Topic at ILA making an Impact

The high school boys are really taking to heart this topic of sex and dating. A few weeks back I shared a highlight with all of you about the high school boys giving up their turn to go through the line first at our Thanksgiving meal. For the past few weeks the high school boys having been hard at work putting together a rap to share with all the girls of ILA. Tonight we got to see the finished piece of work, and boy was it good!

See the boys had spent a lot of time writing a rap after Romans 12. VaDoll has a gift for playing the drums and so he held the beat for the other boys who rapped. Tyree started them off, and then TJ and Victor jumped in. Lastly VaDoll read the last verse. This rap was centered around Romans 12:9-12 read below to hear how it went.

I had the opportunity to ask Tyree what one thing he hopes the girls will take away from hearing this tonight. “For my verse you should not like evil things like the devil and then God is what is good so cling onto him wherever you are at.”


“Tyree- Listen up girls this is something you should hear. Romans 12:9 says your love must be sincere. Hate what is evil cling onto what is good even if your at church ILA or in the hood.

TJ- yeah we stompin on the devil like you cant see me Romans 12:10 says love each other deeply

Victor- Listen up girls this is something that is real Romans 12:11 says never be lacking in zeal.

VaDoll- read Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

It was so fun to watch the boys and the girls just loved it! I am so proud of the high school boys and their passionate hearts and their willingness to take to heart what is being taught.

Opening Up

For a while now I have been picking up TT and CC (twins) for ILA every Sunday and it has been a struggle for me to connect with the girls on any sort of personal level. It is awfully awkward in the car on the way to and from ILA and it’s a great desire of mine to connect on a level where the students I come in contact with feel comfortable with me. Though we may have not gone through the same life experiences, I know that in many ways the trials God has walked through with me were not suffered in vain and that I get to share those with teenagers.

On my way to pick up the twins I began praying asking God to open up doors to share and discuss with the girls. I was not asking for anything specific to talk about; just to talk and get to know the girls. As I was almost to their house I could feel myself getting a bit nervous wondering if they were going to talk or if it was going to be another awkward car ride. I knew that I just needed to lay everything in the Lords hands and just trust him.

I pulled up to their home and waited in the car for a few minutes. Finally, I saw TT walk out of the house first and I noticed that she was holding something in her hand, something blue. I was wondering what it was, but then again I thought it was probably just her devotional folder. Both girls got into the car and we exchanged hellos and I asked them about their weekends and we talked about the three snow days that they had last week. Then the silence came, but I was not about to settle for a long silence so I asked TT (who was sitting in the front with me) what the blue notebook was. She told me it was her notebook of poems, which she was bringing to share with the writing team tonight. Freely she shared that the poem she was planning to share that night about self esteem. I asked her if she liked to write often and she said that she really did. I was so impressed with how open she became and how much and fast she began to talk about her passion to write.

I was hooked on asking her more questions, I wanted to keep this going as long as possible! We began to talk about the poem she was sharing tonight and how it was about self esteem. She shared with me that she does not like the way she looks. I was just gasping and so quickly began to tell her how beautiful she was as I was thinking to myself “how can she think this?” I asked her why she did not like the way that she looked and after a bit of hesitation she shared that “it is basically my head that I don’t like.” She said that she does not like her teeth, and said that she will soon be getting braces. I was giddy as I shared that she was lucky that she was able to get braces so young, because I had to wear them in college and I remember how embarrassed I was! Then she shared that she did not like her hair and I asked why and she said because it is too thin, well there you go another thing we had in common. I asked her if it was hard to think about liking herself when it is so apparent these days that looking good is very important to this world. She didn’t seem to think that was case and I just know that being a teenager can bring about a lot of those thoughts of not liking yourself. I was then very privileged to talk to TT about what God thinks about her and how beautiful God knew she was going to be when he created her just the way she is. I was so thrilled to talk to her about these important things and I told her I could not wait to hear her poem. Our conversation stopped when we arrived at the church and I was hoping that would not be the end of it!

After ILA was over and we were walking to the car I asked TT how it went reading her poem to the writing team, she shared that she did not read it out loud but typed it up on the computer. She told me that the writing team is thinking of putting a book together of all their poems and short stories. I was just so excited to talk to her again and especially about something I knew she loved.

Earlier in the evening on the car ride to ILA TT told me that she does not ever let anyone read her poems she only reads them because she thinks that someone might not understand what she is writing about. Well to my sweet surprise TT turned to me and said “you can probably read it if you want.” I felt honored and told her that I would love to hear it but she would have to read it to me because I would be driving. While on the way home TT read her poem to me and it was beautiful, she is really a talented writer. I can see the buds of a relationship beginning and it really makes me excited!

Highlights

We all had the opportunity to join together for a wonderful thanksgiving meal. Before we began eating a prayer was said for the food and then everyone was ready to eat. Mrs. Anna had explained to the students that after the prayer she would dismiss each table. The students were all sitting according to their classrooms and Mrs. Anna asked the High School boys to get up and go eat. After a bit of whispering from their table the boys told Mrs. Anna that they wanted to give their turn to the High School girls. Everyone “oooed” and “awwed” because that was really a sacrifice for those boys!

