in need of peace

I'm home sick today, so I'm spending a lot of time resting in my living room.  From this position, I hear all of the conversations of my neighbors going up and down the stairs. 

It's a vivid reminder of how desperately they need the peace that is only found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

all in a day...

My Spanish studies paid off this morning as I was able to help 2 ladies from Guatemala who came to the church looking for food. (They were referred by a teacher at a nearby elementary school!) It was also good motivation to keep studying hard (not that I was lacking in that department!)

One of my youth was hit by a car while walking to school this morning. He is home from the hospital without broken bones, but pretty banged up. I'm not normally in his neighborhood until the evening, but the Lord had Kyle and I there right after he returned from the hospital (along with the news crew).

I helped with math homework, broke up fights, consoled the "victims", and prepared snack while carrying an angry, exhausted 3 year old who had fallen asleep in my arms.

When Jacob and I knocked on another youth's door this evening a neighbor asked if we were coming to check on him and assured us that he was alright. (which is alarming when you didn't know anything was wrong) 30 minutes later the boy asked to leave Youth Night early so he could go to the emergency room. He had been waiting for his mom to get home and take him because of his chest pains.

And then at the end we were banned from using the community center for Youth Night (until further notice).

Scott's right, the day could have been much worse... but it's still a lot of pain. We're always surrounded by hurting people. Today the pain was very visible.

It is exciting to see the Lord work!

On Saturday one of my youth told me her little sister had come home from Kids Club Monday afternoon and asked her;

"Do you know where you will go when you die?"

"Yes, I'm going to Heaven." (older sister's reply)

"Me too."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they've been telling me things at Kids Club and today I asked Jesus into my heart."

The older sister trusted Christ at the beginning of the summer and has been very bold about stating that she belongs to Christ and will definitely go to Heaven when she dies. She also told me that her younger sister has already stopped watching some of the things she used to watch on tv b/c Jesus wouldn't like them.  It is exciting to see how the Lord is working in this family!  Pray that He will continue to draw others in the family to Himself. 

(The lesson at Kids Club this week was on the Roman Road and the teacher told me this girl had many questions during the lesson, but she did not tell the adults she had made a decision. Remember that God is often working in hearts even when we cannot see it! And keep up the good work of faithfully sharing the Gospel with the children, youth, and adults with whom God has given you influence!)