"Greater things have yet to come, Greater things are still to be done in this city"

Well, another week has passed here in Memphis. God is still doing great things here and I’m still just as amazed at his awesomeness and his strength. This last week I think I learned more on what it means to be fully reliant on God, and how to trust in Him to provide strength and encouragement. It was a very rough week for me and I was ready to just quit and go home. But through God’s strength and His promises I was able to pull through. This week I felt like I was starting to fully understand what James means in chapter one when he talks about considering it pure joy when we face trials of any kind. This week my dad was admitted to the hospital for reasons that are still unknown. It is very hard for me to be here in Memphis while I know he is struggling and suffering in the hospital and that my family is going through all this. But I know that God has called me here in Memphis and that He has great things planned for me. I have also been able to see how God uses the struggles and trials that I am going through to stretch and grow my faith. I’m thankful for that because I know that I will be a stronger Christian because of it and that it will be a testament of His faithfulness. 

This last week I also learned a lot about my passions. I love Jr. High students and have a passion to see them grow and learn more about Jesus and deepen their faith. I got the amazing chance to learn about leadership and how it can benefit even younger students. I cannot wait to apply what I am learning back home in RUSH. It’s exciting to feel God changing my heart and preparing me for the great things he has planned for me. 

The worksite is going well and a lot of work is getting done. With only two weeks left of the summer it’s down to crunch time. Erin is very pleased with how the house is looking and that of course is encouraging for me and our team. 

I just want to end this blog post with requesting for a lot of prayer. I need the strength to continue to pour into students and teach truth into their lives. Also for my dad and family that the doctors would have the wisdom to figure out what is wrong with him and for comfort for my family. It is hard for them to see him like this, and it’s hard for me to be so far away. I really appreciate all the prayers and support. I will update this again next weekend and let y’all know what else is going down in Memphis.

Maybe it was Memphis

Wow, another week has gone by and the summer is more than half over. It’s hard to believe that there are only 3 teams left. I am continually amazed at how much work these teams can get done on Erin’s house. This last team got a lot of our bigger outside projects done, which is great because now we can focus on the roof and the dry wall. With only 3 teams left I am starting to feel a greater sense of urgency to get the house completed. I want to be sure that Erin will have a place to live in this neighborhood soon after school begins. Her house is going to be such a ministry tool and I cannot wait to hear what all happens there!

The place where we did VBS this last week was a community center that had a day camp or something similar, there did not seem like there was much structure to it, or enough staff. They welcomed us in with open arms and let the students take full control. And I mean they sat in the staff room while our students ran the program. Guess we gave them a nice 2 hour break during the day. The students did such a great job jumping right in and taking the lead at VBS. These kids are pretty rough and they seemed to always be getting into fights, but our students jumped in and even started breaking up fights and trying to get the kids to do other things. Some of the students were able to build great relationships with the kids and one girl student ended up spending everyday with the same girl at VBS. That was cool to see because this girl kept asking questions about God and just trying to figure out why we were there to play with them. The student was able to answer all the questions and eventually even helped lead the girl to Christ. It was awesome to watch the interactions between students and kids even if it was just a simple piggy back ride the kids felt very loved by the students. 

During our break week we found out that a boy who lives here in Memphis was shot and killed. He was friends with the boys we hang out with and also was a great student who kept himself out of trouble. It turns out that he was mistaken as someone else and was killed by a gang. We got to hang out with some of his friends after the fact and their reactions are what I found interesting and also sad. One boy said that it just didn’t feel real because good kids like that shouldn’t die because of gangs. But at the same time, all the guys said that it is common to hear gun shots or to see on the news that another person has died in a gun fight. This really breaks my heart because no one should become that used to death. Especially high school students, death should break the heart. Hearing about all of this opened my eyes even more to what life in Memphis is really like. I ask that everyone would pray for Memphis and the people living here. These young kids see and hear more than they should and it is just not always a safe place. I am often praying for more light and good influence to come to these neighborhoods. 

The best moment on this last trip, in my opinion, was Thursday night when we had a really bad storm during team time and then later the power went out. Now I am pretty scared of darkness, especially in a church that is very large and I’m still not 100% comfortable in, but having the lights go out and seeing how the students responded was very cool to me. We were able to get a bunch of flashlights into the room we were in and sang some worship songs and did our encouragement circle. After that we split off into small groups and had a prayer time. What I realized during that time is it only takes one light to brighten up a room. And I thought of it in a Christian sense. We are called lights of the world and we are called to go out into darkness. While sitting in a room with a single flashlight pointed up to the ceiling I realized that I could see the entire room, and realized that this is what we are doing right here in Memphis. We are going out into a dark place and we are bringing the light. And even though it might be a smaller group we still bring a great light. This was a cool moment for me to realize this and I think it got me back on fire to be here and to be working in the neighborhood. 