After the festivities of dinner, Mrs. Angela (Substitute Teacher for CI) did a one person monologue about sexual purity for all of the students. In the beginning of the story Mrs. Tasha (Assessments Coordinator) played the role of God who was creating a girl named Monica, and he was saying out loud all the things he was filling her heart with. Then, we jump to Monica on her first day of High School and followed her throughout as she gave her heart to too many boys. She ends up giving too many pieces of her heart away and when she finally meets the man she wants to marry she only has one small piece left to give him. This story told about how important it is to keep our hearts whole because God created them to be whole! And if He has called us to marriage he has already picked out that person so we don’t have to go along giving pieces of our hearts away. Mrs. Angela (Substitute Teacher for CI) did such a wonderful job and was hilarious! All the students loved watching her and gave good feedback at the end.

Meet Zach

Zach has been a part of City Impact for 4 or 5 years now and is currently in the 8th grade at our ILA program on Sunday evenings. Zach attends Culler Middle School and he has 5 brothers! His favorite color is blue and he loves any kind of corn bread. One thing he has learned about God since he has been coming to ILA is this “if you pray for it, it will come to you in some kind of way”. Zach’s favorite thing about City Impact is the GFG (Gifts from God) store because “you get to buy things for you and friends and family”. If Zach knew he only had one more day to live he would spend the day at Champions riding go- carts! I had to ask him, “Why go-carts?” He told me that he would not have gotten the chance to drive, so he would want to ride the go-carts to get that driving experience!

Devotional

TJ- On the left

Jasmine- On the right




Matthew 4:1-11

1-Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2-Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.
3-The devil came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”
4-Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘A person does not live only by eating bread. But a person lives by everything the Lord says.’’
5-Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem. He put Jesus on a very high place of the Temple.
6-The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘He has put angels in charge of you. They will catch you with their hands. And you will not hit your foot on a rock.’”
7-Jesus answered him, “It also says in the Scriptures, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”
8-Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all the great things that are in those kingdoms.
9-The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”
10-Jesus said to the devil, “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!”
11-So the devil left Jesus. And then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.


Day 1

1. Read Matthew 4:1-11.

2. Turn to the Bible verses on the first page and underline any repeated words or repeated phrases.

3. Who are the people in this story?

Jasmine- God, Jesus, Devil

TJ- Jesus, God, Satan

4. Where does this story take place? Be sure to write down all the places.

Jasmine- Kingdom, Desert, Jerusalem, Temple

TJ- The desert, Jerusalem, the kingdoms of the world


5. When does this story happen?

Jasmine- 40 days and nights

TJ- When Satan tempted

Day 2

1. Read Matthew 4:1-11 again.

2. Make a list of the three ways the devil tempted Jesus?

Jasmine- Tell the rocks to become bread, jump off the highest temple, bow down and worship him.

TJ- The devil tells Jesus to prove his loyalty, he tells Jesus to jump of the temple of faith, the devil took Jesus to the high mountain and told him to bow down to him

3. What was Jesus’ answer to the devil’s temptations? Or, How did Jesus respond to the devil each time he tempted him?

Jasmine- A person does not live with bread alone, he has put angels in charge of you, you must worship the Lord your God.

TJ-He injured him and told him whats right


Day 3

1. Read Matthew 4:1-11 one more time.

2. The devil used natural needs- like hunger (remember Jesus hadn’t had any food for 40 days!) and natural desires-like power & authority (lots of people like to be in charge)to tempt Jesus. What are the needs and desires that you have? How do you think the devil could tempt you using these things?

Jasmine- helping someone the devil would tell me not to help.

TJ-clothes, and electronics the devil tempts me by bringing new stuff out



3. What things can you do to resist the devil when he tempts you? (hint-look at how Jesus responded).

Jasmine- By ignoring him, and by asking God for help

TJ- I could try to focus more on my faith




4. Read verses 1-3 again. Jesus was sooooo hungry and at a weak spot physically. When we are at our weakest we are extra vulnerable to the devil’s attack. The devil is sort of like a lion who goes after the sick or young or old or injured – they are easy to catch. So when are you at your weakest? (its good to know so you can be aware of the prowling lion).

Jasmine- When I am tired, sleepy

TJ-When I am real sick because I don’t think a lot.

Angela's Dance

Written by Angela Pillow; ILA Dance Team Coordinator

When did I know I loved to dance....probably in heaven, before I entered my mothers womb. When I entered this world, dancing became my middle name. I am one of four children the 2nd girl. My mother was raised as a Pentecostal (that’s a religion) and as Pentecostals; we lived a life led by the law. No make up, no colored nail polish, no jewelry, and for a woman, no pants and never under any circumstances could you forget NO DANCING! The bottom line was CHRISTIANS DON”T DANCE! I got popped or pinched in church quite a few times for snapping my fingers to a favorite tune. Church was the life…4-5 days a week. We had to wear dresses to the floor and as for physical education class in school, bloomers or gauchos. Those were the days. I’m sure it is needless to say, we were not very popular with our age groups growing up and there were no Nike or name brand gauchos (Gauchos in my opinion is best described as a skirt on each leg, or in my case a STIFF skirt on each leg looking at the fact they were corduroyed). Coming off my soap box, the great news is while on a long journey of coming into the knowledge of Christ my mom soon discovered the revelation that “not wearing pants” could not get us into heaven and wearing pants could not keep us out, so at the age of 18, we were released! We were free!

