Day 52 and under

I've been horrible at keeping this up to date! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll start by posting a few...

Landon and Nick on zoo field trip day a few weeks ago.

Markell, Jordon, Mr. Justin, and Ollie pretending they are in a photo shoot for their rock band.

Me, Joe, Kellie, and Kate two weekends ago at the beach! It rained the whole time, but we had a blast. We still built a great sandcastle and ate seafood.

Jarvis and I after picking up trash. This pretty much explains how trash pick up went.

This is just too funny not to post.We loved the childrens' museum last week!

Nya(obviously) with the life-size Scrabble board at the childrens' museum. We wanted to play, but ran out of time.

We went to Cary, MS on Saturday to visit Cary Christian Center. Cary is in the Delta, which is the poorest area of the nation. The median income is $16,000 I believe. (If any of you interns read this and remember otherwise, let me know.)The Cary Christian center offers a variety of ministries to help the people in the area, and has been in existence for 40 years. I would lovvvveeee to bring a group down here from our church to work for a week. Here's their website. http://www.carychristiancenter.org/

Isn't it lovely? It's an old plantation home turned museum that we visited on our way back to Jackson. It was weird to go from looking at trailers and houses that are falling in around the people who live in them to this within just a few minutes.

Us girls being ladylike. Pardon me. Would you have any grey poupon?

Thad, Joe, and Ontario being themselves.

Ollie and his horses. He LOVES horses more than anything and draws them every chance he gets. He was supposed to be drawing a picture of something that reminds him of change to go with the song we were singing. He drew a foal and then a full grown horse. I'm not sure which is which in the photo.

The 5th and 6th grade learned the song "Change" by Taylor Swift for chapel and performed it today. I took this picture of them yesterday with some of the lyrics from the song. It says "These walls that they put up to hold us back with fall down". The song goes on to say, "It's a revolution. The time will come when we will finally win. We'll sing hallelujah." I think it fits these kids well: lots of movers and shakers in this crew. They are going to continue to break down the walls we've been trying to break down this summer; especially the walls that racism has built and that Grandpa Perkins has dedicated his life to breaking down. If he was writing this post, well, it would be worded much more clearly and concisely, but also he would probably throw in, "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal". You get the idea. Anyhow, the kids did a great job, and I hope the song actually meant something to them, or that it will someday.

Things are going well. This is actually the last week of camp. I can't believe it. We only have two days left with the kids. Saying goodbye will be horrible. I'm crying just thinking about it. I'm hoping I can come back the first weekend in October to visit. I have so much more to write, but us girls are having a slumber party in our living room and we're about to start the movie.

Love,
LH

Day 45

I'm going to have to keep this short. There's nothing major to report today. The kids were a little nuts, but nothing terrible. We watched a movie about Hurricane Katrina tonight. It made me think of all the trips I've been doing hurricane relief and everyone's stories. I wonder how they are doing now. It's amazing that after six years, there is still so much to be done. A couple of our kids, Zooey and Tyler are from New Orleans and moved here because of Katrina. Here they remain.

I'M SO TIRED!

I hope everyone is doing well, and maybe I'll actually get caught up on my blogging and picture posting tomorrow. Hopefully.

Love,
LH

Day 44

I don't even know where to start or how to structure this post. So much has happened in the past week, but it might take me a minute to get started here...

I guess I'll start with the good news: Grandma went to the doctor today and the pressure behind her eyes has gone down! We've been praying so hard at camp for this ,and I can't wait to tell the kids that God truly and very obviously answered our prayers. I can't imagine how relieved Grandma is. She was so worried and was crying about it at chapel this morning.

Speaking of chapel, I had to lead it again this morning. I've discovered I'm just really not good at speaking to little people, and talking to college students comes much easier to me. I'm not really sure why Theo keeps putting me in charge of it. Maybe he just really doesn't want to do it. I don't know. I really don't want to do it again. My kids did their skit though, and that was...well... they came up with it themselves... so ... creative... but not. I was proud of them anyhow.

For some reason, today my class exploded. I've had very few kids the past couple weeks, and then today Jaden, Jamaal, and two new girls, Nia and Nikita, came, plus all of the regulars minus Landon. Music class was a little hectic because of that. Also, I made them sing a Justin Bieber song to warm up, which a few of them hated, but mostly they just got really wound up. They are doing the song "Change" by Taylor Swift for chapel next Thursday, so that's what we'll be working on from here on out. The learned most of it today, and we called my old roomie back home, Kristin , so that they could sing it to her. She LOVED it , and they thought it was cool to make someone's day.

Tomorrow, we are supposed to be doing our last "Pay it Forward" project, which is cleaning up that vacant lot. It got rained out today, but hopefully we'll have better luck tomorrow. I'm a little concerned about what we may find when we clean it up. I'm praying for no drug paraphenalia.

Well, shoot. As always, I have so much more to say, but I haven't taken the time to shower in a couple days,and that HAS TO HAPPEN before I go to bed. I'll try to write again tomorrow and talk more about the interns and things that happen outside of camp as well. Our days here are long, and it's always hard for me to include even the big thing that happen.

Love and peace,
LH

P.S. - I'm not sure if I've attached this link before, but if you scroll down, there should be a video of the 7th and 8th graders singing last week, as well as a bit about the interns.

http://spencerperkinscenter.org/v1/

Days 38-41

I can't believe it's been 41 days. I should have written yesterday. It would have been much more biblical.Right now I'm on lunch break and it has been a crazy day. The kids are especially high-strung for several reasons:

1. It's Friday.
2. We're taking them to see a movie at 2 o'clock--Mr. Poppers Penguins (or Mistuh Poppas Pweenguins as Allen says)
3. We had a man bring some creepy animals (i.e. alligator, scorpion, snakes)for the in-house field trip this morning. He let the kids hold them and most of them LOVED IT. Ms. Kate didn't love it as much as the kids. The guy kept putting the various animals on Kate, including a tarantula that crawled up her back. YUCK!

I'm going to go ahead and post this now, but I will continue it later when I have more time.

Love,
LH

Day 35-37

I have a ridiculous amount of chigger bites, which consumed my attention for most of the day. They are definitely getting better, though. I've smothered myself in clear fingernail polish and just took two benadryl, so staying awake through the rest of this post will be a miracle. Oddly enough, no one here seems to know what chiggers are. I don't know how that happens. Maybe they call them something else. I'm not sure. Julian, one of our fourth graders was cracking me up talking about it. He kept calling them sugar bugs, because he didn't understand what I was saying. He'd hit me with his towel and say, "don't worry Miss Liz. I'm just killin' the sugar bugs".