My prayer requests for this week are that I can continue to be excited and energetic on the worksite, even if my job isn’t the most fun job. Also to keep pouring into students and to dig deeper into their lives so I can challenge them in their leadership. God is doing great things in my life and also here in Memphis, and I’m so glad that I can share them with everyone else.

Ohhh We're half way there...

Ohhhh. Living on a prayer. 

I feel like that part of the song very appropriately fits to this point in my summer. The whole summer I have been focusing on how prayer can shape and change things. And I’ll be the first to tell anyone that prayer is very powerful. It has been the thing that I look forward to every morning during my quiet time, and also the first thing I do when I can tell my attitude is getting bad. The summer is half over, and it sure has flown by! It’s hard to believe that 4 teams have already come through Memphis and have left such an impact not only on the city, but also in my heart. Watching students give up a week of their summer to come somewhere so hot and humid to work continues to blow my mind. I know I did it as a student, but to see so many be willing is just unbelievable. There is so much that has happened since my last update so I guess I’ll just get started in sharing. 

Like I said earlier, this whole summer has been focused on prayer and it has been so cool to see how through the prayers that we have said prior to the trips and the prayers during the trip students lives have been changed. I have had so many conversations with students where they have said that they have felt closer to God during the trip because of prayer and how prayer has become something that is fun for them. That makes my heart so happy to hear. Who wouldn’t love to talk to their Father in heaven? Also, watching students who are only in jr. high make such deep connections with the Bible and grow so much makes me realize how wrong society is to judge younger people. God is going to do great things through people who society looks down upon, or who society thinks isn’t good enough. I’m realizing now that these jr high and high school students are the people God is going to start using. I think of the song Hosanna by HillSong, it says “I see a generation rising up to take their place, with selfless faith, selfless faith. I see a near revival stirring as we pray and seek, we’re on our knees, and we’re on our knees.” A generation is rising up and they are coming strong! To know that all over the country and in some other countries there are students serving God and helping those who have less than them is a clear sign that these students get it! And they are going to go back to their schools and they have the ability to start something huge. And I have full faith in them that they will. 

These past two weeks the students have been working very hard on a house for an elderly lady, since we hit a few bumps in the road with the original house. It’s been cool to watch because this lady just lost her husband about a month ago and we are studying James and in James chapter 1 verse 27 it says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and too keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Being able to live out such a verse is amazing and to point that out to students is even better. We not only got to help a widow but the kids we do VBS with usually come from single parent homes and do not get a lot of attention, some might call them almost an orphan. It’s been a very rewarding experience getting to help these people and to see the looks of gratitude in their eyes, and to see how much the kids love the attention and just love that we are around, fills my heart with such a great joy. 

I’m fairly sure we have also been able to experience a miracle as great as when Jesus fed the 5,000. One team got to do their own food shopping and we gave them a budget. They did not spend even half of the budget and when we calculated it they spent $11 per person for the week. That’s less than $2 a day (which is like a third world country).  We were all expecting the students to be hungry or for there to not be enough food, but through God alone everyone ate enough and food did not run out! Pretty amazing to me and I know that it was all God, because I have done the food shopping and there was not enough food in their carts to feed all of us. But, that is why God is good! 

We’ve had a break week this week and it has been great to just relax and enjoy time with just Julie and Colton. We have been able to see different things in Memphis and also hang out with Steve and Victoria and Erin. Since we have been hanging out with people from Memphis so much, y’all has become a part of my everyday language. J Our next team comes in Sunday then before we know it; it’ll be time to leave Memphis and head back home. It is crazy to me how quickly this summer has gone by but yet how long ago the first week seems. 

I hope everyone is having a great summer. Please continue praying for me and the team as we rest and prepare for the next group. Pray for safe travels as they drive to Memphis Sunday. Also, just pray for Memphis, God is at work here but there is still darkness. Thanks for the prayers, I greatly appreciate them!