Now I am on my own and older able to do what “I” wanted! I can DANCE! I faithfully went to the dance clubs in the city of Lincoln every weekend. This life of partying was not fulfilling and often led me to doors that I did not want to venture…for instance; drugs, bad men, and at one time I even met a group of girls that tried to recruit me into the lifestyle of “exotic” dancing! I know God was with me at that time because I had no money and these girls were my age and already owned a home, and they had plenty of money. The explained to me,”Black girls are really needed! They get paid MUCH more!” Now I can say, “Thank you Jesus for keeping me and for my mother teaching us to NEVER sell or bodies in any way, shape, or form.”

Back then at 21 years old I became a single mother and I had a beautiful daughter my mother named, Diamond. Now tired of the party lifestyle I lived which was dull and empty, I moved to Hastings Nebraska and went to school while working and I knew I wanted a change in my life. I wanted the “real thing.” I began the exciting journey of “seeking the truth!” I was determined to find it. Each day of the week I spent time studying with a different religion. I met with the Mormons’ one day, the Jehovah witnesses another day, I went to a catholic church with my landlord/neighbor and attended the first church you see when entering the city, Assembly of God church. I can say now I was just running an interview to see which religion fit the lifestyle I wanted to live. My focus question was “Is it still ok to listen to worldly music and ok to dance?” Then I realized I was picking and choosing the “religion or beliefs,” that I wanted. “This can’t be right. If this is the case, anyone can find what ever God they want, depending on how they want to live. That just can’t be right.” I prayed to the lord that day to find the truth and so began the journey. I remember the prayer and I surrendered my dances for the world to the Lord but praying if there be anyway I could still dance, to please allow me to do so and I would dance for him instead. This was before Kirk Franklin and LaCrae albums came out. I often think that prayer I sent up is the real reason we now have some of the praise music we have today.

Time goes by and my search for the truth continues. I eventually move back to Lincoln again and found a church. All the while this dance is still inside me. I made some good choices, some GREAT choices, some bad choices, and some worse choices along the way, but I never stopped seeking. Here in Lincoln we have a Juneteenth celebration and once a year a large group of kids from Omaha come down and dance. They were an awesome Drill team. Shortly after their performance, a swarm of children from Lincoln bombarded me stating they wanted a drill team here and they would like me to be a part of it. I already had the same idea, so of course I said I would be honored. I made it very clear to them all we MUST glorify God and they agreed. We made a sign up sheet passed around and before the afternoon, there were about 60 names and phone numbers of interested families. We quickly started the drill team and the Lord gave me the name; PREVAIL with the motto/logo ALL GLORY BE TO GOD. We were blessed to do several performances including the Lincoln Star City Pre parade pre show, Omaha Days parade and competition, and we were able to perform for a few companies. Things were beginning to thrive and flourish and I not only had practice at Malone Community Center we also met at Salvation Army with a whole new set of children. Going back to one of those bad choices I spoke about, I made it when I was 24 years old and it was an attempt of a good deed.

Along this walk I befriended a couple of young ladies that were also my neighbor, members of my church and PREVAIL. They were very dear to me so my older sister and I both took them under our wing. We even call them our little sisters to this day. I have been there for the birth of their children and we remain close even now. They were 12 and 13yrs old when I first met them. When they were attending junior high I started working with them and encouraging them in their studies. They worked very hard and as a reward I agreed to have a slumber party at my house on their behalf. The night of the slumber party, one of the girls drove to my home with her mom in the passenger seat. She had a learner’s permit, and all the girls were impressed she could drive. Later that night we needed more snacks from the store from around the corner and this young lady asked if she could she drive. I reluctantly agreed thinking it would be ok as long as I was in the front seat with her. Next another girl wanted to drive so I stayed in the front seat and we all laughed and giggled as she slammed on the breaks being that she was very unfamiliar with driving. Of course another girl wanted her turn and we did this in a in an empty parking lot. Soon, all the laughing stopped because one of the girls hit a pole. (My little sister) Everyone was ok and no one got hurt, physically. God was definitely watching over us all! I now had a child neglect charge on my record, I lost my job the next day and I now had no car (It was totaled) but we were alive and that’s all that mattered. Thank you Lord!


One day I heard of an opening at Carol Yokum Center looking for someone to run a dance workshop and I applied. To my surprise, I got the job and this would be for pay! Wow! That would be like getting paid to eat ice cream! The last step in the interviewing process was to go through a background check. Due to policies and guideline procedures, I could not be hired due to the “child neglect” charge on my record. With this happening, I knew it was important to let my peers know as well at the directors at the Malone and Salvation Army. Crash! I was devastated. I had no idea this would affect so many things. I now had no dance outlet in effect. We were all sad, but I encouraged the youth and my last words were “Through Christ…I will prevail!”