My kids started discussing the pay it forward project today. So far, they've decided that they want to do something to help Grandma Perkins, her assistant and groundskeeper, Theo, and take on some sort of neighborhood clean up project. It would be so great if we could tackle that vacant trash-covered lot that we found the week we picked up trash. I'm not exactly sure who to talk to about that, or if we need approval from the city or what, but hopefully someone that works here will know. Tommorow we're going to make cards for Grandma and then read them to her since she can't see very well.

I don't remember if I told you in my last post, but Theo asked me to give the devotion in chapel again for today (and after today asked me to do next week as well--though I don't think he like mine much today). I used this verse...

Isaiah 46:4 (NIV) “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

I asked the older kids about the last time they were carried, who carried them, and why they needed to be carried. The main point I was getting at was that no matter how old we are, and how big we get, God will always be able to carry us. Grandma liked it I think, because I told them that even Grandma is still being carried by God, especially right now with all of her fear and pain in her eye (she hollered "Amen!"). I think this is a good reminder to me as well, especially when I have rough days here. It's hard being away from my usual family and friends that will hold me (quite literally--Kels you know where I'm coming from) when I need to be held. Okay, stepping off my soap box now. Anyway, my devotion was really short, and I think Theo wanted more. I just didn't really have much more to say than what I said.

Yesterday morning, Kate, Kellie, Thad, and I went to a house church with the aunt of one of our campers. The service was pleasant, and the family that was hosting it consisted of some WONDERFUL singers. I could have listened to them for a long while. They want to fix us dinner some day, and none of us will turn down that offer! The people around here know how to cook, and don't cut any corners...or leave out any fat. I don't think I've had a bad meal here. It's a good thing that I sweat so much during the day!

All of us interns are worn out, and we're having a quiet night at home. It's nice. I think we are hitting the point of extreme exhaustion or something. It's weird. Pray that our strength is renewed.

Peace,
LH

Days 32-34

So, if you've been keeping up with this blog, you'll remember that when I first moved here, Rachel told us to leave our cars unlocked at all times and to take everything out of them. This proved itself correct on Thursday night when someone broke a window to get in to Osha's car and stole a coach purse, digital camera, and iPod.This all took place while we were having community night. They must have broken in either while everyone was eating or when we were listening to the speaker, because no one caught them. Two cops came, and though I'm fairly certain one was high, the other at least took a report and fingerprints. There were still some kids hanging around from the neighborhood and they said they thought this kid named Preacher was the thief.

This would not be Preacher's first offense. The kids said that he has stolen multiple things from them. He also sort of stole Justin's phone once, but eventually brought it back--I think he heard that Justin knew it was him. I drove by his house Thursday night , and there were four or five guys hanging out in the front yard. I was tempted to ask them if they had heard about the break in and if they knew who it might be, but Kate talked me out of it.She said that's one of those thing your parents warn you about,and to not fall in to. They come up here to play basketball almost every day. I'm not afraid of them. Punk kids. Whatever though. I doubt the cops will ever figure it out. They don't seem to care much about West Jackson, and hardly ever patrol here. There's an over-abundance of them in North Jackson.This is one of many injustices I've seen this summer. We had five cops here yesterday to talk to the kids during our in-house field trip. We do these every Friday morning, and have had firemen come as well as a guy from the boys house to talk about the civil rights movement the past couple Fridays. We thought it was ironic that we could get five cops to show up to talk to the kids, which is a great idea, yet they don't have much of a presence in the neighborhood. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm just calling it how I see it.

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday afternoon. I think everyone had fun, but the zoo here is fairly desolate. One of the junior high kids told me that in the past six or seven years it has taken a turn for the worst and that they've lost the majority of their exhibits. I kept comparing it to the Lincoln Zoo in Chicago and the St. Louis zoo--both of which I've been to recently, and both of which are completely free to the public. The kids had to pay to go to this zoo, yet it only had about 1/8 of what the St. Louis or Chicago zoos have. Sad. I asked and it's the only zoo in Jackson. I was hoping maybe there was one somewhere close.

As far as camp goes, my fifth and sixth graders have been alright this week. Landon came back from vacation with a renewed energy that has been highly unnecessary, and has gotten him in to quite a bit of trouble over the past few days. He's smart, but does so many dumb things. He picks fights and gets angry with a lot of the kids, and always makes racial statements to me. He's got a good heart though,and I just have to constantly remind myself how badly he needs me to love him and be his friend. He asked me yesterday if I would be his "friend for life--until death", he said. I told him that I will be, of course, but that I have to go back home in August. I asked him if he'd write me letters and he said he will (and so did two other little boys). Ha! I hope they do.

We watched the movie, "Pay it Forward" in class this week. It was a little over their heads, but I think they got the main idea--that it's possible for one person to make a major impact on the world,and that by doing something good, we can start a chain reaction of goodness and generosity. So now we are trying to come up with a project to get this started in our own community. The kid in the movie had three targets, and it seems appropriate that we do the same. The kids decided it would be a good idea to do something for Grandma Perkins to cheer her up. This would be perfect because she found out this week that if the pressure doesn't go down in one of her eyes, she will have to have her eyeball removed in a very painful procedure.When she told us about it at chapel Thursday, she started bawling. It was heart-breaking. She said that her mother was blind for 12 years before she died. The twins, Marquis and Marqus (her favorites) went up and hugged her, and it meant the world to her. My kids saw this, and they see how bad she's hurting and want to help, so I asked Theo yesterday what we can do. He said that time is of the essence and asked me if we could pull something together to do at chapel Monday. I told him we wouldn't have class between now and then, and that it would basically impossible to figure out something to do with all of them by Monday. So, he asked me to speak at chapel monday, maybe something about respecting your elders. He said Grandma would really love that, and that's what I plan on doing. I really want to find a way to pull the kids in though. If you have any ideas, let me know.

I got a text this morning and they are sandbagging the levies at home today because the river has already broken the secondary levies.For everyone who's helping and affected I'm praying that God gives you strength through each others company. I remember that being a very tiring job, but I know you'll find bits of joy intertwined in the mess, because it is after all, our community, and I know that you people always make the most of bad situations. I hope that there is a lot of good conversation, laughter, and ultimately, work getting done today. I'm sorry that I'm not there to help, but I know that you all have it covered.

