutes to figure out how they each wanted to spend their $20. A little overwhelming, for us all.

It's fun to use Legos to create real life depictions and artwork. My kids have been inspired by others creating Bible Stories with Legos, even building Easter scenes. They have not built an SUV out of Lego bricks. Not yet, at least.

Recently, we came across a site that showed how someone recreated M.C. Escher's artwork using Legos. Here are some of our favorites:

Belvedere.

Relativity.

Waterfall. On this one, he had to cheat a little (read the story in the article). Still pretty cool.

I was amazed at how few kids in the after school program here have used Legos, until I'm reminded of how expensive they are (the Lego SUV has an estimated materials-only cost of $40,000, not including labor, or an engine). We were so thankful for a friend's HUGE donation of their unused Legos. 

Do your kids like to create with Legos? What's been their biggest project?

Favorite Tweets for August

Here we go again!

1. Yesterday at church, I noticed that Hannah has the same hair style as Jesus in the stained glass windows.
2. Why do I like Jews for Jesus. Because they sold me a shirt that says, "Jesus Made Me Kosher." Read more... http://t.co/tyD3v0b
3. Eating cake with a former Harlem Globetrotter, in Barnwell, SC.
4. RT @taylorebeard: The luckiest times if your life are as a baby or in a nursing home b/c you get your own room // You also poop in a diaper 
5. Best part of having a cash budget - just paid $220 for auto maintenance, and won't ever see it on credit card bill. #emotionalfreedom
6. Pastor Larry Sizemore giving major props to the ministry and outreach of @gracechurchsc and @GraceChurchCE. #AllendaleSC
7. Half the principals in #AllendaleSC are new, and 1/2 the middle school teachers. Glad we're back in the kids' lives. http://t.co/yV5bmr3
8. Watching the Allendale-Fairfax Tigers practice. Also have an open invitation to stand on the sidelines for every game. http://twitpic.com/66pk83
9. Handy tip: do NOT try to cut open a fish oil pill. #stinkymess
10. I love it when the kids at the Club describe a relative, and the first thing they say is, "She's black." Really? #AllendaleSC
11. Oh yeah, @MattKelleySC? Here was OUR #WorshipSet in #AllendaleSC: Baptist Hymns 217, 329, 320. #wemissgracechurch
12. It only took about 8 years, but @josephosborn and his family have made it to PNG. #dedicated

Which do you like best? I'll go first in the comments.

Don't forget to follow me @EspinosaJoey.

Intern in Allendale: End of a Season

Wes, Hannah, and the Espinosas

We were so thankful for the the two interns from Grace Church who lived in Allendale this summer. Hannah Swoap and Wes Johnson spent 11 and 8 weeks, respectively, pouring into the community here, including the after school program.

You should read the final post from Wes, The End of a Season, to get a summary of how God blessed him with this experience. He had the opportunity to grow, and to see others grow.

Here are some of my favorite parts of this article:

• How he benefited from hanging out with Frank Lewis.
• Travis realizing that his life is not all about him.
• Gerome discovering his passion and skills for working with kids.
• Joanna and I being encouraged by what he wrote about us (though he is far too gracious).

[Note: You can read this post on the new blog -- Mission: Allendale.]

First Day of After School

It was a great first day of after school programming.

(This post has been moved to the Mission: Allendale blog.)

They're Baaack!

The first day of school for Allendale County is on Tuesday, August 16. We took this week off from our after school programming, but will start up on the first day of school. We're expecting that not only will we get back many of the members that we had last spring, but that we'll keep most of the new kids that we picked up this summer. This ministry is growing!

On the last day of the school year program, a child asked me, "Will you be here in the fall?" I said that I sure was planning to. Now, I'm glad that my promise to that boy will hold true. We are so excited to be a part of these kids' lives. Even more, we are looking forward to being with these children for an entire school year, instead of coming in half-way through. We get to walk through their school year with them.

Many of these kids are used to people coming in and out of their lives, whether parents, parents' significant others, and teachers. Allendale County has the highest teacher turnover rate in SC (data from 2009-10). At 28.8%, it was only one of two districts over 20%; for comparison, Greenville County was at 6.5%.

Joanna and I have already talked about what the fall looks like for our family. Our family won't stay until closing time every day, but Joanna really wants to be there for homework time. She will schedule our own kids' schoolwork to leave some of their independent assignments to be done at the Club.