Much Over Due Update

I cannot even begin to put into words what has been happening the past two weeks. God has been doing such great and mighty things that my words do not seem to be enough. I hope that I can give a good picture of what has been going on, not only physically in Memphis, but also in me. Getting to welcome teams into a place that stills feels somewhat foreign is a very interesting feeling but an exciting one. I know that the students who come are here to serve, just like I am, but they ask questions like I know everything… which I don’t. At times it feels as though I know very little because everyday something new happens or we have to go to a different site for VBS or the schedule changes. I guess you can say God has been working on my ability to be flexible and to just rely on Him. 

Let me start of by explaining what our worksite has been these weeks. We are working on a house for Erin who is going to be teaching 8^th grade math at a nearby school. She has decided to live intentionally in the neighborhood that her students live in. The house was in terrible condition, since it was abandoned for many years and squatters decided it would be a good place to live. The first day I went to the house there was trash and clothes everywhere. The paint was all chipped and it was just in really sad shape. Our first team was able to get all of the ugly green carpet out, knock down a wall, peel the paint off of walls and from the front porch and knock down the chimney. While working the ceiling decided to cave in, it was unreal. I felt like I was in a movie and was thankful that no one was under it. Since part of the ceiling fell we decided to take out more than we had originally planned, so they knocked out 2 rooms worth of ceiling. This first team was also able to tame the jungle in the back yard and to start breaking out the concrete that was in the back yard. Our second team jumped right in and finished peeling paint around the foundation of the house and then got it painted, busted out more concrete, tore down all the dry wall in the house, and cleaned out under the house. Both teams blew me away at how much work they were able to get done. The house is looking amazing and Erin is very pleased. 

We have done a Vacation Bible School both weeks and both have been very successful. The first week we were at a park, and just invited kids to come to the park to play and do some crafts. The kids loved having so many older people loving on them. That week we probably had about 15 kids at the park playing. We did give a Bible and the book Crazy Love to one of the older boys there. He showed great interest in them and had conversations with the students about God and who He is. The second week we were at the community center where there is a day camp going on. They welcomed us in with open arms and grateful hearts. We played with kids, taught lessons, and did crafts. The last day they were having a dance for the kids, so we got to hang out with them and just show them attention. So far there have been 19 kids to come to know Christ through the VBS that the teams have put on. Praise God!

Through all of these great things I have gotten the chance to get to see how people in Memphis live. To watch a little six year old dance like the girls in music videos breaks my heart. I know that these girls have to see it somewhere and that’s heart wrenching. Young children should not be listening to rap music and moving their hips in suggestive ways. Also, walking around in some of the neighborhoods has given me a small taste of what dangers they face. We have been told by a few of the kids at VBS that some people here don’t like white people and we need to be safe. So far though, I have not felt like my life is in danger. 

A really cool opportunity we have had was to really get to know our missionary partners, Steve and Victoria. They have decided to live intentionally in the community and for many years have been helping the youth. They have teenagers living at their home, and some who just come and go. We got to meet 6 of their boys and they are amazing! Hearing their stories of what life has been like for them just blows me away. They have dealt with things that no one should ever go through, but unfortunately it is a reality for them and others in the world. They thank God all the time for safety, and they mean it 100% and it makes me so grateful for all that I have. It also breaks my heart though. Why are so many Christians leaving the areas that need light the most? I think of Phoenix, there is such a need there, yet we all stay in our suburbs and go to serve for a bit. Why not jump in and as Steve would say “ing” with the people of the area. This means like shopping, eating, playing, talking any activity that ends in ing. That is what living intentionally means.

I hope that everyone can begin to understand what it means to love others as God loves us. I know for me that was the biggest things I have learned and it continues to challenge me daily. Please continue to pray for our team that we can stay energized and continue to challenge students. Also, pray for the areas around you that are less fortunate, pray that God will send light to that area and that those people can get to know Him. Thanks for all the support you all have given me, I am so blessed to be in Memphis this summer, and I cannot wait to share all my experiences with others. 