I continued seeking the truth and I kept going to church. One day, there was no church. My church was no longer a church, it basically disintegrated. My life started to take a quick dive. With all the past mistakes I made, I had learned a lot, but I still had much more to learn. I did just that, even though the bad company and drugs crept in slowly again, I still desired a peace that surpassed all understanding. I braided hair in the community and ended up braiding the hair of an old acquaintance and she was not the same. I had to know what changed her. She and told me of her love of Christ and she invited me to City impact. I started going. Just before this I met a young man by the name of Ken, a single father of 3 boys and he went also. Once again God rescued me. I heard the gospel in a way I had never heard it before; through my kids! Both Ken and I began to seek this peace together and not long after this journey began, we were married and seeking like never before. We did find a church and through the week we attended bible study while our kids went to bible club. We loved it and our kids loved it too!


Of course I still desired to dance. I volunteered at City Impact to chaperone a dance project introducing the children interested in dance to different types of dance, like ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. We ALL had a BLAST! We were given the opportunity to see performances at the Lied Center and I had NEVER seen anything like it! I was SUPER inspired and of course, I had a record holding me back. I prayed for God to make a way to clear my name and through MUCH prayer and supplication I trusted God on my name being removed from the Central registry as “Child Neglect.” As of May 2009 my name has been cleared and I am clear to PREVAIL! Thank you Jesus! November 1st was my first day with the children at ILA with City Impact, and now we will look to the Lord to order our steps and develop into what ever God wants us to do! ALL GLORY BE TO GOD. My story is simply: I love the Lord, I love to dance, and I have danced for the world long enough. I now praise dance to and for my heavenly father and I will bless his name as I proclaim He is worthy to be praised, and I have a lot to PRAISE GOD FOR! I have no idea what God is going to do through dance at ILA and no agenda of my own. I do know I trust the Lord and my expectations come only from him, but I know he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly over and beyond anything I would ask. I only ask for his “guidance” through this new development. Have your way Lord…..Have your way.

Hear from the ILA students on the evenings topic

Sunday night kicked off with a video called “The Role of Dating” and then led into separate classroom discussions on the topic. Many things were talked about including girls’ and boys’ perspectives on dating. Questions like, “Can people change for good and bad in a dating relationship” and “Can a dating relationship become an idol?” Good points were made for instance, “when you are only concerned with the relationship it can become our priority over God” and “our goal is to be whole people in Christ; complete with full well balanced lives!” Many good and important issues were addressed, and next week the students will dive into God’s word and see what he has to say about “The role of dating”. For now lets hear from a few students as they tell us what they learned from the lesson tonight and how they will be using what they learned in their own lives.

Radious (6-8th grade girls) - 1. “I learned that sometimes a boy can keep you away from
friends.”

2. “To listen to your friends.”

Jonha (6-8th grade boys) - 1. “People can change from bad to good and good to bad, and
it is harder for people who believe in Christ to pull
someone who does not believe in Christ up.”

2. “Probably should date someone who believes in God
because it is easier for you to pull them up.”

Jasmine (6-8th grade girls)- 1. “That boys keep you away from friends.”

2. “By not having a boyfriend.”

Each time I find more and more that the students are really interested in making different decisions and that they recognize that it is for God!

The New Addition

I am so excited to share with you the newest addition to City Impact’s ILA program. A few Sundays ago during worship, Mrs. Ashley told all the students that there was a very special person who really wanted to use their passion to lead a dance/arts team with any ILA students who were interested. Mrs. Ashley then called Mrs. Angela Pillow to come to the front and she began to share.

Mrs. Angela is the mother to three of the students who participate in City Impact’s ILA program, and she shared with all the students her passion for dancing and how her purpose now is to dance for the Lord. She has a very strong calling to share this passion with other students who are interested. There were many students who were interested and they were told that if they wanted to be a part of this new team, they needed to show up the next Sunday at 5pm.

When Sunday came and there were a great number of students who showed up, fourteen in all! They started by talking about what they wanted to be as a team, and together they dreamed up a list of ideas. Here are some of the ideas: dance, think of nick names, uniforms, step, skits-message, drill, line dance, jump, hula hoop, beats-make own, cooking, hair, art, painting and many more things. When you ask these students to dream and think big they have amazing ideas!

When the list was completed Mrs. Angela asked the students what they wanted to start working on and all of the students decided that they wanted to work on step.

Mrs. Angela then took some time to share with the students that she believes in God and it is because of him that they are on this team, and because of this everything they will be doing will be for God alone!

Next, Mrs. Angela taught the students 2 scripture cheers, the first was Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and the second Phil 2:14 “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” She then explained that if anyone says “I can’t” then they will have to do the Phil 4:13 cheer twice and if anyone complains or argues they will have to do the Phil 2:14 cheer. Then Mrs. Angela talked to the students about how important it is to stretch before doing physical activity. So Mrs. Angela led a time of stretching along to some upbeat Christian music. When they were finished stretching they got together in a circle and began to help each other come up with some step moves.


After all the students had left, I stuck around to ask Mrs. Angela a few questions. We talked about why she wanted to get started doing this and she shared that she knows we are able to move and breathe because of Jesus and she wants to do this for him. Also, she wants to make sure this is being done to share a message, and she shared that a lot of prayer has gone into this and she is just trusting God.

It really was so exciting to see all of these students enjoy what they were doing and even better that they are being taught by someone whose passion is to do this for the Lord! Mrs. Angela brings a lot of knowledge and I know she is so excited to see where this all will lead.