I'm sure that I'm leaving out a lot, but I'm going to cut it off here today. I'm still loving being here, and am at peace in this decision. The people are wonderful, and I'm learning and humbled more and more every day. What more could I ask for?

Love and peace,
LH

Days 29-31

I've had an extremely mediocre past two days. I'm in a funk, and I'm not completely sure why I can't get out of it.

The kids were fine today. The staff was all just .... blah though. I'll blog more when I have more to talk about. Right now I'm just too low. Also, there were no fireworks last night. They got cancelled. Don't even get me started. I miss home.

I'm going to quit whining now and go to bed.

Love and peace,
LH

a few pictures

Days 25-28 for real

It has been a hectic week. It was mostly good though. I'm learning so much about life living here. I've been trying to imagine what it would be like to live here permanently,and I can't put myself in that position just yet. It is becoming more of a reality to me though, and I really do think I will be working at a place like this after I graduate. I say a "place like this", yet I have trouble imagining being anywhere else but here. Kelly and I were looking at pictures of the kids a few minutes ago and she said, "I just love them so much". I agreed and started tearing up at the thought of leaving them in a month. I get attached too quickly. I feel like they are my own, especially the 5th and 6th graders. You all are probably getting tired of me saying that, but I can't express to you HOW MUCH they mean to me.

Speaking of the 5th and 6th graders, we had our treasure hunt this week! Our class has been especially small this week, with people going out of town for the 4th and all. I only had four there on Thursday for the treasure hunt but they had a ball, and did a great job figuring out the clues and working together. Osha, Justin and I are so lucky to know these kids. They are beautiful. I can tell we are actually having an impact on them. They are not going to be just another negative statistic.

We took the kids bowling on Friday and I had to show Ollie, one of my fifth graders, how to hold the ball. He had never been bowling before. If you have ever been bowling with me, you know how horrible I am at it, so I'm not sure that I really should have been the one to teach him how to bowl, but he was much better by the time we left then he was when we first got there. He probably could have beat me! Ha! He's also the one Justin and I want to take to a baseball game. I wonder if his mom would let us take him. She seems pretty strict.

The swimming lessons sort of continue. I tried to help Anah this week, but I'm having trouble helping her overcome here fear of the water. She will get in, but she's very skeptical about putting her face in. Any suggestions? The junior high boys have been trying to learn how to float. They act like they don't know how. I'm not sure if they are playing me, or if they really can't...

We have community night here every Thursday. This week was packed! It was so much fun. Youthworks cooks for us and brings all of their mission teams to hang out with our kids and their parents, and whoever else may show up from the community. Grandpa Perkins sat by Kate and I at dinner and we got in to this discussion about his vision at the center. I was wishing the whole time that I had a pen to take notes on my plate or something! He was so excited about the turn out and seeing all the black and white people hanging out and playing ball. Seeing it all from his point of view was very powerful. This is the way it should be all the time.. . maybe this is what heaven looks like.

Grandpa and I started talking about the plans for a new church at the center. I was asking him questions about how it would connect to what is already here--especially the Spencer Perkins center which is what all of the kids programs are through. I told him that I really think we need something for the high schoolers. The high school kids come and help and are considered "junior interns", but really need something to call their own. He said that he hoped the new church could help with that, and for me to live here and start it up.

Needless to say, I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. It would be hard to say no to Grandpa!!! Plus, I can't say no just yet. I told him I have a year left of school and that I'll think about it. I have been.

Yesterday we went to the beach and it was glorious. I literally live where I work, and it's nice to get away for a little while and reflect. Thad and Will brought a guitar and ukeleli(sp?) and jammed for Kelly and I--our own private concert! The night before the four of us met up with Fabienne and her boyfriend Andrew to go belly dancing. We plan on going back next Friday, and mom's mailing me my skirt. Don't worry. There are pictures. Needless to say, it's been a great.

I have more to say, but once again, don't have enough time at the moment.

Keep the Tinoco family from Waverly in your prayers.They lost their son, Ruben, on Friday. I'm really worried about my brother though. He and Ruben were close.

Love,
LH

25 -28?

I have SO MUCH to catch you all up on, but haven't had the time yet. . . and still don't. I'll fill you in either tonight or tomorrow.

P.S.- I found the missing songbooks!

Also, please pray for all of my friends and family back in Waverly. A friend of my brother's passed away yesterday from drowning. It sucks not being in my town when everyone is hurting so badly. . . not that there is anything I can do.

Love,
LH

Days 22-24

I'm in trouble.

This morning I went to pick up the song books that Grandma Perkins has been having me use with the kids in chapel, and they were NOT where I left them. Now, to most people , losing something like this would probably not be a huge issue. To Grandma, these books are as important as the Word itself. Okay. Not quite. Note even close really. But still, you get the picture. Theo told me today that she's had them for 30-40 years. I probably sound insensitive, but I do get it. When she first gave them to me , I grasped how important they are to her. I think they symbolize a better day; one when she was still getting to teach kids in her Good News Club. However, the book I "lost" was not the original. She had color copies made of them last week, and had them laminated. Theo told me that Grandma said each set cost fifty dollars. So, I had to have a talk with Grandma today, and if I don't find the lost one by Friday, I told her I would pay to have a new one made. It sucks, but I do feel horrible. Yet, I know I left it there. I don't know if one of the kids is messing with me, or what exactly happened to it. I just really, really hope it turns up soon. It's crazy that something that would seem so trivial from the outside could almost bring me to tears today. I feel like I've let Grandma down, and that's the last thing I wanted to do. I also feel like now she won't trust me. Gahhhh...

I did find some old copies this afternoon that I taped together, so for tomorrow, we're good to go. Grandma won't let me touch either of the other two laminated copies she made.

Putting that whole matter aside, camp had been going pretty well. My fifth and sixth graders seem to still be having a lot of fun in class. They kept trying to sing in class today, which was hilarious, yet they were disturbing the class down the hall. . . and we weren't getting much done. Oops. At least they are finally bonding. I told them if they work hard tomorrow, Thursday we will have a treasure hunt (putting teamwork and their Goonies watching in to practice). I'm probably more excited about it than they are. Ha! It's going to be great.

I'm worn out , but I'll try to leave you with a few of my recent interactions with the kids. . .

1. Today Kevon told Kate and I that we look alike. Since Kate and I have very different features, and actually look nothing alike, we asked him what on us looks alike. He said... "you guys look alike. Your skin is the same.." and then he said something else, but it was really obscure--like our hair, only it's different colors .. something like that. We told him that if Kate and I look alike, he looks like every other kid in our camp. I think he only sort of understood what we meant, but we were trying to teach him that just because we are the same race doesn't mean that we look alike. We have a similar skin color, but that's about it.

