More Christmas in the City pictures

Cleara with her new coat

Makiya with her new clothes from Old Navy

Reggie and Jumar on the bus

L-R: Reggie, Jumar, Justin, Derris

Above everyone is Kavar

Pictures from By The Hand

Here are some pictures from work. Most of these are from our Christmas in the City event.

Checking out the window displays downtown

Catching snowflakes

Catching snowflakes again

New clothes from Old Navy

Hanging out at McDonalds

Some of my boys at McDonalds

My boys with one of our new volunteers, Sarah

Makiya and Sherine, my girls

Jumar in his new coat, donated by members of Willow Creek Community Church

A long overdue update

Dear Friends and Family,

I have not been very good lately about updating the blog, but I am finally getting around to it! We are back in the swing of things at By The Hand after Christmas break. The first couple weeks have been busy and rather crazy, but the staff and kids are getting back into the routine. The next few months follow a much more normal schedule for our programming (until we approach the spring benefit on April 8th--then it gets crazy again).

Thanks to your prayer and financial support, my team (the Green Team) raised the most money out of all the By The Hand teams in the Fall Fundraising Drive! Thanks so much! We are excited and I'm very proud of the students for working hard to donate out of their own pockets. They also earned money by doing their homework and completing writing assignments while at the program. Our team gets a gift card to go out as a team and do something fun (like go see a movie).

During programming time the last couple weeks, we've been working a lot on reading and writing skills, as well as preparing for the ISAT tests. My culture elective is finishing up talking about Mexico. In Bible study and chapel, we are going through the Old Testament. Last week, we talked about the Fall and Adam and Eve sinning. This week, we're talking about Noah's ark. Please pray for chapel and Bible study especially, as we really want to pour into our students the Word of God.

On a different note, my "Q" student has not been in the program for the last couple months because we really were not sure what to do with him. However, after meeting with his counselor making some changes, and coming up with some new ideas on how to help him, we've asked him to return tomorrow. PLEASE pray for this, because we really want him back, but at the same time, he is a difficult student and I'm honestly a bit nervous about having him in the classroom. Also pray that God gives my director, his counselor, and me wisdom as far as whether or not we continue to work with him in the program, or we try to find somewhere else for him to go that may be a better fit for him.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

Love,

Sarah

P.S. On a totally different note, you may know that Colson and I are engaged. You can view our wedding website HERE.

We're getting married!

This post is LONG overdue, but Colson and I got engaged on December 12, 2009! We're really excited! Eventually (hopefully) I'll post some pictures of the engagement day. For now, you can visit our wedding website for more information:

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/SarahAndersen&ColsonHauser

Fall Fundraising Drive-Last Chance!

Just so you know, there are only a few days left to donate for our fall fundraising drive! Any money donated to By The Hand will be matched dollar for dollar through December 31. If you would like to donate, you can write a check made out to By The Hand Club for Kids and then put CG-Green Team on the memo line. You can also donate online on our website at www.bythehand.org. Just make sure you indicate "CG-Green Team" somewhere on the online form. Thanks so much for your prayer and support!

A long overdue update...

We have had a LOT going on the last couple weeks at By The Hand. I will be posting more updates and pictures later on, but I just wanted to update you in the meantime.

We had our Christmas Tree Giveaway event a few weeks ago, which was great. Families from all over the community picked up live Christmas trees that were donated, drank hot chocolate, and listened to our choir sing Christmas carols. After the Christmas Tree Giveaway, I found out that a mattress, box spring, and frame were being donated and we decided to give it to one of my families. The grandmother was so appreciative and gave me a huge hug after we set it up for her! (Now, if I didn't stick out in the community already, I stuck out even more carrying a bed frame up 6 flights of stairs in a high-rise apartment building. It's too bad I don't have pictures of that.)

We took our kids to "Christmas in the City". This was a blast! Yes, believe it or not, we take 125 inner-city kids downtown on the same day to shop, eat food, walk around, and experience Christmas in Chicago. Parents and volunteers joined us and we were able to split into smaller groups and take the kids around. Each child received a $25 Old Navy gift card and a $5 gift card. It was really fun helping my boys pick out some new outfits. It was also a blessing to see them give what was left on their McDonald's gift cards to a homeless woman on the street.

