Christmas Marathon at FG!

       The week before Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year at First Glance. Like I have said in previous blog post, holidays can be challenging for our students as some of them come from low income and broken families. The holiday season is for some of them a reminder of their constant battle and struggles. At FG, we make it our mission during the season to make the students feel loved and blessed while pointing them to Christ who loved us first. For many of our students, we are their family and main support system. So, it is important to us to celebrate with them! The week is filled with showering our students with blessings!
On Tuesday night, Ladies’ Night Out had our annual Christmas party. We were able to make them a nice Christmas dinner. We were able to the girls socks, scarves, hats, and gloves, which differently meets their needs. They were so excited and thankful for the gifts they received. We also played our annual musical chairs game and decorated cookies! It was a blast!
Our Teen/ Young Moms Program does an annual boutique every year where we collect used educational toys, clothes, blankets, and variety of other gift options to meet their needs. The moms then have the ability to use their points that they have been earning and saving to Christmas shop. For many of them, this is their only opportunity to get their children gifts. They then wrap the presents as a group.We also had a Tiny Glancers leader buy each of the students a present from their wish lists!  It blessed me to be able to see the joy on their faces as opened gifts and as the teen moms were able to provide Christmas presents for their children in such a tangible way. 

This year for our large Student Christmas party we did things differently. Noelle Beck, Executive Director of FG, is an amazing leader and visionary. She had the idea of having a very large and nice Christmas dinner/evening for our students. All the food was donated, and we were able to recruit over 100+ volunteers from different churches volunteer, so our regular leaders were able to sit down and enjoy dinner with the students. We invited all students that attend FG programming including our teen/young mom programming along with our young adults.
The students came rushing in the door and were greeted by leaders who lead them to tables. The girls were presented with flowers. We then enjoyed a family restaurant style dinner where the volunteers acted as waiters and waitresses. The girls that were sitting at my table were in awe! Noelle was able to talk to our students over dinner and explain to them why were doing this for them—because we loved them and wanted them to know the love of Christ. We then had Christmas karaoke, a dance party and had an inflatable set up for them to play on. Through the generosity of the community, we were able to give every student a $5 gift card to Subway and a candy bar.
It was truly an amazing night that couldn’t have been done without God’s hand and the vast amount of volunteers and generous donations that were made.

Thanksgiving

The holiday season can be a tough time for many of students, some of them lacking stable homes or the ability to have a holiday dinner. Every year the Kenmore Ministerial Association partners with local churches and organizations to host a free community Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner was hosted last week, and 535 meals given out! The event wasn’t suppose to start until 5:30, but people eagerly showed up at 4 to wait.  It was such a fun environment; there was even cookie decorating and face painting for the children!  The Ladies’ Night Out students and leaders were able to all sit and eat together. Our Teen Mom, Young Mom and Student Leader programs helped to prepare and served meals.  It was  beautiful sight to see the community gathered together serving and enjoying a meal together. I feel so blessed to be able to call Kenmore my community. 

Rock the Road 2012!

Every year First Glance takes a trip called Rock the Road. It’s a 48 road trip where only the few people planning know the destination. This year we took the students to Pittsburgh, PA.. A really neat part about the trip is that many of our students have never been out of state of Ohio or ever stayed in a hotel. I love the privilege to get to see their faces light up as we cross the state line! This year, we did a variety activities from going to play laser tag, bowling, the Carnegie Science Center, and going on a safari ride. Overall, the trip was a blast and a great success.

The theme of the trip was focused around being grateful for what God has given us. The last day of the trip we were sitting in groups talking about ways that God has blessed us.  Kandice* is an younger student that is full of energy had been attending FG’s programming regularly and is a believer! Kandice made our group aware that her family has been going through a financial issues where they were being evicted from their home and were going to be entering into a local homeless shelter the next day. Kandice’s ability to rejoice and be thankful in this midst of her circumstances challenges my faith! She spoke about how thankful she is for her mother and how she has tried her best to put food on the table. She was so quick to also list all the blessings in her life. The following scripture came to mind when thinking about her situation:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again” Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:8-9

It is evident that God has been guarding her heart, and instead of her being filled with anxiety and fear, she's filled with thankfulness. This week I received an update that Kandice’s family is still in the shelter but is doing well. Her cousin told me that she is really happy that she has not only her own room, but she has her own bed. Once again her thankfulness is so encouraging. Often times I go into the trips thinking about how we are going to teach them so much about faith and Jesus, but it’s amazing how she equally taught me how to rejoice and the importance in trusting God. 