2. Today Justin and I were talking to one of the boys in our class, Ollie. Last night all of us interns went to a baseball game. Jackson has a AAA team, the Braves. Justin asked Ollie if he has ever been to a game. Ollie said he hadn't , but then also said that he's never been to a baseball game of any kind. Ever. He then said he's never even been to a high school football or basketball game. These are the kinds of thing that BLOW MY MIND. Justin and I glanced at each other and then Justin said, "looks like we need to get these kids to a game somehow". I couldn't agree more.

3. Both at church Sunday and today at the market, Kate and I saw kids from our camp. They think it's so weird when they see us outside of camp, and they act funny--like they aren't sure what to say. It's hilarious. I think that they just assume we never leave.

Speaking of the market-- Kate and I saw at least four people that we know there this evening. It made me feel really good--like we're actually getting to know the community.

Well, I need to hit the sack. I've been so tired today. This heat zaps my energy (though I am getting used to it, sort of). Please be praying for our kids,the staff, the interns, and the ministry that's happening here. It has incredible potential. I'll try to post pictures soon. I know some of you all would really like a visual of this place and my kids.

Love and peace,
LH

Days 19-21

I can't believe I've been here 21 days. It's going by too quickly.

For this post I will try to start with today and move backward, trying to remember as much as possible. Right now I'm in pain because Fabienne is doing my hair. She's braiding it or something and I'm very, very tender-headed and wimpy. In a small way, I relate to Will, who has been having his hair dreaded since 9ish this morning with only a couple of breaks for food. It's now 12:10 AM (and technically day 22). One of the staff girls from here, Kelly, is doing it for him and it's looking really great. Apparently he is also very tender-headed though, so I feel bad for him (more so now than I did earlier. This hurts so badly! I'm trying my best to focus on this blog. . .

This morning I didn't get up until 11:36. It was wonderful. We all work incredibly hard during the week and it's nice to not have to set an alarm on Saturdays and just sleep until we wake up. Kate and I went down to the field around noon, but only got to see the last couple pitches of the game.Only one of our kids was playing. The others had played at 9 apparently. Grandma Perkins, her daughter Elizabeth, their friend Jennifer (who is actually Corbin's, one of my favorite jr highers, mom), Kate and I went over to Grandma Perkins house and had coffee. We stayed over there for a couple of hours, and had great conversations. Grandpa is in Jamaica right now speaking , or at a conference or something (I'm not sure- he's hard to keep up with), so Grandma has been lonely this week. Elizabeth and Jennifer told us to check in on her when we can. Grandma is a hoot. She holds nothing back, and could be considered a bit (or a lot) stubborn, but I appreciate her strong personality. It's beautiful, and honest. She is full of wisdom and today it was spilling over. She told Kate and I that she didn't like that the kids have to call the interns and staff miss and mister. She said that we are a family, and that we should have them call us auntie and uncle. I think that that's a really cool idea, and it makes sense, especially when she told us that calling the white folks miss and mister has a negative connotation here. I hadn't even considered that--the fact that it could bring back bitter feelings of ridiculous Jim Crow laws and a history of being made to feel less than human or inferior.

Our conversations went beyond the surface, and Jennifer and Elizabeth exchanged numbers with us when we were leaving. I think we will all be great friends by the end of the summer. Jennifer has this idea for a talk radio station for women--possibly an online station. My knowledge of online radio is sparse, so I told her I would email Roger, a guy that has worked at KBIA since the station started, and who knows, well, everything radio. It would be really cool if we could figure something out by the end of the summer. They also told me that the Perkins center used to have a monthly magazine, but that when Spencer died, they didn't have anyone to keep it going. I don't think I've talked about this in the blog before, but Spencer Perkins, Grandpa's son, is actually who founded this center. He and Chris Rice and their wives moved in to Antioch (which is now our guest house and has conference/meeting rooms)--I believe in the early 90's-- and hosted racial reconciliation conferences for college aged students. Spencer died of a heart attack in '98, and Grandma and Grandpa moved here to be close to the rest of the family and "retire" as Elizabeth put it today. Retirement must not have really been their thing.

Yesterday we took the kids to the Museum of Natural Science and they seemed to enjoy it. I'm soooo glad I'm with 5th and 6th graders! Soooo glad! I can't say it enough. I don't feel like I have to micro manage them and they are so much fun. I felt sorry for Kate, who was trying to corral the kindergarten and first graders. The twins, Marquis and Marqis (no, I'm not kidding--that is really what their mother named them; also, she dresses them alike almost daily) are probably the cutest kids I've ever seen, but they are terrors! Kate was chasing them all over the place. For the kids, the highlight of the trip was seeing a two-headed snake eat some mice. That was probably my least favorite part. Gross! My favorite part was seeing all of the turtles. It made me miss my roomie's turtle back in Columbia. Give Dougie a little pat on the shell for me Shelby!

I'm having trouble remembering Thursday. I think it was a good day, but I just really don't remember. I know my class finished watching the Goonies, which they LOVED. I'm falling more and more in love with the kids. They have their problems and their antics, but I feel like I've known them forever--not just two weeks. I can't imagine how hard it's going to be to tell them goodbye at the end of the summer. I'm already trying to plan a time to come down over Christmas break, but I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long.

I have been missing my family and friends a lot this week, though. I have been negligent in writing letters and making phone calls. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I have enough trouble just finding time to blog, and by the time I settle in for the night, I'm completely exhausted. The second reason is that I'm trying to live in the present as much as possible here, and with the people God has put me with. I want to spend as much time hanging out with them as possible. This is somewhat of a coping mechanism I seem to possess, finding and forming a family wherever I go. If I didn't, I think I would be miserable. I have a wonderful family in Waverly that spans my entire street. I have another family in Columbia, which has made my last three years incredible. I have a new family here. I'm the luckiest.

It's late.

I've been working on this off and on for a while. It's now 3:06 and I'm deep in conversation with Kelly, one of the staff here. I hope all of this makes sense.

Love,
LH

Days 17 and 18

It's working.

Justin and I have taken another new approach to teaching our 5th and 6th graders. Since we had issues with them fighting we are starting a segment on teamwork and friendship. When I worked at Camp Galilee, I was trained to facilitate a ropes course. Along with this training came some basic off course challenges. We used one of these exercises Monday morning--the helium pole. After a bit of arguing, they figured out a system, and actually worked together to complete the task. That was the first time I had seen them come together like that it. It was beautiful.

