It is April 24 and I woke up this morning to snow on my car. Regardless of the persistent cold, it appears that Spring is around the corner. We are entering into that strange time of ministry transition where we wrap up EMS, High School and GEMS, and prepare for the launch of the Community Garden, Urban Farm, Breaktime, and the Bakery. In light of this time of transition, I want share a few stories.
This past week at EMS, we broke up into our small groups for a time of Bible Study. The boy small groups are typically a bit crazy. Many of them are friends and they love spending small group doing anything but study the Bible. Last Thursday surprised me though. We were talking about the Pharisees and teachers of the law and how they tried to look religious, but inside were a mess. In the midst of the discuss, one boy, Kevin, spoke up and said, “This reminds me of a lesson from a month ago, where we talked about the woman who washed Jesus feet with her hair. She was a mess on the outside, but in her heart she really loved Jesus. Thats who were supposed to be like, right?” I was blown away. Kevin doesn’t often seem to be listening, but clearly he is, and the message is getting through. I left EMS that night praising God for his work in Kevin’s heart.
Farm preparation has been radically different this year. In 2012 we had record heat, were planting seed early, and having to water a lot. This year has been cold and WET! Lance has been working hard in to get the Farm ready for the summer, and we are already seeing evidence of God preparing us for something big. We have 8 open spots for high school students to work this summer. We joked that it would be hard to fill those spots, because we couldn’t imagine a large population of kids wanting to work on a farm. To our surprise, we had over 20 applications for the farm. While these numbers are exciting they are also challenging as we have to wade through the applications and interviews to find the kids who will be the best fit for the farm. Lance and I are looking forward to sharing some great stories with you this summer!
Finally, I’m excited to share that Christian, a long time Breaktime, EMS, High School, Bakery, and Urban Farm student will be back with us this summer. Christian has been around since he was in third or fourth grade. This summer we are hiring Christian to work in the Bakery full-time. I will be training him on how to run the bakery, and mentoring him so he can mentor the kids who are attending the program. Christian has a heart for kids, and a heart for God, and I’m excited to see how God will use him this summer. To me, Christian is an great example of parents and NCN working together to point someone to Jesus, and help them discover their gifts. If you come to the Bakery this summer, you will likely see Christian hard at work. Cheer him on, and know that as a supporter of NCN, you have played a significant role in bringing him to this place in life.
