#3
The Boy in the Window
A few years ago we noticed that every time we would pull up to the gate at crossroads there was a little boy in the window across the street. At first, he was still in diapers and would just watch as we would pull cars in and out or take the kids to the yard to play. It wasn't long before he yelled down to us asking to play on our swings and slide; and one day in the middle of a Barbecue we invited him to come down and play. He showed up excitedly with his mom at the front gate, and before too long he was a regular. At first we weren't sure what to do, he was quite a handful (it turned out even thought we thought he was 5, he was only 4 and in pre-school which made things interesting to say the least) but we really started to get to know him and his mom. Ann, our director, took a special invest in his mom, really spending time to know her.
But one day, the boy didn't show up, and for the next few days he was missing too, we wondered what must be happening, when Ann got a phone call from his mom. She was in the hospital, and Ann was the only one to come and visit her there. This is when we learned that she had suffered a heart attack, undiagnosed diabetes, and they had found breast cancer as well. Worried that her son would be left to the foster care system, or worse her own mother who is a drug addict, this mom turned to what she called her only friend, Ann, for help. Our staff prayed for the family, picked up prescriptions, and did what we could to help, and before long she was out of the hospital an reunited with her son. Though her health is still failing, she is a devoted mother doing everything she can to provide for her son. They have both become a part not only of our city crossroads family, but of our church family as well. We still see the boy 4 times a week for crossroads and church, but everyday when we go to open the gates at crossroads he is still there waving in the window, a reminder of how friendship and love can break through a prison of loneliness. The boy in the window and maybe even more importantly his mom are why I am running the extra mile.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Today was my long run, and 9 miles later I am feeling pretty good about my race in just 2 weeks. I have gotten about 10 more sponsors over the last week, and am hoping to pick up a few more. And now back to my 13 reasons I am running 13 miles...
#2 Cierra
It seems fitting to write about Cierra today, since it was just yesterday that we moved her into her college dorm. Cierra came to crossroads as a middle schooler, a kid who was always glued to the hip of her best friend Bella. The two girls were inseparable some of the few girls we have amongst the many, many boys. It didn't take long for anyone to fall in love with these girls, and by the 8th grade Cierra was being mentored and later dicipled by one of our staff members, Lucinda. Back in 2006 we took a trip to Anaheim for a youth convention, and Cierra felt called to take greater leadership in her faith. She became a student leader at crossroads, interned with our children's program, joined the worship team, and now as she heads off to college she wants to come back one night a week as a volunteer staff. Over the last 5 years I have had the great privilege to watch Cierra grow and change, and really stand up and become an independent woman of God. It was a bitter sweet joy to drop her off at her dorm knowing that Crossroads and its staff had played a monumental part in getting her to this point...the first one in her family to go to college. There is great joy knowing just how much she will thrive in college and yet it was hard to let her go, knowing she wont be around our table for dinner every night. But I am excited to see the way God will use her, and I am proud to see what has God has done through our staff in Cierra's life.
The opportunity to change lives through relationship...that's why I'm running the extra mile.
See Ypu At The Finish Line,
Heather
#2 Cierra
It seems fitting to write about Cierra today, since it was just yesterday that we moved her into her college dorm. Cierra came to crossroads as a middle schooler, a kid who was always glued to the hip of her best friend Bella. The two girls were inseparable some of the few girls we have amongst the many, many boys. It didn't take long for anyone to fall in love with these girls, and by the 8th grade Cierra was being mentored and later dicipled by one of our staff members, Lucinda. Back in 2006 we took a trip to Anaheim for a youth convention, and Cierra felt called to take greater leadership in her faith. She became a student leader at crossroads, interned with our children's program, joined the worship team, and now as she heads off to college she wants to come back one night a week as a volunteer staff. Over the last 5 years I have had the great privilege to watch Cierra grow and change, and really stand up and become an independent woman of God. It was a bitter sweet joy to drop her off at her dorm knowing that Crossroads and its staff had played a monumental part in getting her to this point...the first one in her family to go to college. There is great joy knowing just how much she will thrive in college and yet it was hard to let her go, knowing she wont be around our table for dinner every night. But I am excited to see the way God will use her, and I am proud to see what has God has done through our staff in Cierra's life.
The opportunity to change lives through relationship...that's why I'm running the extra mile.
