Catch up

I spoke too soon, in previous posts I have talked about how it has been kind of slow. I need to learn when times are slower, that is God giving me a rest. Life has been so full that I have not had time at all to blog. While I can't fill you in on everything. Too much has happened. Here are the highlights:

• Bikes still coming in and going out
• 700 pounds of gleaned potatoes passed out
• Sidewalk Sunday School started at Pine Valley in the last two weeks we have reached about 30 children
• Sidewalk Sunday School and dinner on Sunday Night have been a huge success. The first week there were about 70 dinners and 44 children in Sidewalk Sunday School and 9 in youth group
• Last night we served closer to 90 dinner with about 48 in sidewalk Sunday school and 18 in youth group(some older boys left but they started out in the group)
• Grace United Methodist Church is purchasing carpet for the new children's area so the children will not have to sit on the floor
• The new children's area has opened with a fresh coat of paint and colorful decorations provided by Mary Ingle
• I am writing an Advent devotional that is called, "Life on the Porch", they are stories about those in the neighborhood who spend a great deal of time on their porches
• We have been averaging over 40 in church and since Mary Ingle started teaching Sunday school our children's Sunday School has gone from 3 or 4 to 8 or 9.
  
• Mary and I visit every child that attends sidewalk Sunday school at both locations. We called on about 30 families
  
• I have had two funerals and after this Saturday two weddings in the past 2 weeks
• Then there have been meetings, lunches, Bible studies, sermons to prepare and a whole bunch of other stuff

I am thankful for:

• my wife and family who are supportive
• the many, many volunteers
• volunteers helping me during the week keeping the church building open and entering data in the computer
• God for answering prayers and giving strength
• for the church I serve that is soooo supportive
  

Current Prayer Concerns:

• Pray for a volunteer to work with middle school boys. It would be great to have an African-American Male to work with this sports minded group of African-American boys. I fear if we don't get them now they will get in major trouble, they already cause minor trouble through the neighborhood. However, they show up at the church to eat and to see if have someone to do something with them. We have a great worker that is willing to work with the 8-10 middle school s but 18 or more teens are too much for one person.
• Pray for food(cans of food) we are very, very low(we have zero)
• Pray for continued volunteers on Saturday and Sunday nights
• Pray for people that we be good at weekly visitation

That's it for now. I will try to update more often.