Ladies' Night Out Sleepover!

Last weekend Ladies’ Night Out had a sleepover at my house. Eight girls showed up, which was the perfect number to eliminate some of the chaos that happens when you have jr. high and high school aged girls all together. Friday night we played games, stayed up late talking about life and laughed a lot! Saturday morning we woke up ate breakfast and headed to Hartville for the day. 

One of my favorite parts about my job is the opportunity we have to expose our students to different cultural experiences. We took them to the Hartville Flee Market and they were in awe! We gave them each two dollars a piece to spend on whatever they liked. I was surprised that the majority of the girls actually spent their two dollars on things that they knew they would need for the winter. Many of the girls bought a blanket, gloves, or a winter hat. 

The next adventure was off to a corn maize. The one we went to was 8 football fields long. They were again amazed by it all. The maize offered different games and clues that you could play throughout. The girls were relentless about finding all 35 clues, which was a lot of walking! But they LOVED it more than I could have every thought!  We then took a tractor ride, which provided a some down time for intentional conversations. Kaitlynn* is a student who I have been investing in for about a year now. She started attending church last winter and was inconsistent until recently. As of lately, I have seen a pretty significant change in her life. I told her that I have noticed she has been attending church recently and asked her what made her decided to do that. She proceeded to tell me that something happened last January to her and she knew she really needed Jesus. She went on to tell me how recently she decided to be all in!! SHE’S A FOLLOWER! I am so excited and glad I get to be apart of her faith journey. I can tell that God is doing a work within her heart and it’s beautiful. The conversation allowed many of the other girls to open up and talk about struggles and the churches they have attended in the past. 

       It was such a great weekend with the girls. Looking forward to what God is going to do through the conversations that were had plus the level of trust and vulnerability that was built of the weekend. Please pray for Kaitlynn that God would guard her heart and mind as she begins this new journey. Pray for the leaders that attended that we would be bold in having follow up conversations. 

*Name changed for privacy. 

Financial Need: Last month I lost a $50 a month donation. Cody and I really do rely on that donation to meet our financial needs and at this point we really can’t afford to lose it. Please consider financially partnering with me! Here are the ways below:
-Write a check: 
Make checks payable to First glance (943 Kenmore Blvd, Akron, Ohio 44314)

-Automatic Payments
Set up a “bill pay” through your bank online. It’s free and will send a check every month to FG. We would be happy to help you with the process of setting this up.

-Use Paypal (credit card)
Visit our website: www.firstglance.org

Rec Night

I apologize for my lack of writing over the last few weeks. With fall programming in full swing I have lacked time, but I have really enjoyed the excitement of being back open.  I currently oversee the Friday Rec Night. Rec Nights were how I first got involved with First Glance. As I grew to know the students and my heart broke for the community I committed to being part of God reconciling this community back to Him. Although Rec Nights can be chaotic and overwhelming at times, I love it!

This past Friday was such a cool night. It began with our leader’s meeting. The local pastor of Goss Church, Kevin Burkholder, encouraged the leaders and I to be bold in approaching and engaging our students in conversation. We prayed as a team and opened the doors to let the mass amount of students waiting come in. I grabbed a piece of pizza and sat down to see how our cop was doing. Mike, a tougher student that I am pretty sure is involved in gang activity, randomly sat down at the table with us. He engaged us in conversation!! Sometimes conversation with our students can be really forced, but it wasn’t at all!! He told us how he was in court the previous week supporting a friend that was being sentenced. He went on to talk about his family and how they just got a new house. I could tell from our conversation that his mother was trying so hard to provide for their family. It was evident that he noticed and loved her. In all honesty, before this conversation with Mike I saw him as a punk kid that came into Rec Night to cause fights and make trouble. That night, I saw the vast potential he has as an image-bearer. Please pray with me for this young man that he would come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Please also pray for the Tunnel Vision Reunion that we are having with our students before Rec Night. We are going to have intentional conversations about Christ!

One Year in Ministry!

Clinging to Truth.