See Ypu At The Finish Line,
Heather
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sorry for the long absence. I spent 3 weeks of July up at camp with all of our kids and it really was a fantastic time. We even celebrated the baptism of 5 of our Junior Camp boys. I was blessed by all of the ways God revealed himself in our time there. I got back to the city the first part of August, but between playing catch-up and having a group of Canadians here on a missions trip, there hasn’t been too much time to write. But with only 3 short weeks until the race I have devoted myself updating this blog and getting as many more sponsors on board as I possibly can. Right now I have a total of 20 fully-committed sponsors and a few more on the verge.
In the interest of giving you something to read, and hopefully to find a few more sponsors I have decided to count down the 13 (one for every mile) reasons why I have decided to go the extra mile. These are in no particular order, as each one of them is near and dear to me, but I thought I would start with:
#1 Raymond
This is Raymond.
I am not sure if there is a bigger blessing in ministry than to see someone trained up, and then getting to work side-by-side with them. And for us at City Crossroads, Raymond represents that blessing 100 fold. I’ve known Raymond since I first was an intern at City Crossroads almost seven and half years ago, and back them he was a 14-year old student leader in the youth group. Over the last few years I have had the great privilege to watch him grow-up and truly become a man of God. Raymond has taken on responsibilities and handled his fair share of trials all with a grace and a joy that just emanates from his amazing personality. Raymond has heard God calling him to ministry and we are thankful that that call has brought him on staff at City Crossroads; I count it an honor that I get to work with him day in and day out.
Now, Raymond has been volunteering for many years, but back in April we were able to hire him as a youth pastor in training using a grant from the Church of God Association in Northern California. To be able to pay Raymond even a very modest paycheck represents a milestone in our ministry being able to come full circle. And I am excited for all the things God is setting in place through having him on staff.
But what does this have to do with running? Simply this, our grant runs out in April 2011 and though I am confident that God will continue to provide a way of keeping Raymond on staff, I also know that finding a salary check in our small budget is a difficult task. So one of my biggest reasons for going the ‘extra mile’ is to find new monthly sponsors who might replace some of the funds we will be losing when the grant runs out. By finding new sponsors we can continue to keep Raymond right where God is using him to transform lives at City Crossroads, just like God transformed Raymond in the little rec center on 6th street.
Raymond is the reason I am running the extra mile.
In the interest of giving you something to read, and hopefully to find a few more sponsors I have decided to count down the 13 (one for every mile) reasons why I have decided to go the extra mile. These are in no particular order, as each one of them is near and dear to me, but I thought I would start with:
#1 Raymond
This is Raymond.
I am not sure if there is a bigger blessing in ministry than to see someone trained up, and then getting to work side-by-side with them. And for us at City Crossroads, Raymond represents that blessing 100 fold. I’ve known Raymond since I first was an intern at City Crossroads almost seven and half years ago, and back them he was a 14-year old student leader in the youth group. Over the last few years I have had the great privilege to watch him grow-up and truly become a man of God. Raymond has taken on responsibilities and handled his fair share of trials all with a grace and a joy that just emanates from his amazing personality. Raymond has heard God calling him to ministry and we are thankful that that call has brought him on staff at City Crossroads; I count it an honor that I get to work with him day in and day out.
Now, Raymond has been volunteering for many years, but back in April we were able to hire him as a youth pastor in training using a grant from the Church of God Association in Northern California. To be able to pay Raymond even a very modest paycheck represents a milestone in our ministry being able to come full circle. And I am excited for all the things God is setting in place through having him on staff.
But what does this have to do with running? Simply this, our grant runs out in April 2011 and though I am confident that God will continue to provide a way of keeping Raymond on staff, I also know that finding a salary check in our small budget is a difficult task. So one of my biggest reasons for going the ‘extra mile’ is to find new monthly sponsors who might replace some of the funds we will be losing when the grant runs out. By finding new sponsors we can continue to keep Raymond right where God is using him to transform lives at City Crossroads, just like God transformed Raymond in the little rec center on 6th street.
Raymond is the reason I am running the extra mile.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
8 weeks
I realized yesterday that I only have 8 weeks left before my big race. I didn't think I was nervous until that thought crossed my mind, well that and the realization that it is SUPER hot in anaheim right now, and labor day weekend will probably be just as bad...yikes! I have been getting up earlier to run now that is is warmer, and I think that will be a saving grace since the race starts before 6am. Still I know I'm really going to have to stick to my training over the next few weeks if I am going to finish this thing strong.