Today we started watching the movie "The Goonies' and they are LOVING it. Justin and I originally wanted them to watch the Sandlot and have been combing the area trying to find it, but couldn't find it in time. The Goonies is great though, and definitely speaks to our theme of teamwork and friendship. Great stuff. We are going to have them watch the Sandlot at some point though. We really want them to learn more about baseball.

Speaking of baseball, there is now a team with a few of our boys on it playing here on our field on Saturdays. I didn't go last Saturday, but I heard it was rough-- I'm assuming some of the boys have never played before. I plan on being their this Saturday and the following Saturdays though. Maybe some of the other interns would want to make matching shirts with me. We could make our own little cheering section. That would be so fun!

It's hard for me to remember everything that happened yesterday and today but it's been mostly good. The weather has been cooler and rainy, but I'm not complaining! It's put everyone in a much better mood. . . except for Terrence.

I had to drag Terrence to the office today because he was causing problems at nap time. When I say drag, I mean it. He had his heels planted in the ground and I had his wrists and was literally pulling him across the parking lot. I let go of him two times because he said he could handle it , and that he could walk on his own (he's going to be in 4th grade and is entirely too old to be behaving that way... and to be in nap time)and he RAN away from me. I chased him once. That was dumb. He wanted me to chase him. Needless to say, I'm learning a lot from kids like Terrence. He can be a really sweet kid,but also quite the rascal. Apparently he's not usually a huge troublemaker. Something must be up.

When some of the kids act up I wonder is something is wrong at home, or if they have some problem they are facing. With a few of them it's pretty obvious. The kids haven't talked about home much, but in some ways that's good. I don't want them to have to think about home while they are here, though I'm sure many do.

This all brings me back to something Tasha mentioned to me Sunday when Kate, Kellie, and I were venting to her about our week. Tasha lives in our house on weekends and is working at a different camp Monday thru Friday. She lives at our house throughout the year,and has worked with our kids a lot. She told us to remember to be different to these kids than the rest of the world has been to them. Though we don't know what they are going through, we have to remember to approach them with love and compassion, because we may be the only positive thing they have. I think about that off and on all day, every day. I love these kids so much, and I hope they can see that.

Tonight we had BBQ at this really sketchy place in the hood , but it was delicious! Once again, I'm loving being with a decent sized group of people.Keeps me safe! Most of the interns and some of the staff went, so there were somewhere around 10 of us.

As always, I have more to say but have to sleep. If you are reading this, there is a very good chance I'm missing you right now. I hope everyone's summer is going well!

Love,
LH

Days 14-16

I've got my hands at redemption's side
Who's scars are bigger than these doubts of mine
I fit all of these monstrosities inside
And come alive
-Switchfoot "Redemption"

Grandpa Perkins preached Sunday morning at his church, so we decided to go there instead of Redeemer. His message was solid , and I took notes. One of the things he said that's sticking with me is to "sing about things that are meaningful--music is about truth. When Grandpa was speaking, I couldn't help but think of the lyrics I listed above, and how much truth I've seen in these words the past few days.

Last week was a bit rocky, and I found myself praying more than I had in months. Every time I hold one of the little ones or whenever one of the kids wants to hold my hand , I say a prayer for that kid. They need love so badly. I pray that God shows them how much He loves them and that that they are more than what they have become. It's "fitting all of these monstrosities inside", which is hard to do when they aren't even my own problems. It's one thing to try to trust God with my own problems-- that's hard. It's another to trust God to bring these kids alive--some of which have, or had terrible living situations. That is EXTREMELY difficult. It sometimes seems hopeless, yet I sing this redemption song and see these scars that are bigger than my doubts. It's hard to explain, and maybe it just has to be experienced, but all I can do is pray, and praise God for the kids he's brought to us. These kids are not beyond hope , and they can find Love here. I'm sure of it.

We just have to make sure we're doing everything in our power to show them they are loved and teach them their worth. Easier said than done. There are a lot of walls we have to break down to get through to some of these kids.

Yesterday I talked to Tammy, the coordinator for my campus ministry back in Columbia. She's one of my best friends and has been a mentor for me for many years--even before college. She told me that a lot of people at home are still praying for me and for the interns. I can feel it, and I can see it working in the other interns. There is fire in their steps, and they are willing to work hard to help the kids and the foundation. We all come from different backgrounds, yet it's very obvious to me that God has been strategic in putting us together.

I have so much more to say but I'm getting very sleepy.

Two final things: 1. The "Mendenhall Falls" aren't really falls, unless you consider a rocky creek a fall. 2. We went to get piercings tonight. Apparently most tat and piercing places are closed on monday's so we had to go to Claire's in the mall. Thad, Joe, Will, Kate, and Kellie all got piercings on their ears, but Claire's doesn't do facial piercings, so Fabianne and I will have to wait another day to get our noses pierced. Not sure if I'll be able to talk myself in to it again though. Last time was traumatic. Just ask Raymond Varner.

Keep on praying!
LH

Days 11, 12, and 13

I'm not sure where to start. This is why I should blog every day instead of every two or three. It has been a very hectic week, and usually by the time we're done with everything for the day, me and the girls are ready to go to sleep (though we usually don't for a while because we get to talking and then all of a sudden it's one in the morning and we HAVE to go to bed). I don't really remember Wednesday very well.I'm fairly sure that was the day that the children were little monsters. I sent two of them to see Miss Rachael, who is the camp coordinator. I had handled discipline on my own until that day, but I had two kids, one during nap time, and one during music, that could not quit misbehaving-- which in their cases either meant picking fights with other kids, continously talking back, or flat out refusing to clean up their act. Fun.

That night we didn't have anything planned with the organization, so most of the interns went to Cups, a coffee shop here in Jackson that one of the staff here works at a couple nights a week. It was delicious and fun to get to know everyone a little better. People are starting to tell their stories and open up with one another. On Monday we've planned an extreme bonding night; we're all getting piercings together, or almost everyone is. Everyone is going. By the time we get there, hopefully everyone will be talked in to it. I'm a little nervous about it, but I think I'll just get my nose re-pierced. Mom, I know what you're thinking.I'll take it out if I have problems with it this time.

