The adventure continues.

After a busy week spent with my family and boyfriend running the Vacation Bible School (VBS) program at the church, my time in Philly came to an end. As I spent the weekend celebrating with the VBS children and saying my goodbyes I couldn't help but marvel that an entire three months had flown by. It seemed like just yesterday I was packing up my apartment in London and getting into my little silver Honda to make the 8 hour drive down to Philly. Now just over three months later I was packing up my car at 4:00 am on a Monday morning and heading back to Canada and a new adventure.

It is hard for me to sum up the past three months. I have started writing about it many times, only to find myself staring at a blank sheet of paper with a handful of words on it. I am never quite sure what to tell people when they ask me how it went. Like any ministry experience there were the highs and the lows. There were the days when you were discouraged, homesick and ready to throw in the towel and the moments where something would happen that made everything feel like it was worth it. I had many of those moments throughout the three months. I found that the trip turned out to be more about me and how I needed to change or grow then about changing other people’s lives; and I am okay with that now. I dealt with some very real discouragements, like the programs I started probably will not be continued. I found out that each and every church has their issues, because they are full of sinful people. I also lost a piece of my heart to the children of the inner-city of Philly.

I recently spent a weekend up north with my family at Muskoka Bible Center (MBC). During the evening service the speaker told a story about how when he first became a Christian his church immediately put him in charge of teaching a Sunday school class to children. Being new to church and the Bible he spent countless hours studying and preparing lessons so that he could teach these youth. He never saw any immediate results. Twenty-five years later he and his wife were traveling for a conference in the Middle East. While he was speaking his wife went out sightseeing and happened to visit a school. While there a young woman approached her and asked if she was related to someone by the name of her husband. When his wife confirmed that she had actually married the man this woman told her that she had been in his Sunday school class many years ago and it was his teaching that had so greatly impacted her life. She was now the principal of this school and was using this position as an opportunity to share her faith with the many children she had contact with each day.

As I heard this story tears welled up in my eyes. God is teaching me that you never know what type of impact your life, words or actions may have on others. It is my hope and prayer that the seeds that were planted will bear much fruit.

Lost but not forgotten

The first year my family used our summer vacations to go down to Philly to teach VBS we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We were just a naive middle class family wanting to make a difference, and we had decided to do it in one of the worst areas in Philadelphia. My dad waved and said hi to drug dealers and believed every sob story someone told him when they asked for money. My mom almost had a panic attack the first time we heard gun shots near the church where we taught VBS, and we all made our share of naive tourist blunders. Yet despite all the “culture shock” we lost a piece of our hearts to the children of southwest Philly.

I will never forget meeting Sinnia and Arianna our first year, partly because they were the only Caucasian children that attended the program and partly because of their sad story. Their dad was a drug addict that the church had tried to help multiple times, but he just couldn't kick the habit. Their mom was an overworked anorexic woman who looked like she was coming unglued. Despite their tough upbringing, these girls were the sweetest most respectful children you could ever meet and we fell in love with them, and they with us.

When I arrived in Philly this April I immediately tried to make contact with them as I really wanted to have them attend the weekend programs. Despite the letters I sent and looking for them, I was unable to locate them. They had moved and their contact information was out of date. I was very disappointed that I was unable to find them.

Tuesday evening as we got ready to start our VBS program for the evening, I walked to the front door of the church to make sure all the children were inside their classrooms. As I rounded the corner an excited Sinnia ran across the room calling "Miss Mary" and giving me a huge hug. My eyes immediately welled up with tears as I bent down to wrap my arms around these precious girls. My heart was overflowing with thanks as I went to kick off the evening. It felt so good to finally have the girls back.

One more sleep.

You know that all consuming excited feeling you get before a big trip; or as a kid before Christmas? That is what I am experiencing right now. I thought it would be a great idea to quickly pass time by sleeping like a normal person, but all I can think about is tomorrow when I get to see my family and the boy again. Suddenly sleep has become impossible.

I am excited about this coming week. We have been gearing up for the week-long VBS program, and I am hoping and praying that many kids are able to attend and be impacted by the event. It is going to be a great way to end my time here, but for now I need to become creative in killing time before the gang arrives. World Cup reruns here I come.