Selfie Sunday

This upcoming week is my last week serving in Homestead, FL with Student Dot Go, and it will not be easy. I have two performances to help prepare for the annual family night on Thursday. Both the youth and the elementary program are presenting. Another member of the youth and I are making a short film as well. I have laundry and packing to do, and I have a lot of goodbyes. This week will be busy and probably emotional.

So as I approach my final week at Open House Ministries, I find myself needing some self-reflection. What have I done this summer? What have I accomplished or not accomplished? How was my experience different than I expected? How have I grown this summer? There are many questions that I need to answer for myself, and I find the easiest way to do this is to look at pictures and think about all of the fun memories I get to pack up with me too. So here, in the social media tradition of “Selfie Sunday” I share some selfies that I have taken with the kids.  

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Church Clap

These kids love to dance. I think I've heard DJ Silento's "Watch Me" at least twice a day, five days a week, for five weeks. You would think that our students would get tired of hearing the same ten worship songs week after week, but instead they always have the same level of enthusiasm whether they have heard the song twice or two hundred times.

This summer I have learned so much. I've learned how to whip, how to nae nae, how to bop, and how to worship. Now maybe doing the whip isn't exactly worship, but "Church Clap" by KB, and "Fix My Eyes" by for King & Country are just as popular with the little ones. It doesn't matter if you know all of the words, or if you are good at the dance moves (these kids will tell you I am certainly not.) It only matters that you are worshiping with the enthusiasm that God deserves. We should rejoice and celebrate God with the same amount of heart as these kids. 

So let me hear that Church Clap! 

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Learning to Swim

Even though I am in South Florida, just miles from some of the most beautiful beaches on the country, most of our campers don't know how to swim. Naturally pool day is a challenge. We do our best to teach them to swim. Sometimes just getting them to put their face in the water is a struggle. After just two hours in the pool, I have a sunburn, and can feel tiny bruises forming from kids gripping on to my shoulders. Most of our kids have never been to the beach, and have only been swimming at the public pool with our camp. So we all crowd in to the shallow end of the pool with those who can't pass the swimming test and do our best to teach them how to swim.

As our campers bravely faced the water I pulled out a water proof camera that my mom had sent with me. After downloading the pictures, I don't see any fear or hesitation. Instead, I see courageous, trusting, smiling faces. 

This week, a kid who wouldn't even let us take him off of the steps the first day could swim almost ten feet to someone's arms. Another kid, who just learned to put his face in the water can now swim, and isn't afraid to just start out on his own. 

Here are some of the moments I captured from our first week at the pool. 

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Blessed

Happy Independence Day everyone! I decided to delay my post this week, so that I could enjoy the holiday weekend. I’m pretty sure everyone reading was busy watching fireworks on Saturday night, and then watching our USA team dominate the World Cup last night. We are so blessed to call this country home!

As I sat in the Homestead Miami Speedway and watched fireworks burst in celebration above me, I had time to think about how truly blessed I am. I get to spend two months of my summer working with some of the most amazing kids I have ever met. To make this happen: Student Dot Go gave me an internship and a small stipend for costs, a family I had never met opened their home to me, my congregation at home has supported me financially and spiritually, and the Open House Staff has lovingly welcomed me on to their team.

Last week I was incredibly blessed to have extra help in my elective time. Without mission teams, I have been in charge of elective time for this kids as well as enrichment for the youth. Six lessons a week can be exhausting. Charity, a staff member at TML in Overtown, drove down each morning and taught mime to our kids. Not only was I able to take a break, but I was also able to witness how theatre is working in these kids. They all mimed their original stories, and were able to wear real mime makeup. It was awesome to witness them create something, and then be able to share through performance.

I am blessed to be here in Homestead, and I am blessed to work with such wonderful kids.   

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