Goal: Relational Development

• Youth will develop and maintain long term, meaningful, and authentic relationships with adults and peers

Worship on Sunday began with the verse for the day and then led into a song called “Imagine Me” by Kirk Franklin. I really encourage everyone take some time and listen to that song; to really pay attention to the words! I know it really touched a special place in my heart and from the looks of it on Sunday it touched the hearts of others. After sitting in my chair in the back row of the fellowship hall listening to “Imagine Me”, I happened to look over at Mercedez and her body was bent over with her head in her hands. You could tell she was really upset. Without hesitation 3 or 4 other students immediately put their hands on her to comfort her. As the song went on the students continued to comfort Mercedez and soon after that one of the youth leaders came and sat by her and put her arms around Mercedez. Here at City Impact our core values and goals are worked on all the time and God willing they are achieved. Tonight was one of those nights where I saw a goal being reached and a student feeling the warmth of caring peers and adults at program.

Social Justice Team

It is so fun to watch Mrs. Miriam teach the Social Justice team, because I know she is very passionate about Social Justice. I knew it would be a good night to sit in on the Social Justice Leadership team meeting because they were going to do an intriguing activity and start discussing a new topic. While we were walking up the stairs to the classroom, I over heard Diamond say to herself “I love Social Justice, it’s the best team”.

First off, I would like to tell you who is participating in the Social Justice team for this semester of ILA. The students are Diamond, Dillon, Sevahn, and Cameron. Each of these students brings a special part of their hearts to the team and I know Mrs. Miriam is glad to have every one of them.

On this particular evening, the Social Justice team was starting a new unit on “Access to Clean Water”. To begin, Mrs. Miriam asked the students to think of all the things you use water for in one day from the time you wake to the time you go to bed. The students came up with things like (take a shower, brush teeth, use bathroom, drinking water, wash dishes, wash hands, for cooking, and lots of other things). The students were then told that the average American uses 150 gallons of water a day, and the average person in a developing nation struggles to use 5 gallons! Most of the students were just staggered at the thought, I know I sure was.

Mrs. Miriam had taken the time to write all the things that were thought of for the use of water on a piece of paper in the front of the classroom. The students were then asked to work together to prioritize what things on the list they would do if they only had access to 5 gallons of water each day. After much debate on what would be necessary to use the 5 gallons of water for, the students decided on these things: to brush teeth, to drink, to cook, wash face, and wash dishes.

After the discussion, the students gathered around Mrs. Miriam’s laptop to watch a power point about sanitary water. I was able to help Mrs. Miriam out with an activity by taking 4 glasses of clean water and making one of them look like it had dirty water in it by mixing different colors of food coloring in the glass. The students were watching the power point in the dark and so when each student got their glass of water they could not tell if their water was clean or dirty. She was really trying to drive home the point “What would it be like to not have access to clean and sanitary water?” Dillon actually ended up with the glass of dirty colored water and let me tell you he was not about to drink it! It was really gross looking; a very dark murky green color. Even though Dillon did not drink the water, I know he got the point of the activity.

When the power point was over the students discussed some questions. I would like to share a few questions and responses with you.

Question 1 “Which facts make you sad?”

Diamond- “One in 6 don’t have a choice of what they drink.”

Sevahn- “All the people who die.”

Question 2 “How do these facts change the way you look at water?”

Diamond- “No more long showers!”

Dillon- “Stop using as much water as I am using now.”

Mrs. Miriam then shared ways that her family has saved water. I really thought it was a good introduction into the new unit and I know all the students were interested because they participated in all the discussions and activities. I can’t wait to see where all this will end up!

A journal entry from Tyree

My friends have seen how much I have changed how I follow God and what he mean’s to me and how much I talk about him. When I am with them they always ask me “Tyree what does all this mean?” So I tell them that the Lord does great things you just got to trust and believe in him and that he is your savior and that he died on the cross for all of our sin so we may have eternal life.

Now all of my friends who were not following God go to Church to learn about him. I can see the changes in some of them and that tells me that the Lord is a part of their lives.

Meet TT and CC

For awhile now many of you have been meeting the Bible Club students one by one, little by little, and now it is time for you to meet our ILA students.

When I picked who I was going to do a mini bio on I wanted to do the Hite twins separately, but when I sat down to interview them they were sitting together and when I began to ask questions to one the other would chime in and so I decided I would do a bio of them together!

Vontesaya (T.T.) and Vontesa (C.C.) are twins and 8th graders here at the ILA program. These girls are not only faithful to come on Sunday evenings, they also come on Tuesday evenings to volunteer for Bible Club. I asked T.T. and C.C. how they got their nicknames and they told me that when they were about three years old they just started calling themselves T.T. and C.C.

Both girls attend Park Middle School where they are in the 8th grade. They were born on April 29. They have 3 sisters and one brother. C.C.’s favorite color is blue and T.T. loves pink. When asked what their favorite food is they both said pizza! T.T. and C.C. love track and both participate in the 100m dash and the 4/100 relay. The person they love most here on earth is their mother.