Here are some other things that we're excited about in the after school program:

1. Joanna being there a lot, just like she was for the last month of the school year. The kids see us talk and work together. Early on, one of the best things Joanna thought to do was walk across the room to intentionally sit next to me during a talent show. You could tell that other kids noticed what she did; many of them don't have any kind of model of what a healthy marriage looks like.
2. Our kids being there a lot. They have made friends and enjoyed the activities. But even more, other kids get to see Joanna and I talk to and interact with our own kids -- from correction, to encouragement, to direction, to joking. The kids in the program will be treated with the same care and leadership as our own kids get.
3. Conversations. As you can read from the first two points, talking is so important. Conversation, especially for young children, significantly helps develop vocabularies and gives them a sense of connection. Good deeds lead to chances to communicate the Good News (see the first bullet point in this post).

Outside or my work, we're also looking forward to getting more connected here, with friends, with church, with the community.

Related Link:

• Why Christians Should Serve Outside of the Church  
• A Whirlwind of a Week  

What Surprised Me About Summer Camp

Owling has only, thus far, been done at home

Today is the last day of our summer programming. We'll have a week off, where we'll go to Greenville for a few days, see my brother's new baby in Columbia, and then come back to Allendale to finish up our break.

Then, we'll begin with our after school program on the first day of school (August 16). I think we'll have 70-80 sign up within the first month. My friend and co-worker Marvin Love believes we will average 75 kids per day. I sorta' hope he's right, and I sorta' hope he's wrong.

In a recap of the summer, here are something unexpected great things that have happened:

• The Awesomely-Long Days. In May, we couldn't imagine how we would make it with a 8AM to 5PM schedule. But now, we wouldn't want it any other way. It was a need for parents, it gave us more time to develop relationships, and we know that the kids really wanted to be there (most arrived by 8:15, and didn't leave until after 4:30).
• Relationships with Kids. We are amazed just how close as we grew to the kids, especially the ones who came almost every day. It almost makes us wish to not get any more kids in the fall, so we can focus on these. We have an extra bond with our summer kids.
• New Faces. Of the 50 kids that came at least one week, about one-third were brand new. We expect most of them to return in the fall (besides getting back many of kids we had in the spring). Parents have told us, "We've heard such good things about what you guys are doing," and "All my boys talk about is what's going on here."
• Great Competitions. The best week was Olympic week, where we had great competitions and lots of opportunities to talk about leadership and character.
• Developing Leaders. A few of the older boys, in particular, really developed as leaders. They encouraged younger kids, showed enthusiasm, and came up with great ideas for our programming.
• House Guests. Having at least a dozen guests stay at least one night with us, at different points over the summer. We're going to miss them all the activity.
• Our Favorite House Guest. The new close friendship we have with Hannah Swoap. She's the kind of girl I want my own Hannah to be like, and whom I want my sons to marry (except for her being a picky eater).
• Dozens of Volunteers. How much of an impact the volunteers had, not just what they did, but with the relationships that were formed -- including all the Grace students, the 4 moms and 11 kids, and the three students who came back.
• Increased Community Involvement. I thought that people would have laid low in the summer. But we got a new volunteer that will continue in the fall. Plus we had three groups prepare lunches for the kids on different occasions -- Fairfax Baptist Church (twice), Allendale Baptist Church, and Fairfax Police Department. Two teenage girls from Fairfax Baptist even stayed up to 3AM to make delicious cupcakes for the kids!
• Our Own Kids Having Meaningful Relationships. That our own kids would not just refer to the boys and girls here by name, but would refer to them as "my friends" over and over.

Related Link:

• The End of the School Year

Favorite Tweets for July

Not following me on Twitter? You're missing out on awesomeness.