Anyway, Thursday was a GREAT day-- probably my favorite camp-wise this week. I taught Jaden to swim! She brought her swim cap this time and some goggles. She was so excited to learn and within 30 or 45 minutes had the crawl stroke down. She was elated! We had our community night dinner that evening and her mom came up to me to thank me. She made me feel really good, especially after such a rough start to the week.

Yesterday was decent. We took the kids out in the community to pick up trash in the morning and my fifth and sixth graders picked up 10 or so bags of trash. We found a vacant lot that we probably could have spent the whole day cleaning, but didn't have much time. Hopefully we'll be able to take them back to work on it at some point next week. They were finding all sorts of interesting things there, including a child's car seat and some weights.I'm just glad we didn't find any drug paraphernalia. If you are reading this and went on the Memphis mission trip, you know what I'm talking about. It wouldn't surprise me if we did, though. This neighborhood is a little rough.

On that note, I will say that I haven't felt threatened or afraid here. Before living here, I probably wouldn't have gone to any of the local businesses or even really gotten out of my car in some parts of the neighborhood, but it doesn't scare me now. I don't go places alone, and everything is fine.

Yesterday afternoon we took the kids to Mac and Bones for put-put golf. I don't understand the name of the business, but the kids had a good time playing. It was HOT though,and the little ones were near tears because they were tired and thirsty. I'm getting more used to the heat, but yesterday was brutal. I know that it's hot like this in Missouri, but I'm not used to it staying so hot for so much of the day--and being out in it most of the day. Oh well. I just keep drinking my water!

Today we're headed to Mendenhall to hang out at the waterfall there. We're all so relieved to have a break.

Love,
LH

Day 10

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.John 15:13

We started off the day with this verse at chapel, and we talked a little about sacrifice,so keep that in mind as you read the rest of this post. I have so much I want to express, but I'm tired and not sure how clearly this will come out. I'll try to focus on the things that really stuck out to me.

We took the kids to the pool today, which was a lot of fun and wore them out a bit. It was an eye opening experience for me, because where I live, basically every kid knows how to swim. In Waverly, it's how most kids spend their summer. Today at the pool was a very different story, though. Hardly any of the kids knew how to swim,and of the few that did, they could only doggy paddle. It makes complete sense though: a lot of these kids are growing up in families that don't have extra money , and it costs to go to the pool. Also, there aren't many pools close. In fact, I don't really know of any others yet, and the one we went to today was in pretty rough shape. When we pulled up to the entrance , it reminded me of a prison because of the three strands of barbed wire that ran across the top. Scary. I had a parent yesterday that was quizzing me about the pool we were taking the kids to (along with many, many other topics), and she expressed concern for their safety , insisting that "someone will drowned".From her fear, I assume that she also doesn't know how to swim, or is unfamiliar with it. I can't blame the kids for being scared if their parents are so unsure. It's a vicious cycle of ignorance, and I don't mean that in a degrading way. By ignorance, I mean not knowing, because they've never been taught. Needless to say, my new goal for pool time is to teach at least a few of these kids how to swim. Maybe it can help break this cycle, or at least slightly alter it.

I tried to teach one girl today, but her mom told her she couldn't get her hair wet because it would dry it out too much and then it would break. The little girl told me she wished she had my hair. I told her she shouldn't wish that, and that her hair is great. She insisted that it's because she feels like it keeps her from doing fun things. This is something we were warned about during orientation. We are not supposed to touch the kids hair, and they can't touch ours either. They are fascinated by white girls hair because it is so different than their own. We have to keep telling them that it's only different, not better. I did feel bad for her though. Hopefully next time she will bring a swim cap or something so it's not a problem.

Class time was a bit of a fiasco. I'm definitely seeing my weaknesses come out as we face conflict with the kids. I'm horrible at commanding attention and at crowd control. Whew. They eat me alive. No more though. I've decided that tomorrow I've got to come up with some way to get them to chill out. We have a few trouble makers in our 5th and 6th grade class now: we have a few new kids. They just need some extra attention, and Justin and I are going to have to be a bit more strategic in who we let sit where. I had to literally push two kids apart today. That was ugly.We also have a little romance going on between a couple of them, so that's going to require some attention as well.

Tonight all of the interns got together and watched The Great Debaters. If you haven't seen it, you have to rent it. It's really good, and historical. It's about a debate team from black college in Marshall, Texas in the 1935. They were the first negro team to compete against white colleges and universities, and ended up beating the number one team in the nation--Harvard. The movie showed the extreme racism that still existed at that time, and even showed a lynching.I won't go in to great detail about the movie, but there were many sacrifices made by the characters, which made me think of that verse from the beginning of the day.

We had a great discussion afterward, and it was actually very motivational. It made me want to sacrifice more. Everyone here has given up their summer and making money. We're pouring ourselves in to this place for the next 7 or so weeks, but it's going to take more than just that to make a lasting change down here (we do have an impact and this is a great start for all of us though). Tonight made me want to give more. There are so many things that seem obvious to me that these kids don't know anything about. Justin and I are going to revamp our plan for classroom time again because we want to make this better. We're not exactly sure what that's going to look like yet, but we're a good team, and he is extraordinary. It is all going to work out.

For now, pray for the interns, that we are able to get a better handle on things so that we can truly pour out love on these kids who need it so desperately. Pray also (and even harder) for the kids, who hold the power for a revolution here. It's time.

Love,
LH

Day 9- The first day of camp!

WE SURVIVED!

The morning started out pretty solid. I had to lead the songs for chapel--which were not so solid. They do songs I know, but they do them differently so I was very unsure of myself. Afterward Joe told me that I was drowning and that he wanted to help me but didn't know how! I don't think the kids thought it was THAT bad (hopefully!), but it wasn't that great. I did teach them that "praise ye the Lord---hallelujah" song that we always did in VBS. I don't think they knew it, but they yelled really loud anyway.

I have eight 5th and 6th graders and they are precious! I absolutely love them, and I'm so glad I have this age group. I'm used to being around my eleven-year-old sister and her buddies which helped. Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon. Three of them could potentially cause some trouble, but hopefully nothing more than small annoyances. Class time was my favorite part of the day. After that, things got a little hectic.

Playing outside is so fun, and we had a ball chasing each other around on the ball field, but it's just so hot here. One of the little kindergarteners actually cried because he didn't want to be out in the heat any more. We were definitely feeling his pain. Whewhee. My body is not quite used to this yet! Hopefully it will adjust quickly, because summer is only going to heat up.