I asked the girls if they knew they only had one more day to live how would you spend that day and this is what each said; C.C. “go shopping, have a party and invite everyone I know!” T.T. ‘spend it with all my family, and I would eat a lot of food cause you never want to die hungry!”

Philanthropy Team Update

The Philanthropy team is still pushing forward with the motivation to get enough money raised for the playground, which will be built for the Friendship Home here in Lincoln.

Currently the Philanthropy team is getting ready for a fund raiser, which is a “dress down day” for local businesses. In order to participate in the “dress down day”, employees will have to pay $5 to “dress down” on November 4th. All of the proceeds will go towards building the playground.

The philanthropy team has been split into two teams; one the advertising team and the other the calling team. The advertising team is working on literature which can be given to businesses to promote this “dress down day” and the calling team is working on calling 28 businesses throughout Lincoln with the hopes of getting them to participate.

Second, the team is working on getting a presentation put together so when they are asked what they do they will be prepared to share. Ultimately, they would like to share what they are doing with all of the other leadership teams and potential public crowds.

I have been very pleased to see all the students working together to make this project a success. They are all excited about building the playground! Along with being a part of the team, each student is learning how he/she can use the special skills that God has gifted each of them with. I can’t wait to see what happens in the end.

6-8th Grade Girls Impact Journals

"What is one thing God helped me do lately,

that I didn't have to do,

which showed kindness or sacrificial love to others?"

Today I helped Rhonda and her sisters get their younger 1’s inside and when Rhonda (the youngest) came out I picked her up and kept her warm in my coat. I could tell that Rhonda and her sisters were glad cuz of the smiles on their faces. I felt glad too cuz I was trying to help their younger sister not catch a cold.

Javaen




What I did this week to show sacrificial love was yesterday my friend Alyson called me because she wanted to take me to some pumpkin patch/haunted house place and I really wanted to go but I told her no because I wanted to spend time with my older sister because it was her Birthday.

C.C.





My baby sister and I were running around the house and apparently she had cheerios in a little bowl and she turned around and ran to the bathroom door and poured cheerios on the floor and my mom ran out and saw what she did and my mom was mad and I told her that I would clean it up instead of her cleaning it up all the time.

Jasmine

Impact Goals

During the first part of the class time on Sunday the 6-8^th grade girls worked on setting impact goals for the week. Each girl got right to work; they were all very quiet and respectful as they let each other work.

When the time was up Mrs. Miriam asked if the girls would share their goal for the week. The room was quiet and there were only a few who offered to share.

Emilia- “On Wednesday I will help my friend with her math homework.”

Jocelyn- “I will help my friend with her problem in school.”

Javaen- ‘I will apologize for the way I acted to teachers and authorities’ on Wednesday when I go back to school.”

I am always eager to hear goals the students are setting for the week, and I was glad at least a few were willing to share.

Mrs. Miriam used the end of sharing time as an opportunity to do a little “teaching”. She pointed out that there were not too many ladies who were willing to share. She said that she would never force anyone to share, but really encouraged the ladies to share. Mrs. Miriam said they should be proud to share their goals because it will encourage other students. Mrs. Miriam also explained that some of the others may have a hard time knowing what it looks like to show sacrificial love to others and when you share your goal they might get ideas of how they can show sacrificial love to others.

I was really glad that Mrs. Miriam took the time to do a little “teaching” and did not let the opportunity slip by. I really think more of the girls will share next time!

Speaking Team

The Speaking Team started this year with a new project. The first week the students were involved in reading the skeleton of a story, the second week they learned what it would look like to add in lots of details, and the third week (which is the week I witnessed) they worked on telling the story they had written, using lots of expression and motions! The looks on their faces seemed to say, “Now how do you suppose we’re going to do that?”

In preparation for the task at hand, the students played a game. Mr. Ty (Speaking Team Leader) asked one student at a time to come up in front of the class. He showed them a phrase or word and the student would have to try (without words) only using gestures and facial expressions, to get the others to guess what the word/phrase was. Each student took a turn and did very well.

When the game was finished Mr. Ty passed out each student’s story, and informed them they would need to break up into groups to practice telling their stories, while adding in what they had learned from each week.

I had the opportunity to partner up with Zach and was very pleased at the effort he was showing to add in facial expressions and gestures. Zach did a great job and seemed to be excited to be the first to get up in front of the students to tell his story. After each student presented their story the rest of the students had the opportunity to give positive and corrective feed back to each other. The students were very respectful and gave great feed back.

All in all, it was a great night to sit in on the Speaking Team. They have a great group of students who are learning so much. After the students had left I was talking to Mr. Ty and we were agreeing that the students had come a long way from just a few months ago, especially of the new students who just joined the team in August. We also talked about how important it is to learn to speak in front of people and most times it can be hardest to speak in front of peers. The students involved in the speaking team are learning a skill they will be able to take with them forever.

6-8th Grade Boys Jump Right Back Into the Swing of Things

ILA started again on Sunday after a 3 week break. Often after breaks it can be hard to pick up where we left off and students can be a little rowdy, but this was not the case on Sunday. I had the opportunity to sit in on classrooms and observe the events of the evening and could not have been more blessed with the outcome.