      This past month of ministry has definitely been one of the most challenging yet. After Tyler’s funeral and comforting the student that found him, I was left emotionally and mentally exhausted. I felt like everything in ministry was spinning out of control. On my retreat day last Friday I was studying 1 Peter, when I came across 5:6-11:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

            Throughout all the insanity of ministry, God continues to show me that He is still in control. Through this realization, I am seeing that I must humble myself to God and stop trying to take control. I often revert to my sinful desire to manage my life and the student’s within it. I have this ideal picture of how I want everything to go and when it doesn’t pan out, I crumble becoming anxious and overwhelmed. 

            Capitalizing on my weakened state, the enemy’s desire is to destroy me. I continue to fight back, using prayer (please join with me) and attempting to be steadfast in my faith. It has been helpful to realize that God truly does love these students and this community more than I do. It has also helped me to realize that God knew all of this would happen, and He still has a plan. It brings me great comfort to know that God will restore me and use all of this for His glory. I am thankful for His continuous patience. 

A faithful God in the midst of heartache.

The last few weeks have been very sad for the Kenmore community 
as they mourned the loss of a son, nephew, uncle, student and friend.
Although it was one of the toughest weeks I have ever experienced in
ministry, God was still incredibly faithful to Tyler s family and the
Kenmore community. God s provisions were vast as businesses from the
community stepped up and provided for Tyler s family. 

Tyler s mother called us a few days after his death and informed us
that she was never worried about Tyler when he was at First Glance
Rec Nights with his friends because it was chaperoned and safe. She
told us that due to the provisions she received, any donations
received at Tyler's calling hours and funeral would be given to First
Glance. 

In addition, for around three years now I have been building a
relationship and mentoring the young women who found Tyler s body.
She called me in her brokenness and we mourned her loss together. I
have been able to lead her as her recovery from the situation has
just begun. She is going to counseling and is willing to talk as she
pursues healing. She told me at this point anything would help
because she is at the lowest point she has even been. Please pray as she is
in the anger stage of her grieving. We continue to have some of the most honest 
conversations about Christ I've ever had with her.

Though I ache for this girl, Tyler's mom and family, and the rest of
the community affected by this tragedy, I know God is at work in all
things. I continue to pray that this community would submit to Christ
and they will not turn to substitutions for comfort. I hope they will
cling to Him alone for healing and recognize His everlasting goodness
even through times like this.

Sad News

In the midst of writing a blog update about Tunnel Vision, multiple incidents have unfolded in the Kenmore community that greatly affect our students. A blog update from Tunnel Vision will come soon, but for now I will inform you of the immediate need for prayer.

Ashley, a teen mom that I have previously wrote about, lost her grandmother this week in tragic accident. She was very close to her grandma due to being raised by her. Calling hours are today. Please be in prayer as Ashley has a lot of unanswered questions. Yesterday she stopped in the office and had mentioned to me that she knows the leaders of First Glance really love and care about her. We do! I was thankful that she was able to realize that. 

Yesterday another tragedy happened as a local male teen was shot and killed. A female student that has been around First Glance for awhile was the one that found his body as she was returning home from school. I was able to talk with her this morning and I would have to say it was one of the toughest conversations I have ever had in ministry. She is extremely broken. She spoke of the many nightmares she had last night and how it was the worst experience that she has ever had. 

Many of our students knew him. Please pray for his family, our students, and our greater community that have all been greatly affected by this tragedy. Also, it has been said that he has been a part of gang activity as well. Please also pray for threats of retaliation and circumstances to come. 

You can read the news article below:

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/teens-find-body-in-kenmore-driveway-1.307824

The Possibilities!

Ashley is a teen mom that has been coming around First Glance for about a year and a half now. In talking with a leader at teen moms a few weeks ago she said mentioned the need for younger woman to walk beside our teen moms and be a friend. Ashley came to my mind during our conversation. On a few occasions I have watched Ashley’s son in the nursery, but I have had little interactions with her.  On Monday, I received a message from her on facebook saying that we should hang out sometime soon when I am free. I was so excited! I messaged her back quickly and set up a time!

Yesterday Ashley, her son and I went out for lunch. Ashley just found out that morning morning she got a job! I was pleasantly surprised with how open and honest Ashley was about her struggles in being a mother and how she was in a unhealthy relationship. I am really looking forward to hanging out with her more! 