One of the boys that lives in the Harambee Men's House(where all our boys live) brought the girls pizza tonight. It was so sweet and we were very appreciative-- we were all exhausted from such a long day. 8 AM -5:30 PM is such a long time. Hopefully we will all adjust to that as well!

I can't believe I'm still awake.

Love,
LH

Days 7 and 8

It's been a nice first full weekend here in Jackson. Yesterday Joe showed Kate, Kellie, and I the town...which mostly meant two malls and his house. The roads here are kind of odd, but little by little I'm becoming more familiar with them. I still get turned around fairly often though. Thank goodness for my tom tom.It's gotten me everywhere except Piccadilly for lunch today.It said it didn't exist. I should probably update it like Dad told me to a few weeks ago. Oops.

I know I put in my second post that the interns weren't as outgoing as I expected at first. That has all changed. We are getting to be really good friends--even with the people who live here that aren't interns. They are already almost like family.

We went to Redeemer Presbyterian for church this morning. It was a really nice service. Quite long, but well worth it. The music was great, and I took notes on the sermon. It didn't have much fluff to it; just a whole lot of Truth, which is sometimes hard to listen to, but vital. The speaker, who is a professor of religion here in town, preached the Word for sure. I haven't heard anything that solid for a while. I'm guessing we'll be going back. The people that made up the church were diverse in age, though there were probably more 20-30 somethings than anything. The choir was older- mostly 50+ I would guess, with a couple of younger people. There were less than 20 in the choir, but they had a big, contagious sound. Loved it.

Tomorrow's the first day of camp, and us girls have the jitters! We're all anxious to see what God's going to do, and who He will bring.

LH

Days 5 and 6

I'm sweaty. I've been playing catch with Justin and some little guys that have been hanging out at our house this afternoon. I'm taking a little break right now to cool off and because I had to come inside to stick Dr. Perkins clothes in the dryer. I finally met him! His dryer broke, so he's using ours right now. He seems like a really sweet guy, and I'm so excited to have more discussions with him. He asked me where I'm from and about the tornadoes in Joplin when I said that I'm from Missouri. Hopefully he didn't mind that I was sweaty and barefoot. What a first impression!

Yesterday and today we've been working on lesson plans for camp next week. Yesterday I worked with Fabienne and Fred, the interns from Haiti, on the lesson plans for the music portion of the camp. We will be teaching the k-4 graders about the families of musical instruments. Fabienne will play cello to demonstrate strings, Fred will bring his trombone to demonstrate wind, and I will play piano to demonstrate percussion. I think the little kids will love it! They will also watch a little of The Sound of Music and learn the song "Do-Re-Me" (Do, a deer).With the 5-8th graders we will be learning about different types of music-- mostly the origins of what they listen to today, and the big movers and shakers. Yeah, we'll be listening to some hot jams as well. I'm trying to convince Fred and Fabienne that the kids should all write their own songs, but they aren't really feeling it. Oh well.

I spent this morning working on curriculum for regular classroom time. One of the goals of the camp is to keep the material that the kids learned in the past school year fresh in their minds so they don't forget it all.Justin, Amariah,and I are working together with the 5th and 6th graders. Let's just say that I have a new appreciation for teachers who plan fun activities. It takes so much time and it would be much easier just to give these kids worksheets. I really want to make this summer fun and special for them though, so the three of us took our time with the lesson plans for the first two weeks, thinking of ways to make learning fun. Ha. I hope it all works out and that the kids aren't bored. I don't think they will be.

Outside of working, the interns have had plenty of time to hang out and get to know one another. It's been really great. Us girls went over to the boys house last night to watch the Mavs again. That house is always hoppin'. There are 15ish? boys that live there because it's the interns as well as some guys that go to JSU. They are all real sweet and take good care of us. They have to walk us back home if we're there after dark.(This being said, don't worry Mom!!!)

Tonight, Kate, Kellie, and I are dragging some of the boys to see "Bridesmaids" with us. I'm excited 1.because it looks hilarious, and 2. because I can't believe we actually talked the boys in to going. It's going to be great! Fabienne made everyone at the house dinner tonight, and I can finally say that I've had grits. It was wonderful!

I hope everyone is doing well. I went to Walgreens yesterday and printed out 40 or 50 pictures to hang on my wall so I can see a lot of you! People have been asking about who are in the pictures and I love telling them about everyone, and showing them my world in that way.

Now it's the weekend!

Love,
LH

Mom and Dad: I'm guessing Ben won't read this, but tell him I got schooled by a 9-year-old in basketball today. His name is Julien and he thinks he can beat Ben as well. I told him I didn't think so but he insisted. He's pretty good. Practice up, brother!He wants to see video of you playing. Ha!

Days 3 and 4

The internet it our house still isn't working-- thus the reason I never posted yesterday. Sorry!Today we got done with everything super early, so I'm in the office right now trying to get caught up!

I'll start with yesterday. We kicked off the day with the bumpy drive to Mendenhall and a tour of the facilities there. Mendenhall is where Grandpa Perkins and his wife Vera Mae began their ministry in 1960 (here's a link to a brief history of their ministries if you are curious http://www.jmpf.org/content/about/history/ ). The ministry is still alive and kicking,doing great things for the people of Mendenhall. They have many programs including (but not limited to) a clinic, elementary school for preschool through 4th graders, adult education programs, church,youth programs, and a farm. The school has had as many as 200 students at once, but now only has between 60 and 80. If I heard the principal right, she also serves as the lunch lady and teacher. She said there is one other certified teacher at the school and a preschool teacher, but that that's all of the staff they have. I asked if anyone else taught as a volunteer , and she said no--- maybe she didn't hear me. Or maybe three people really do run the place. Prayers for that lady and the other two teachers! She sure works hard for her community. (Sami, if you don't find a job, they'd love to have you!!!)

The Mendenhall Ministries also have a gymnasium, which Wayne (Grandpa's son and our tour guide for the day)said was the only one in about a 100 mile radius when it was built. He said that the gym enabled many Mendenhall students to go to college, because it provided the necessary facility to practice and train to be good enough for athletic scholarships. Wayne said that he knows of two college coaches that were raised in Mendenhall, practicing in that gym.

Our tour of Mendenhall helped me to understand more clearly the need down here, presently , and in the past. I'm in an even greater awe of God and what he's done through the Perkins family and all the people they have discipled. Crazy good stuff!

Next we headed to lunch, where for the second day in the row, we had some great southern cookin'. Mmmmm. They sure like their fried foods down here. None of the food at this place could top the fried okra from Monday, though. It was delicious!