We had our Christmas Gathering on Thursday. This was the last day of programming before the Christmas break. We invited the kids' families to join us for a chapel service. We had the bucket drummers play, the choir sing, the praise dancers dance, and one of our staff, Franklin, present the truth about Christmas. It was a great night (despite frustrating technical difficulties).

Last night, we had our staff Christmas party. This was soooo much fun! We went to Maggianos and enjoyed some great Italian food. Then, we played some fun games (at one point, I actually got "accidentally" tackled in a musical chairs sort of game.) During another game, there was a tie between 3 staff members that ended in a dance-off. Not your typical office Christmas party...and believe it or not, we started out of Moody Church. :)

Anyway, it's been a very fun, very eventful few weeks. And, just to add to the excitement, I got engaged last weekend. :) Yay! Colson and I are very excited and are looking forward to our wedding on May 9, 2010. More importantly, however, we are looking forward to our marriage. :)

Please pray for our kids over the Christmas break! When they don't have the structure of school or our program, they can more easily get in trouble. Pray that they make the right decisions over break and draw closer to God, not turn from him.

God bless and Merry Christmas!

-Sarah

P.S. One last note, if you are still interested in donating toward our fall fundraising drive, please do so before December 31. You can mail checks or donate online. Please write CG-Green Team somewhere on the check or on the online form. Anything postmarked by December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar.

Today...

1. I walked from train to work in -12 degree temperatures.

2. The pipes burst in the kitchen at work.

3. Because the pipes burst, part of the gym (next to the kitchen) flooded

4. Because part of the gym flooded, dinner had to be moved to the other part of the gym

5. Because dinner had to be moved, things were not quite ready and dinner was not set up for the kids when they came down to eat.

6. Because dinner was not set up, the kids were stuck having to wait.

7. Having about 125 kids waiting in one place does not make for a good, orderly situation. Rather, 125 kids in one room with time to kill means disaster.

8. We finally made it through dinner.

9. One team leader had to stand with his 1st grade kid and hold him back from running around the building and terrorizing everyone.

10. Our director had to do an errand downtown last minute with the high school kids, so she had to leave in the midst of chaos.

11. A parent called me and asked me to walk her daughter home, since that girl's brother was not here today.

12. I walked her home in sub-zero temperatures.

13. I returned back to the gym and was immediately greeted by a crying 6 year old with puke on her face.

14. I cleaned up throw up.

15. I washed my hands...thoroughly.

16. The same kid listed under number 9 in this list refused to go home. He spent about 10 minutes kicking our front door.

17. Myself and our director began to walk to his apartment to get someone to get him, since last week we literally had to carry this kid up several flights of stairs to his apartment because he refused to go home.

18. He finally went home, or at least went inside his building.

19. I walked to the train in sub-zero temperatures.

20. I gained feeling back in my hands.

21. I talked to my boyfriend who loves Christ and loves me.

22. I went home to warm apartment with wonderful roommates.

23. I went out to dinner and was able to eat until I was more than full.

24. I will not freeze.

25. I have an awesome winter coat.

26. I have gloves.

27. I have hot apple cider to drink.

28. I realized that I enjoy going home. I do not go home kicking and screaming. Home is a place of rest and rejuvenation for me, not a place of dysfunction, abuse, and pain.

29. I work in a community that is desperately in need. But I get to go home every night to a life that is so different than those with whom I work. They don't get to just hop on a train and leave difficult circumstances.

30. I am very thankful that I get to walk to work in a warm coat. I am very blessed to be able to minister to a 6 year old girl by helping her clean herself up after throwing up. I am very thankful for my boyfriend, family, and friends, who love me and are a source of joy, comfort, and encouragement. I am very thankful that I can pay my gas and electric bills. I am very thankful I have Trader Joe's spiced cider to heat up. I love my job. I love my friends and family. I am very blessed.

All things considered, it was a great day today. Psalm 116:7 says, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you."

The LORD has indeed been good to me.