Also, as of today, Julie and I could not handle feeling like bums all the time and bought a cheap blow dryer and straightener. I think I forgot how long my hair is, and also how to straighten it. I did feel better at church not having my hair up in a pony tail. :) 

Walking in Memphis

Finally made it to Memphis on Thursday! It was a long day in the car for me... i cant handle longer than 6 hours at a time so 9.5 was a lot! We had great conversations so that made the time go by much faster. We did see some of the water that flooded from the terrible storms. That blew my mind away to see water that did not belong there. Thankfully a lot of the water has receded but people have lost houses. We are staying in a nice Church and we have a whole upstairs area. We have been able to explore a bit and really get ready for the teams to come. Yesterday we got to see our worksite, let me just say that I am so pumped for what is going to happen this summer. The lady who's house we are working on is amazing! She is a school teacher who is moving into a poorer neighborhood to build community with those around her. I cannot wait to get to know her better, because she is doing what I would love to do one day! Today we went food shopping. I have a new found respect for people who have to buy food for more than 5 people. Shopping for 25 is not an easy task! Also, putting all the food away is not easy either.

We have everything ready now for our first team to get here, which is soon!!!!! Needless to say i'm very excited. Keep us in your prayers as we begin pouring into students and really building relationships. Pray for strength and boldness to make it through the day. I know God is doing great things and I cannot wait to share those things with everyone else.

Training Weekend

Wow! That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about the last week. So much has happened and I can already feel myself learning and growing. To bring everyone up to speed I got to Chicago on Thursday and got to tour the city with two other interns for a bit. Then we had a picnic with all the interns and LeaderTreks staff. It was just a great time of fellowship and getting to know each other through playing games and just acting goofy together. The next day we started training weekend. Since it was a 3 hour drive we had great conversations but also got to endure what they call "Blue Stew" a nice big blue van with no air conditioning. Needless to say it was uncomfortable but a great time of getting to know each other.

Once we got to the camp we were able to just start digging into what LeaderTreks is and learning what our role is as interns. While these meetings were sometimes a little boring it was great to learn about each other and just sharing our hearts with one another. One part of training that we all knew was coming was challenge day and this was one of the days that we all wondered about and tried asking as many questions to the leaders that we could. Unfortunately, they would not tell us much but instead just told us to remember everything we read in our manuals and to get to know one another. We did the latter one very well. We would walk together as a team over to the lake and all the conversations would be so deep and encouraging to hear how everyone was so willing to open up and share their lives with one another. God really revealed to us what community should look like, and I know that I long for that community constantly now. After 2 1/2 days of learning what LeaderTreks is and our roles, it was time for challenge day!

The day was just as hard as it sounds, it was a huge challenge! We had to learn how to work together as a team and how to use our strengths and how to lead. The day consisted of memorizing verses and doing some intense team builders. We were able to persevere through struggles and learn how to handle failure. Through these failures though we grew together and were constantly reminded that we cannot do anything on our own strength but instead with God's strength we can handle the failures and learn how to grow. I was blown away at how close we came out of the day. Instead of taking it as a bad day we looked at the positives and looked at how much closer we were as a team. It was unbelievable. I am almost speechless thinking back on it.

This brings us pretty much up to today. We got back to Chicago yesterday, yes another long ride in "Blue Stew" but it was filled with great conversations and funny jokes. We sent off three of the teams this morning and more leave tomorrow. It is very sad to say goodbye to everyone because we feel like a family now. But to watch everyone exchange numbers and add each other on facebook is so fun! I leave tomorrow to head to Memphis and I am so pumped! I know God is going to do great things in Memphis but also in me. What I have learned so far is unbelievable and I know more is to come. Our theme for the summer is prayer and I am going to make a prayer journal and just record how God answer's prayer. I cannot wait to look back and just see all the miracles that happen in just one summer.

I am praying for you all and ask that you do the same for me and all the other inters and staff members. Pray for the sites that we will be at and the students that will be on the trips. I will try to update this once a week during my down time between trips, but no promises. But I will do my best! Hope everyone is having an awesome summer!

Final Month

I realized that I had been neglecting this a bit the last few weeks but that is because life has been so busy! School has been finishing up and so has student ministries. My count down until I leave for the summer has also been finishing up as well. I am down to one month before I leave. June 2nd is the big day! It is getting so close.

I want to say thank you for all of you who have supported me so far, and I promise that thank you cards will be sent out soon. Like I said earlier life has been so busy that those are on my list but homework or ministry calls and I get too busy. But they will be out in the mail soon! If you have not supported yet, now is your chance I am 75% supported so you can still contribute and help send me to Memphis! I do have a paypal account setup so that way you can just make a donation online and do not have to worry about postage or anything else that comes with the postal system. The website is http://animal-pen.net/emily/trip-2011.html. I again just want to thank those of you who have been praying for me and who have also supported me financially. I will update this more frequently as it gets closer to me leaving and of course while I am there.