Please be praying as I build a relationship with Ashley. Pray that I would love her well and would be bold in my faith in bringing Jesus into our conversations. I am more than excited to see where God takes our relationship.

She Comes Back Around.

We took the girls on a scavenger hunt this week for LNO. Here is Jenna(a volunteer) and her team.

I met Sarah two years ago on a trip that First Glance takes every year called Tunnel Vision. I began to invest in her. We hung out often and at one point we actually read the Bible a few times together. For Sarah, she constantly battled the tension between the life of anger she used to live in and her newfound freedom in Christ. I wish I could say that she continued down the straight and narrow path, but she did not. She got involved with a man that threw her back into her old ways of drugs, stealing and violence. It deeply broke my heart. Sarah stopped attending Ladies’ Night Out and First Glance all together. She stopped returning my calls and in small interactions with her you could tell the intense anger she was dealing with.

The great news is that two weeks ago Sarah returned to Ladies’ Night Out. She came in and immediately hugged me. She began to explain that she got out of her old ways. She was now clean from drugs. In thinking about Sarah’s return I immediately thought of the parable of the prodigal son.

Luke 15:22-24

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Celebrating and so thankful that Sarah has returned. This afternoon Sarah and I are hanging out. Please pray for our conversation and that I would be bold in talking about God.

Thanks for your continuous prayers and support. We are very blessed to have such a strong community backing us up.

Love Retreat!

This past weekend Ladies Night Out had their first retreat!  We took 17 girls to a beautiful house on Portage Lakes. It was fun to see the responses of the girls as they walked through the house and called dibs on bedrooms. The girls shouted, “This is the nicest house I have ever seen” “I want to live here!” “Can we come here every weekend?”

With Valentine’s Day in mind the weekend was focused around the idea of, “How do we love ourselves, family, friends and boys.” I was pleasantly surprised how interactive they were. The girls had the ability to hear the gospel!  I was able to talk to them about 1 John 4:19 which says, “We love because he first loved us.” The leaders had the opportunity to be vulnerable and tell the girls their testimonies and how God has changed their lives. It was amazing!! It was beautiful to see the girls asking follow up questions. I am excited see how God uses this past weekend for His glory.

In all honesty this weekend wasn’t all smiles and joys! Lindsey* is one of my tougher student, but holds such a soft spot in my heart. I have had the privilege of seeing God transform Lindsey’s life so much in the last year. Within the first two hours of the trip she was breaking our no electronics rule. We took away her cell phone and mp3 player. For about the next 5 hours Lindsey was very angry. Giving an attitude to the leaders and the girls around her. It reached a breaking point and she started screaming at me.  As she was screaming I tried to remain calm and responded with, “Lindsey, I know that you aren’t this angry about us taking away your cellphone. What is going on in your life to make you this angry?” She then broke down and started to crying. We had an honest conversation about how home was extremely rough for her right now. She is angry at her mother and actually has been kicked out of her house multiple times this year. She has been staying at family member’s houses and hotels. It was crazy how after our conversation Lindsey did a complete turn around. She was helping the younger girls with their hair, engaging with leaders, and was an overall pleasant person to be around. I am thankful that God continues to break down her heart and transform her to look more like Christ. Although it is hard she is growing and learning. 

Intentional Prayer

This is an exciting week at First Glance!! Staff, volunteers, friends and family are taking the week to rally together to pray that the community of Kenmore would come to know Jesus! We launched on Saturday night with a time of corporate worship and prayer. For 165 hours this week there will be someone in the First Glance Prayer room praying. I am really looking forward to seeing what God does through us petitioning for this community.

Today, during my prayer time I was at first overwhelmed by the vast amount of needs within our community. At the same time I was encouraged reading the follow:

Ezekiel 34:11-15

 11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD."

I know that God is in a relentless pursuit of this community. Please consider joining with us in prayer. 

Here are some specific things I prayed for today:

• The many girls in my program that find their identity in men, friends, material possessions. 
• Broken families. A few weeks ago some of my Ladies Night Out girls were talking about their families. I realized quickly that only 1 girl in the room filled with about 15 plus girls had her mom and dad still together. A girls said, “my dad is like the wind one gust and he was gone.” 
• Students that are currently in abusive homes. Pray that God would bring peace to their households. 
• Students that are coping with destructive copping mechanisms. IE: Cutting, eating disorders, giving themselves away in purity.