July is going to fly by, the next three weeks I will be up at camp, and though I will be running, I'm not sure how much time I will have for posting, but I will do my best to update as often as I can. Camp is my favorite time of year, it is so fun to see what God can do with our hearts when he takes us out of our everyday element, I am always refreshed and renewed after camp, even if I am dead tired.
Spending the weekend with my folks, then off to kids camp...Can't wait!
See You At The Finish Line
Heather
July is going to fly by, the next three weeks I will be up at camp, and though I will be running, I'm not sure how much time I will have for posting, but I will do my best to update as often as I can. Camp is my favorite time of year, it is so fun to see what God can do with our hearts when he takes us out of our everyday element, I am always refreshed and renewed after camp, even if I am dead tired.
Spending the weekend with my folks, then off to kids camp...Can't wait!
See You At The Finish Line
Heather
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The last couple weeks have been filled with visitors we have 2 different groups from Portland come to town on short term mission trips. It is always refreshing to watch them as they discover the city for the first time. Watching them uncover the depth of God's love and goodness here in such a heavy place reminds me all over again why I love living here.
Running has been going fairly well, though getting up at 6am to run has definitely been a challenge. I have been trying new routes and have even gotten lost a few times, but I have enjoyed this new build up in training. I can see the goal of my half marathon getting closer and closer, and though I'm still pretty nervous I really think I may be able to pull it off.
We leave for camp in just 2 weeks, which seems impossible, but it is here already. I will be spending 3 weeks up at Diamond Arrow with different groups of kids. First our little guys, then the jr. highers, and finally the high school kids. I am excited for all the kids we are bringing from crossroads and the chance to get them out of the city for awhile. Plus it will be a whole new running world for me--I'm trading sidewalks and streetlights for hills and pine cones, I'm not really looking forward to it to be perfectly honest, but the training must go on and so I will.
See You at the Finish Line
Heather
Running has been going fairly well, though getting up at 6am to run has definitely been a challenge. I have been trying new routes and have even gotten lost a few times, but I have enjoyed this new build up in training. I can see the goal of my half marathon getting closer and closer, and though I'm still pretty nervous I really think I may be able to pull it off.
We leave for camp in just 2 weeks, which seems impossible, but it is here already. I will be spending 3 weeks up at Diamond Arrow with different groups of kids. First our little guys, then the jr. highers, and finally the high school kids. I am excited for all the kids we are bringing from crossroads and the chance to get them out of the city for awhile. Plus it will be a whole new running world for me--I'm trading sidewalks and streetlights for hills and pine cones, I'm not really looking forward to it to be perfectly honest, but the training must go on and so I will.
See You at the Finish Line
Heather
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Moving
Sorry for the delay in posting...things around here have been moving right along, and I have been thinking about the best way to capture all that has been happening, and all that I can say is God's timing is truly perfect.
Memorial day weekend we had a group of volunteers com visit from Twin Lakes Church in Santa Cruz. They have been an awesome source of support and encouragement to us over the last few years and we were excited to play host to their team once again. They fixed our back landing, patched some rough spots in our ceilings, and finished painting our basement. It was so nice just to fellowship with them, and quite a few of them even signed up to be new supporters of the extra mile project (woo-hoo!) That brings my grand total of official sponsors up to 17, so I still have a long way to go, but every new sponsor is FAB-U-LOUS!
We spent the beginning of june celebrating all sorts of graduations, from kindergarten right on up to our girls graduating from high school. It was so awesome to celebrate their achievement knowing that we have played a part in their successful journey through high school and on to college (yes!). The fist friday in June was the last day of school and of course cause for great celebration, and originally we had planned a big BBQ for all the kids and families at our building; but when we got word that our friends down at United Playaz had a BBQ planned with an awards ceremony, we decided to combine events and spend the evening at the U.P. building. It was a great night, and I ended up leaving a little early with all 4 girls from my Jr. high small group for an impromptu movie night.