After lunch, we went to the COFO visitor center. COFO stands for the Council of Federated Organizations and was formed in 1962 to coordinate and unite voter registration and other civil rights activities in the state. It was also responsible for overseeing the distribution of funds from the Voter Education Project.COFO member organizations included the NAACP, CORE, SCLC and the SNCC.It was interesting to hear how so many people united for a right we take for granted today--voting.

We then went to the library to watch a CBS broadcast from June 12, 1963--the day Medgar Evers was shot. Medgar was the field secretary of the NAACP. Hearing his story hurt--it's uncomfortable to hear about hate running so deep for innocent people ,and for any people for that matter.It took 30 years to convict the man who killed him.After watching the video, we went to Medgar's house, where we heard more of his story and took the tour. The guide told us that the kids as well as Mr. and Mrs. Evers slept with their beds on the floor, so that if someone tried to shoot, they would be safe below the windows. I'm lucky to have never had to live in constant fear like that. Medgar knew someone would probably kill him, but he tried so hard to keep his family safe. The house they lived in had no front door, and they always went in the side door. The kids would always get in and out using the passenger side door of the car because it was closer to the house.

After all of our touring, I took two of my roomies, Kate and Kellie, to the grocery store. Today is Kate's birthday and we needed to pick up some stuff to celebrate! I got the fixens to makes chocolate covered strawberries. They were a HUGE flop because I burnt the chocolate... twice. This can be blamed on the boys though. They called us because their cable wasn't working and they wanted to watch the finals (NBA). This distracted us for a while , because though we couldn't get ours to work either, they came over and we realized we couldn't let them in because we were locked in our own house!!!! We still aren't sure how that happened, but we had to pass them a key through a window, which involved to taking out the screen. They were able to open it from the outside and finally got in. By this time, the chocolate was burnt,but I hadn't completely lost hope! I stuck it in the fridge while we all went to JSU to watch the game in the student center. When we got back, I tried to reheat it, and turned on the stove and walked upstairs for just a couple minutes. When I walked back down, Kellie was running through the living room with the smoking pot and smoke was everywhere!!! Oops.

It was a crazy night... but it still wasn't over. Joe came over to have a blonde streak dyed in his hair (Kellie, you did a great job by the way!!!), but that resulted in Kate and I getting matching blonde streaks. It only kind of worked. Ha!

Today we spent the morning going over summer expectations and preparing ourselves to deal with children next week! Tonight we are having a partayyyyy for Kate, so it should be pretty kickin'. I need to get back to the house now and start cleaning.

Much love,
LH
ps- sorry if there a bunch of typing/gram errors- no time to re read right now

Days 1 and 2 in Jackson

I arrived in Jackson yesterday afternoon after a nice little drive from Saint Louis. Here to meet me was Rachel, a staff member here at the Perkins Center. She helped me unload my car and then gave me my first piece of advice for living here: never to lock my car. So, I took everything valuable out of it. If someone goes through it they will only find some change and hand sanitizer. If they need either one, they can just take it.She said this is the best approach, because otherwise people will break the windows to get in. She said, "Most likely someone will go through it this summer. Maybe several times. " It makes perfect sense, but I never would have thought of it.

For everyone who's worried about by safety, don't-- so far so good! The boys always walk the girls home at night if we're over at their house past dark. The boys have quite the bachelor pad-- with a pool table and a better tv than we have. There place is where everyone typically hangs out.Oh, and there are guard dogs in the fence behind our house. Hopefully I don't tangle with them at any point this summer!

I'm getting to know the interns and they are soooo nice! They've been a little bit less outgoing than I would have thought, but that's not bad. It just makes it a little harder to get to know them.We sit in silence often, then I usually talk (surprise, surprise). Hopefully they aren't getting annoyed! I'm just trying to be friendly. The staff here is so helpful though, and I never feel lonely or anything like that.

Today was our first day of orientation, and I'll talk more about what I learned this morning in my next post (I left my paper at the house and now I'm at the office). They gave us the tour of the grounds and even showed us the recording studio they have here. Someone broke in, or rather, tore in, leaving a huge hole in the wall. They stole most of the equipment and the center is in the process of replacing and reestablishing the workspace. The names "Jon Foreman" and "Switchfoot" were thrown around, but I couldn't tell if that's who bought the equipment the last time, or if that's who was going to replace it.

Hopefully we can get it fixed up by the end of the summer. There are several of us here that would like to record some stuff in it. :-) It would also be sweet to be able to use it with the kids.I told John and Rachel (John Sr's grandson John) that Switchfoot is actually how I first heard about John (Sr.) and their song piqued my curiousity enough for me to google him. This is how I found jmpf.org, the website for the foundation, which is where I then found out about the internship. John was so excited and thought it was so cool that that's how I found out. Rachel said I need to tell John (Sr.- I'll probably start calling him Grandpa John to reduce confusion) when I meet him. Rachel said Grandpa John didn't know anything about Switchfoot until after they wrote the song about him. Now he's a big Jon Foreman fan. Can't blame him.

For anyone who doesn't know the song, here's the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNQgABsUfK8 . Hopefully that will help you understand this a little bit more. It was hard for me to explain to people why I was coming here, and so a few looked at me skeptically (though most thought it seemed cool). I really feel that I'm in the right place, and this is going to be a great trial run to see if this is what I want to do when I graduate. . . something like this anyway. I will also get to meet some really cool people , and hopefully help kids that need some extra love. I'm very excited, and feeling at peace in that this is where God wants me right now. How exciting!

This afternoon we toured the targeted neighborhood, as well as Deer Park, which is the next target, (I think). Though parts are a bit rough looking, I can already see the impact of the foundation on the neighborhood. John pointed out several houses that are ours and that will be repaired for families in the area to rent to buy-- or something like that. I'm hoping to learn more about that whole process as the summer goes on.

I'm not sure what's going on for the rest of the day. We got finished fairly early and haven't made plans so far. We're all fairly tired from driving yesterday, and from the heat here. It's mighty powerful. I hope my body adjusts quickly.

Please continue to pray for this community and that I'm able to help them and become more of a part of the community over the next few days/weeks.

Love and peace in Christ,
LH

stay tuned...

In just a few days, I will be embarking on a new journey. I'm going to try my best to update my blog (which has been neglected for about a year) as often as possible. I think I will have internet access, but I'm not completely sure. I'll find out soon enough.

Anyhoo, if you want to know what I'm up to, just stay tuned. For now, I'm trying to get everything in order to head to Jackson.

Much love.