1. Me: "Kids, who are your heroes?" Hannah: "God, Daddy, & Superman." I'm in good company. #parenting #thingskidssay
2. My daughter is eating raw collard greens, grown at the community garden in #AllendaleSC. #countrygirl http://twitpic.com/5k367k
3. I love that our kids refer to the Sleep Inn as a "fancy hotel." #deprived
4. Congrats to Lottie Lewis, who was just named Person of the Year by The Allendale Sun. Well-deserved! #AllendaleSC
5. Hannah & I headed out on a dinner date. Joanna asks, "Are y'all doing anything else?" Really? Did she forget where we live? #AllendaleSC
6. I had to type in an anti-spam code, that involved the sequence "7eV" -- and I immediately thought "7 electron Volts." #sciencenerd  
7. The other day, a kid at the Club asked me to pray for his sick mom. Oh, yeah! 
8. 4-year-old Sender scored from first base on a grounder in kickball today. No errors, but the fielders paid no attention to him. #prouddad
9. [This was a two-part Tweet]
1. Me: "12 years ago I asked Joanna to marry me." Kid at camp: "If she said NO, would you have kicked her out of the house?"
2. (cont'd) Me: "We didn't live together before we were married." Kid at camp: "What?!?!"
10. Umm.. Excuse me, Housekeeping. I would like to buy one of your 4-cup coffee makers for $50. #whatabargain http://twitpic.com/5ukmq4
11. "All heads bowed. All eyes closed." #thingsbaptistpreacherssay
12. Elijah's at grandparents tonight, so we picked up a replacement son. Will anyone notice the difference? http://twitpic.com/5wuxs9

Here are some quotes from others that I tweeted or re-tweeted:

1. In 2009, for every $1 of net worth that white households had, black households had 2 cents. http://t.co/q3s858e #poverty
2. RT @MattA_Rogers: I could not be more thankful that in his grace God allowed me to not care about Harry Potter. / Amen 
3. "No sin is worse than self-pity, b/c it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him w/ our own self-interests." O. Chambers
4. RT @yesiliketacos: people who think they know everything can be pretty annoying to those of us who actually do / Agreed 

Which of these is your favorite?

And More Favorite Things

I hope you haven't gotten tired of my weekly updates. But there has been so many great things going on in our Summer Camp! Here's what has excited and encouraged us this week.

• Great food
• A local resident made red velvet cupcakes on Monday
• A mom of a kid made cupcakes on Tuesday
• Fairfax First Baptist Church brought lunch for all the kids on Thursday. Chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, carrots, grapes, ice cream, and fruit drinks.
• Great servants



Goldilocks sleeping in Hannah's bed?

• Two college students from Grace Church came down for a day
• Another college student from Grace came on Wednesday, and is staying with us through the weekend
• An long-time friend and her niece came down to make jewelry with the kids and in the community
• And yet another college student is coming down tomorrow
• And these don't even include the 3 college and 2 high school students who have been a part of Allendale for the entire summer, including this past week
• (We're in a span of 7 days where we'll have 8 different guests spend at least 1 night in our house)
• Great programming
• We had a week of Olympics-style events, from ping pong to basketball, and from javelin (made with straws) to logic problems. Lots of  good competition.
• We divided kids up into 4 teams, mixing up ages and genders. Loved seeing some of the older kids step up as leaders, even saying things to their teams like, "Let's all eat lunch together."
• Opening 7 x 20m relay race got the events off to a great start.
• Giving out medals and other awards at the end.
• Great conversations
• The competitiveness brought out some attitudes. This led to many opportunities for discussions about leadership, dealing with hardships, and respecting others.
• With some of the nice, not-so-athletic kids winning events, it was great to be able to see how encouraged they were. I asked one meek boy how he felt about winning a gold medal in table hockey, and he replied, "I feel really proud of myself."
  

We have one more week of camp coming up. Then, time for a break!


Related Link:

• What Surprised Me About Summer Camp

4 Moms, 11 Kids, 2 Minivans

Water balloon tossing in our yard

One of my favorite things the last week of June was the arrival of 15 friends (4 moms, 11 kids) from Greenville. I know it wasn't easy to drive all the way down, deal with the heat (and bugs), and drive back -- especially with really young kids in tow.

But I'm sure that it will be a great memory for them all, and our friend Molly wrote about this adventure in We Be Trippin'. She writes,

When I would tell people outside of Grace or our circle of friends we were going to Allendale, the reaction was always similar: "Oh, neat. Where?"

To answer one of her questions, yes, we completely enjoyed their visit. Not only were they a blessing to the kids in the summer camp, but their willingness to come down here was a manifestation of how much they care for our family. We were so encouraged!

She concludes,

I'm already scheming ways to get back down there again, this time with Ryan.