Summer had officially begun; but sadly the neighborhood wouldn't be able to celebrate for long. Around 9pm that friday night, gunshots rang out through the alley next to our building and in a flash of bullets a young man lay critically injured next to our parking lot. Adam, or A.D. as he is known to most people in the neighborhood, is a young man who spent some of his teenage years in and out of City Crossroads and this wasn't the first time he had found himself tangled up in the violence of the street. He was rushed to the hospital and still there now (12 days later) in stable condition. The waves of shock and sadness flow over me still as I type this. Our neighborhood has never been the safest of places, but this act of gun violence at our doorstep is a humbling reminder of the reality of where we are.
And yet, it is through this act that I am also reminded of just how great the God we serve truly is. Each Friday night we are open for our teenagers until 9pm. We send them out the door, walking home or to the bus stops, and many of our staff head out back to take out garbage cans and take cars home. Had we kept our BBQ as scheduled, instead of having an empty building, The sidewalk and alley around our building could have potentially been filled with kids, parents, and staff. Yet, through God's grace our building was nearly empty and thankfully there were no youth or children on the street that night.
Monday morning we left bright and early for a tent camping trip with the teens. The word about Friday's shooting was still buzzing around the neighborhood, and all in all the city felt like such a heavy place. Thankfully we would not be in the city long, we took most of our staff and about a dozen teens to spend 4 days at lake del valle in livermore. It was beautiful and the kids loved swimming, fishing, playing football, and roasting marshmallows. It seemed as if the problems of the city were a million miles away. And the best part was getting a chance to listen to our student leadership team as they taught the bible study each night around the campfire.
Cameron asked the kids how they felt about all the stuff going on in the neighborhood, and after a few quiet moments some said "well, I'm kinda used to it" then came several murmurs of agreement. It broke my hear to hear 12 and 13 year old kids admit that somehow this kind of violence had become such a regular occurrence that it was hard to feel anything about it. Cameron challenged the youth to think about what they wished 6th street could be like, and then he told them that the choices they make now are what is going to make the difference for the future. Some of the same young adults who they watch sell drugs and run the streets, were on this same camping trip not too long ago, and none of them would have said they were going to end up hustling on the streets; but the choices they made at a young age sent them down that road. In the same way, guys like Ray and Robbie (who are two of our most dedicated volunteers) made different choices, and now they have very different lives. I was so blessed to hear the kids pray this night as they prayed for their community and that they would be able to make the right choices to make 6th street a better place.
Its been a week since we got back from camping, and I'm still sort of taking it all in. Things are still pretty heated around the neighborhood as we all wait to see if there will be more retaliation and violence. We have been open as usual and taking field trips with the kids, it has been a good start to summer, and I am glad to see that through everything that is going on God is moving in the hearts of these kids. Its definitely good motivation to keep going that extra mile whether its running this race or finding more sponsors, or simply being on my knees for this neighborhood.
See You At The Finish Line,
Heather
Memorial day weekend we had a group of volunteers com visit from Twin Lakes Church in Santa Cruz. They have been an awesome source of support and encouragement to us over the last few years and we were excited to play host to their team once again. They fixed our back landing, patched some rough spots in our ceilings, and finished painting our basement. It was so nice just to fellowship with them, and quite a few of them even signed up to be new supporters of the extra mile project (woo-hoo!) That brings my grand total of official sponsors up to 17, so I still have a long way to go, but every new sponsor is FAB-U-LOUS!
We spent the beginning of june celebrating all sorts of graduations, from kindergarten right on up to our girls graduating from high school. It was so awesome to celebrate their achievement knowing that we have played a part in their successful journey through high school and on to college (yes!). The fist friday in June was the last day of school and of course cause for great celebration, and originally we had planned a big BBQ for all the kids and families at our building; but when we got word that our friends down at United Playaz had a BBQ planned with an awards ceremony, we decided to combine events and spend the evening at the U.P. building. It was a great night, and I ended up leaving a little early with all 4 girls from my Jr. high small group for an impromptu movie night.
Summer had officially begun; but sadly the neighborhood wouldn't be able to celebrate for long. Around 9pm that friday night, gunshots rang out through the alley next to our building and in a flash of bullets a young man lay critically injured next to our parking lot. Adam, or A.D. as he is known to most people in the neighborhood, is a young man who spent some of his teenage years in and out of City Crossroads and this wasn't the first time he had found himself tangled up in the violence of the street. He was rushed to the hospital and still there now (12 days later) in stable condition. The waves of shock and sadness flow over me still as I type this. Our neighborhood has never been the safest of places, but this act of gun violence at our doorstep is a humbling reminder of the reality of where we are.
