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Prayer/Wish List
Update
- Volunteers to lead craft time: Helen Denton has agreed to join us every Tuesday to lead craft time. Thanks, God!
- 15 passenger van: See the story below. God has taken care of us! We're still praying for a van of our own, but we feel God is taking care of our needs for now.
- 3 horseshoe tables: We've acquired 2.5 tables. How can we have half a table? Our third table needs a set of legs.
- Volunteer riders/drivers: We don't have a backup plan if Chris or Pam get sick. We're still praying for volunteer riders/drivers.
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God Responds: We prayed for a Van
We've been praying for a van to transport Bridge students from Meadows to the 1023 building. Needing a healthy dose of cash to buy one was the focus of my prayers, but God has taken care of us better than we anticipated.
The Central Church of Christ has agreed to let us borrow their van, giving us a copy of the key. Chris leaves a little bit early each day, by about 3pm, to pick up the van from Central. He drives the few miles to Meadows to meet the students and Pam in the circle drive. The kids come spilling out the front door laughing and playing, and pile into the van. We sing a few songs, and by 3:45 we're pulling into the parking lot at The Bridge.
After everyone has left Chris drives the van back to Central to pick up his truck and the deal is done for another day.
That's the story: God is involved, even in the little things. So thanks, Central, for letting God use your van to answer our prayers.
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What is The Bridge?:
Seeking Shalom in Topeka
I'll call him Johnny. He came through the doors of the elementary school on a Monday morning clinging to his grandmother. Dean, the school counselor, was there to help peel him off Grandma and held him tight while Grandma walked back out the front doors. Johnny wailed, tears streaming down his face, reaching out toward his departing caregiver. Why was he so upset? Johnny's dad had disappeared the previous summer. Mom had failed to show up for her visitation over the weekend. And now Johnny was scared to death that Grandma was going to disappear as well.
I had asked Dean a simple question, "Why do you think an afterschool program is needed in this neighborhood?" He told me Johnny's story and then peppered me with a series of similar stories. My eyes widened and my heart began to break. Children in our city need help. They need friends. They need hope. And that's why we want to build The Bridge.
What is The Bridge?
The Bridge of Topeka, Inc. is a recently formed not-for-profit organization created to work with urban families, empowering their children to become the responsible, servant leaders of the 21st Century. Our vision is to provide an excellent afterschool program for urban students of Topeka, beginning with Meadows Elementary. The program will offer tutorial services and academic-enrichment activities; youth development activities; drug- and violence-prevention programs; technology-education programs; art, music, and recreation programs; counseling; and character education.
Our goal is to begin serving children in January of 2008.
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Up and Running!
On February 4th the first students from Meadows met us in the front hall of the school. Most had visited The Bridge with their parents the week before, but three didn't even know that they would be coming with us. They were all quiet and well-behaved as they climbed into the van. They all devoured their snack. And they seemed to enjoy the math and reading games we played. It was a great start.
We are, however, just getting started. Pam, Martha and Chris are running, trying catch up with what we see God doing. We're learning new games and activities. We're learning about the students' learning styles. We're working hard to figure out how to motivate some unmotivated learners. But we're having a blast as we do it!
Will you continue to pray for us? And please thank God for us when you talk with Him. He's got a plan for these children, and we are very grateful that He's included us in it.
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