Looking forward to her return, and anyone else that wants to come down!


Related Link:

• What Surprised Me About Summer Camp

Favorite Things From the Past Two Weeks

 Had some other things I wanted to share last Saturday, about Encouraging Reminders we received.  So here's some catching up:

Frisbee AND ice cream - a great combination

• A boy at Camp asked me to pray for his mom. He's already had a conversation with Joanna where he asked if she believed in God. It's evident that good deeds (like just being here) lead to chances to communicate the Good News.
• We taught the older kids how to play ultimate frisbee.
• We had the representative from 4H lead an Animal Camp this week. It was a nice break and change of pace from our usual programming. The last day included making homemade ice cream.
• Three high school boys from Grace Church came down to stay for the week. They were so eager to come back (they were all down with the Student Mission Trips in June), to continue building the relationships that had already been formed. On Thursday afternoon, I enjoyed seeing a student walk down the hall, see one of our members, and greet him by name.
• Every day this week, our 3 kids have wanted to ride with me to open up. They turn on the air conditioners, check the bathrooms, and put out breakfast foods. Being here has been a great family ministry!

Only two more weeks of Summer Camp! We've had a great summer, but we're starting to look forward to the end.


Related Link:

• What Surprised Me About Summer Camp

Poverty: Allendale, Bahamas, and the Gospel

Stocking the Allendale food bank

What would make a young lady earn money (by babysitting and selling jewelry) for the purpose of leaving one impoverished area and "vacationing" in another? That is exactly what Lydia Fastzkie did, coming to Allendale last month (this article was written by her mom, Shannan).


Poverty Is the Same, and Different
The culture of poverty in Eleuthera (Bahamas) is very similar to Allendale.


Read the rest of the post on the Mission: Allendale blog . . . 

Educational Success: What Age Should We Focus On?

image courtesy of anissat via sxc.hu

When I first started working with kids in the after school program in Allendale County, I noticed that many were behind in their education level. As I wrote previously, education is one of the three basic problems in Allendale, and schoolwork is a struggle especially for boys.

At first I thought that we need to focus on elementary-age. After all, this is when children are receiving a foundation of educational knowledge and skills. It's most serious with reading (if you can't read, learning anything is difficult), but even math skills are key at an early age. After observing that many children are already far behind by 3rd or 4th grade, I started thinking that we need to focus on students when they are in kindergarten. But then (as I said in that post about the 3 Basic Problems), I started to see that even that can be a late.

Read the rest of the article on the Mission: Allendale blog.

Engaging Allendale

I've already written about having another Hannah in the our home. (And, with the three Student Ministry mission trips, there was always another "Hannah" in Allendale.) We're so blessed to have Swoapie be a part of our family this summer!

Be sure to read the latest post she wrote, about Engaging Allendale. She talks about the relationships that have been built, and the blessings that come out of them.

The other college student living here this summer is Wes Johnson, and he wrote a great post about two high schoolers who are also here.

Oh, and the kids in Summer Camp loved watching our two interns dance; one even referred to them as the "Happy Couple."

Related Link:

• Fairfax Friday: Following a Well-Tread Path

My Favorite Things from This Week

 Week 3 is done. Seems like June went by so fast! Here's what made our week special:

Joanna, Travis, and kids making smores

• Friends from Greenville. 4 women and 11 children coming down for a 2-day, 1-night trip. They helped in the programming, and their kids got to play and connect. It was such an encouragement for us. 
• Other friends from Greenville mailed us an encouraging note, plus $100. That is, a one-hundred dollar bill.  Use checks people!
• Got through to a kid to help him understand that he can never be good enough all on his own. Throwing in some Gospel principles here and there.
• It was science week, so we had fun activities like making slime (I got to lead that one). Also, Joanna taught her kids how to make smores with a modified pizza box and the heat of the sun. 
• We are getting new kids every week. Parents are saying that they are hearing good things about the program. Got up to 34 kids one day this week.
• Actually, there were at least two kids that we had great heart-to-heart conversations with. 
• Planning for upcoming Pet Camp, with the local 4-H person.. Trying to get some folks (teenagers? a family?) from Grace Church to help out.
• Talent Show. Our first since the end of the school year. 4 of the 5 Espinosas took part; Sender covered me by going twice.

This was the encore presentation.