Support Raising Update

One of the greatest parts about having a daddy who is smart on the computer is that he comes up with ways to make my support raising easier. He has set up this page so now you can just make a payment online. That way you do not have to deal with stamps and checks. Remember everything is tax deductible. I am only 25% supported and can use any amount. Again, I am going to issue the challenge to donate a dollar, or if you go to Starbucks during the week, consider giving that up for a week and give that money that you would spend on a coffee and help support me make a difference in the country.


Thanks again for praying for me and please prayerfully consider supporting me this summer.
Here is the site to donate online
http://animal-pen.net/emily/trip-2011.html

Challenge

It's hard to believe that it is already April. In exactly two months I will be heading to Chicago to start the summer. It is coming up so quickly. What is not going as quickly is my support raising. Which is why I have decided to issue a challenge to all of my friends. If everyone gives just a dollar it would greatly help. Just think, one simple dollar could help me get to Memphis this summer and help change the community there. Think if you would be able to give up a dollar and if you are interested you can either mail your donation to LeaderTreks (the address is in a previous post) or just talk to me and you can just give me the money and i'll send it to them.

Thank you for considering to help support me this summer. And as always, prayer is still greatly needed!

Update

Wow, what a crazy week it has been. Last weekend I was in the InnerCity Phoenix with the Youth Group. There were Jr. High students giving up the first part of their spring break to serve those less fortunate. So awesome to see. We painted and cleaned up the neighborhood. It was so cool to see how excited the students were to serve. This of course made me even more excited for my summer. I realized that all summer this is what I will be witnessing, students wanting to serve others. So amazing.

After we were back I was still anxiously waiting to get the phone call from LeaderTreks to find out where I would be this summer. Finally, Wednesday afternoon I received the call. I will be in Memphis Tennessee this summer :) While I was initially disappointed that it wasn't Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic, I quickly realized that the site in Memphis focuses on community and works with the inner city children. Almost the exact same thing I did over the weekend. I am so pumped for the summer.

Now for some prayer requests, my support raising is going very slowly, so please just pray that I will be fully funded and that it will speed up a little bit. Also, just keep the area I'll be working in in your prayers. Thanks for thinking of me!   

Support Letter

I have decided that just in case anyone felt left out from having a support letter mailed to them I would post it on here. If you want to send any money you can send it to LeaderTreks at LeaderTreks Intern Support C/O Emily Henry 25W560 Geneva Road Suite 30 Carol Stream, IL 6018. Any bit will help and prayer is also a big need. Thank you for taking the time to think and pray for me during this prep time! 

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that it is already 2011. I think back on the last year and I am awestruck at how much has changed in my life since the start of 2010. I switched schools and moved back home, got my first job and became an intern at my church in Student Ministries. Needless to say, my life has been busy lately, and I love it! However, one thing that was missing from 2010 was a summer mission trip. Thankfully, that will not be the case for 2011. I was accepted for a summer internship with an organization called LeaderTreks. This name may sound familiar to some because I have gone on two one-week summer trips with them in the past to the Dominican Republic. But enough about the past, it’s time to look at this upcoming summer.

A summer internship means I will be gone for an entire summer, June 4 to August 15. I have yet to be placed at a site, but there are many places--seven possible in the US, and four in Central America. Placement does not matter much though, because no matter where I am placed I know I will be helping train up students to be leaders, as well as making a difference in the community.  I will also be mentored by a full time LeaderTreks staff as I pour into these students.  It will be challenging for me as I in turn challenge and encourage students.  I am extremely excited for this summer and cannot wait to see what God teaches me during this internship. But the learning won’t start then, there are things to be learning now. For one I have to learn to rely on God to provide. These trips do cost money, so to participate in this internship I need to raise $2,000. This money will cover airfare to my summer site, housing, food, and other expenses that I will have during the summer. Beyond that, I am allowed to raise up to $3,000 towards college tuition for next year.  All donations are tax-deductible. Please fill out and mail the response card to LeaderTreks (address can be found on the card).

This is an extremely exciting opportunity and I want everyone to be able to be a part of this adventure. I will have a blog set up to keep everyone informed on how my support raising is going. I will also use the blog to share my prayer requests and what God is teaching me during this time of preparation. I want you to feel free to ask me any questions you may have about my trip or even if you just want to talk to learn more. My email address is emilyhenry54@gmail.com, and this is probably the best way to get a hold of me because my schedule is pretty hectic this semester.