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.

ABC Party

After every report card comes out, we have a party for all the kids who received all As, Bs, and Cs. We played games, did face painting, ate pizza, and had a great time celebrating good grades.

Face painting with Ms. Anna

Line dancing with Mr. George

Makiya and Dominique (Green team)

Daizhana and Daniel (Gold team-1st grade)

Garbage bag races

Reggie (from my team)

An update on my Q scrabble tile...

One of my kids I've nicknamed "Q" (the scrabble tile that's nearly impossible to use, but once you do, it's worth a lot!) just got all As, Bs, and Cs on his report card! I couldn't believe it! Thanks for praying!

The other student is still on the verge of being disenrolled. Please continue to pray for him.

"When I came to By The Hand and heard about Jesus...

...it was the best thing..."

-One of my boys said this to me today.

Some more info on "Christmas in the City"

Christmas In the City

On December 8^th-10^th we will be taking all our kids (a different site on each day – see below) downtown to Old Navy on State St, giving them a $25 gift card to shop as well as $5 for dinner at McDonald’s. This is a really unique experience for the kids, especially because everything is decorated for Christmas. The window displays at Macy’s are always a big hit! We are looking for people to donate gift cards for both Old Navy and McDonald’s.

Tuesday, December 8^th – Cabrini

Wednesday, December 9^th – Austin

Thursday, December 10^th – Altgeld and Englewood

CBK (to Water Tower)

If you would like to volunteer, please let me know! I definitely could use the help for this day! You need to be an approved volunteer to help out, but I can get you a volunteer application or you can apply on our website. If you don't want to volunteer weekly and only want to do special events like Christmas in the City, please just mark that on your application. Then you can just join us for events when it works in your schedule (ahem...siblings--can I get anyone any applications? :) )

This Week at By The Hand

There are only two days left until Thanksgiving! I can't believe it! Here are a few things to be praying about this week:

This Wednesday night: We provide an opportunity for the kids to symbolically nail their sins to the cross like Christ was nailed. Chapel will touch on holiness, closing our TORCH series (we've been doing a series called TORCH that stands for: Tell, Obey and Pray, Read the Bible, Church, Holy Life). In chapel, we will give the kids a minute to think of some things they have done that is not pleasing to God. Then during homework time they will write those things down on small pieces of paper. We will tell the kids not to put their names on the paper so no one knows who wrote it. But we will tell the kids that later on as we take the sins off the cross, we do read them so we can pray for them even though we don’t know who goes with what paper. These sins also gives us a better idea of what kinds of issues our kids are dealing with and what topics we can be teaching on the rest of the year using our other Bible study curriculum.

We will have a lesson about Christ, sin, and grace on Wednesday night. The kids will have an opportunity to nail their sins to the cross while we play part of the Jesus film.

This is definitely a powerful night, and a night that Satan has definitely attacked in the past. Please pray for this "Nail Your Sins to the Cross" lesson, which begins at 5:30pm on Wednesday night.

Recap from Boxes of Love: This past Saturday, some staff and volunteers delivered boxes of Thanksgiving food to families in our community. It went really really well, and I was really excited to have my brother, sister-in-law, their kids, my boyfriend, and a friend from church come and help out. They got to meet some of my kids and their families, which was really fun for me. There will be pictures coming soon!

Other prayer requests: Please just pray for this week with the kids (Tuesday and Wednesday). It's always crazy with the kids right before they go on a break for school. Satan also really attacks at times like this when we're going to do a lesson like the nail your sins to the cross lesson.

Also, please just be praying that I can get all my tasks done that I need to get done. We have quite a few things due by Wednesday, including write-ups on each of the students. I'm a bit overwhelmed by all that I have to do and I would really really appreciate your prayers.

As always, thanks for your prayer and support!

Love,

Sarah