I was hoping I could catch the 6-8th grade boys Impact Journal time and when I walked into the class room I was just in time. All the students were sitting quietly with heads bowed and Mr. Todd was just finishing up praying for the evening. (I really appreciate how Mr. Todd has a way of teaching principles; what I mean is, Mr. Todd was talking to God through prayer and asking that he would guide the students as they write in their Impact Journals.) God tells us to pray on all occasions and I have found that praying for something right before I do it makes a big difference in how I perform.

The students split into two small groups and I joined up with Mr. Brandon (6-8^th grade boys leader), Kenneth, Cameron and Zach. The boys had the opportunity to begin writing in their Journals starting with their goals. I was just so amazed to see how these boys reacted by getting right to business writing. They were sitting so quietly and concentrating on what they were doing, they were especially respectful of each others time and did not talk. When it came time to share, once again the boys did not hesitate. Cameron was the first to share and began by telling us that his goal was to help decorate for his sisters birthday party on Saturday, Zach said he was going to help a friend all week at practice “practice catching” because they are on the same football team, and Kenneth was going to clean his room and keep it clean for 2 weeks! Each boy seemed to be excited to share what they had set as a goal for the week, and I could not be more excited to experience their participation.

Highlights

I can usually tell when the City Impact essentials and the other things students learn start to stick. I was sitting in the 6-8th grade girls room during dinner and was enjoying conversations with various girls. I overheard Tabitha (new 6th grader to ILA) ask Mrs. Miriam if there were any ribs left. Mrs. Miriam informed Tabitha that if there were any left she was more than welcome to have them. Tabitha got up from her seat and went to check on the status of ribs, she returned with a little stack of what was left of the ribs. Right as Tabitha sat down next to Emilia she immediately offered all her ribs to her. Emilia was very hesitant at first but Tabitha insisted that she take the ribs! It was so fun to see this act of kindness coming from Tabitha.



As the 6-8th grade boys were searching the scriptures from the lesson on Sunday night I noticed a few boys having trouble finding the particular books of the bible and the verses. From across the room I noticed that Icky had his bible open to the correct verse, but he was staring at Se’vahn who was frantically flipping the pages of the bible in his lap. Icky suddenly got up walked across the room to Se’vahn and took the bible out of his hand and handed Se’vahn his bible. Icky then turned around and went back to his seat where he sat to find the scripture in the bible he had taken from Se’vahn. I was just so pleased to see that Icky did all of this on his own, Icky saw a need and met it.

Important Lessons on Understanding God's Unknown and Known Will

I get very excited when I think about how much of a positive influence a person can have on young men and women. Figuring out God’s will for us is a question we will constantly be asking ourselves and ultimately Him. To learn the benefits and ways of seeking God’s will at a young age is vital to the beginning of a relationship with Christ.

Mr. Todd did a wonderful job of laying this out for discussion in the 6-8^th grade boys room on Sunday. I would like to share this model with all of you, I found it to be helpful to my own walk with God and the way it was talked about with the students I could tell they were getting it. As you know, a big part of City Impact’s curriculum is written with the intent to be in the word; I mean physically getting a bible and finding scripture to read. Here is the model I was talking about.

I. Figuring out Gods known will

2 Tim 2:23-24- Don’t Argue, Be kind

James 1:19-20,26- Slow to anger

I Thes 4:5-5- Purity

Col. 3:23-24- Work hard

II. Figuring our Gods unknown will

Rom 12:1-2 and James 4:7-8- Submission

Phil. 4:6-7- Pray

Proverbs 20:18- Advice

Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust

The students really seemed to be engaging Mr. Todd in conversations over this topic. Mr. Todd had the opportunity to discuss all the short phrases listed in God’s known will and God’s unknown will. All of the points Mr. Todd brought out of scripture are vital to each one of us in our walks with God.

I think it was wonderful that these boys were able to learn about why it is not good to argue, and how we should be slow to anger, and how important it is to work hard and keep ourselves pure. This lesson provided multiple opportunities for students to gain understanding of how they can best live according to Christ.

Social Justice Team Update

As ILA was gearing back up, each leadership team did an activity to welcome new students to the teams and set the tone for the new year.

Mrs Miriam, the Leader for the Social Justice team, heard of an idea for an activity from another staff member. This idea came from an organization called “World Hunger” and it’s called a poverty simulation. A poverty simulation requires various people to participate in a dinner. Some of the people are treated to a fancy sit down meal, and the others are told to sit on the floor and eat rice and beans. After hearing about this, Mrs. Miriam thought she would do her own poverty simulation with desserts.

When the students arrived to Mrs. Miriam’s class room she asked for two volunteers to be team captains. After the two team captains were selected those captains selected their groups. There was 2 in one group and 3 in another group. Those two groups were then led into another room where they were presented with a beautiful spread of fancy bowls, ice cream, brownies, and lots of wonderful toppings! Team 1 was told to go over to the table and sit down and then Mrs. Miriam served the team their choice of ice cream and toppings. Team 2 stood by the door and watched as Team 1 was treated to dessert. Then, Team 2 was told to go sit on the floor and they were able to pick just one little animal cracker and eat it!