And yet, it is through this act that I am also reminded of just how great the God we serve truly is. Each Friday night we are open for our teenagers until 9pm. We send them out the door, walking home or to the bus stops, and many of our staff head out back to take out garbage cans and take cars home. Had we kept our BBQ as scheduled, instead of having an empty building, The sidewalk and alley around our building could have potentially been filled with kids, parents, and staff. Yet, through God's grace our building was nearly empty and thankfully there were no youth or children on the street that night.
Monday morning we left bright and early for a tent camping trip with the teens. The word about Friday's shooting was still buzzing around the neighborhood, and all in all the city felt like such a heavy place. Thankfully we would not be in the city long, we took most of our staff and about a dozen teens to spend 4 days at lake del valle in livermore. It was beautiful and the kids loved swimming, fishing, playing football, and roasting marshmallows. It seemed as if the problems of the city were a million miles away. And the best part was getting a chance to listen to our student leadership team as they taught the bible study each night around the campfire.
Cameron asked the kids how they felt about all the stuff going on in the neighborhood, and after a few quiet moments some said "well, I'm kinda used to it" then came several murmurs of agreement. It broke my hear to hear 12 and 13 year old kids admit that somehow this kind of violence had become such a regular occurrence that it was hard to feel anything about it. Cameron challenged the youth to think about what they wished 6th street could be like, and then he told them that the choices they make now are what is going to make the difference for the future. Some of the same young adults who they watch sell drugs and run the streets, were on this same camping trip not too long ago, and none of them would have said they were going to end up hustling on the streets; but the choices they made at a young age sent them down that road. In the same way, guys like Ray and Robbie (who are two of our most dedicated volunteers) made different choices, and now they have very different lives. I was so blessed to hear the kids pray this night as they prayed for their community and that they would be able to make the right choices to make 6th street a better place.
Its been a week since we got back from camping, and I'm still sort of taking it all in. Things are still pretty heated around the neighborhood as we all wait to see if there will be more retaliation and violence. We have been open as usual and taking field trips with the kids, it has been a good start to summer, and I am glad to see that through everything that is going on God is moving in the hearts of these kids. Its definitely good motivation to keep going that extra mile whether its running this race or finding more sponsors, or simply being on my knees for this neighborhood.
See You At The Finish Line,
Heather
Friday, May 28, 2010
Things have moved in to hyper-speed...and sadly I don't mean my running :) The end of the school year is always crazy, but this year some of our girls who have been around as long as I have are graduating from high school...so add in dance recitals, prom, graduations and getting ready for a jam-packed summer and I have found it pretty hard to hit the road as consistently as I would like. Things should calm down over the next few weeks though, plus I start my official training plan on the 14th of June which means I'll be running 5 days a week, no excuses!
Here's a look at some of the fun distractions the last couple weeks have brought:
Cierra finished her final year of dance by chorographing a really cool bollywood dance piece. It was a great show!
Then we spent the next week running around buying supplies and making prom decoration, since the school had no budget for decorations, then we spent the big day blowing up balloons and turning the hotel into a casino. It was a casino royale theme:
Then, Lucy and I turned our house into a private restaurant for 20 prom goers...It was so much fun!
I even made tuxedo stawberries
The Kids really had a good time...mission accomplished!
Then I headed off to camp for a planning meeting which was a great time and really productive, and when I came home we got the chance to celebrate my friend Elisabeth's graduation from her Master's program! This week we have more graduations and parties and our summer interns roll into town! I can't wait for Monday when we will hopefully take the day off to do absolutely nothing!
Here's a look at some of the fun distractions the last couple weeks have brought:
Cierra finished her final year of dance by chorographing a really cool bollywood dance piece. It was a great show!
Then we spent the next week running around buying supplies and making prom decoration, since the school had no budget for decorations, then we spent the big day blowing up balloons and turning the hotel into a casino. It was a casino royale theme:
Then, Lucy and I turned our house into a private restaurant for 20 prom goers...It was so much fun!
I even made tuxedo stawberries
The Kids really had a good time...mission accomplished!
Then I headed off to camp for a planning meeting which was a great time and really productive, and when I came home we got the chance to celebrate my friend Elisabeth's graduation from her Master's program! This week we have more graduations and parties and our summer interns roll into town! I can't wait for Monday when we will hopefully take the day off to do absolutely nothing!
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