Mrs. Miriam said that they all sat there for 10 minutes and it was very awkward in the room and the students could definitely feel the tension. One student in particular, Cameron who was on the team of ice cream eaters, sat in what Mrs. Miriam described to be as pure agony. Mrs. Miriam said that Cameron had a look on his face like “ you are not going to make me eat this in front of people!” Finally, after sitting there not eating anything Cameron sighed and ate the ice cream. Mrs. Miriam explained to me that she did not say anything to the students while all this was going on, because she really wanted them to “feel” what was going on.

When their time was up they headed back into their classroom to discuss what was going on. Mrs. Miriam started asking questions as to what they felt about the situation they had just come from. Cameron said it was very awkward and said that he felt guilty and wanted to give his ice cream to those who did not have any. Diamond, who was on the team of animal cracker eaters, said that it was unfair that one team got to eat ice cream. Mrs. Miriam asked the team captains how they felt about the groups they chose. Donte felt good about picking the group that got to eat ice cream, but Dillon said he felt guilty for picking the group who only got to eat animal crackers.

Mrs. Miriam was able to talk to the students about how the decisions they make every day affect those around us. She also talked about how people in poverty must feel like those who ate just the animal crackers every day! She also had the opportunity to talk about unfairness and gave a definition of Social Justice as righting wrongs. She then went into introducing what Social justice would be looking like for the new year. Mrs. Miriam introduced 3 main points Now-looking at what is happening now, New- Gods perspective, and How- How we can live out Gods perspective.

Mrs. Miriam feels that it is very important to find practical things that these students can do to affect those around them. I could not have been more excited to get this story from Mrs. Miriam, I hope you are as touched as I was.

High School Girls Servant hood

Last semester, the HS girls group had become very small in numbers. Most times, throughout the summer there would only be one student. More often than not I chose another class room to sit in on and therefore missed the opportunities to visit the High School girls’ room. I decided to make a goal for myself to visit the High School girls’ room when we came together again for our first ILA meeting at First Baptist Church.

I was so excited when I walked into the High School girls’ room on Sunday because I saw not just one but three students! In fact, there are 7 high school girls are the roster, but a few were unable to make it the first night! Mrs. Anna is also a new addition (not to City Impact) but to the High School girls’ classroom and will be co- teaching along with Mrs. Mollie.

As many of you readers know, City Impact places a good amount of importance in each student setting weekly impact goals. Impact Goals are ways the students can bless others during their week with God’s help and grace. On Sunday, Mrs. Anna began by talking about how this summer the Lord taught her a lot about having a servants heart, she stated that “sometimes no one notices your acts of service, but God does”.

Mrs. Anna went on to share with the girls a passage from the Bible in John 13 where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. She was able to relate a story from her trip to Costa Rica this summer; she talked about how no matter what kind of shoes you were wearing your feet would get dirty, very dirty! She also talked about how in Jesus’ time there would be servants at each home who would wash the feet of whoever would enter the house.

Mrs. Anna went back to the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and talked about what an ultimate act of service this was for Jesus our creator, the king over the entire universe; He stooped down and became a servant and washed the dirty feet of his disciples. All this to say, talking about this story lead into talking about Journals and how they are the students personal journey of how God is shaping them to be servants “you are learning how to wash the feet of others every week”.

I have heard that story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples many, many times, but never had I heard anyone describe so beautifully the act which Jesus did. Mrs. Anna really wanted to emphasize how important it is to think of their Journals as a spiritual endeavor, not just something they have to do.

After all the talking the girls dove right into writing their goals for the week. On Monday, Patty decided she would set her alarm and get up early enough to make Kiesha’s bed. Diamond said, that on Monday she was going to help out at home by cleaning and clearing out the living room and the bedrooms for a garage sale, she wanted to do this because her mom usually does all the cleaning and clearing out of things. Mercedez is going to rub her dad’s feet and back on Tuesday when he gets home from work because she knows after a long hard days work he will appreciate it.

I left that room that night with a new understanding of what Jesus has done for me.

Grand Opening

Tuesday August 11 was marked down in City Impacts history as a very special day; a day which will change the ins and outs of how Bible Club and ILA program look.

For quite a few years, City Impact had the opportunity to host the Bible Club and ILA programming at Middle Cross Church (also known as Central Alliance). As we know, our plans are not always God’s plan and within the past year City Impact received news that they would no longer be able to use Middle Cross as their place for hosting Bible Club and ILA. After a long process of seeing where God was going to lead them in the search for a new building, God led us to First Baptist Church here in Lincoln.

On Tuesday August 11th, First Baptist opened up its doors and City Impact welcomed new and many old families to the Grand Opening. Being in the position I am at City Impact allows for me to just sit back and observe the flow of things, especially when events take place. This night was filled with tours of the student’s new classrooms, great food, and a live magician.

Mrs. Ashley had approached me a few days prior to the Grand Opening event and presented an idea, this idea would consist of me taking family photos of all the families who attended the Grand Opening that evening. I was so excited and agreed to do it. When the time came on Tuesday, I set up my backdrop stand and my tripod and began to snap away. Taking the pictures was such a great idea and we plan to give each family a copy of the photograph.

During the evenings activities I was able to observe many students and their families having a great time, it is truly a wonderful thing to witness first hand what God is doing through City Impact.

Committed- Zach & VaDoll

Zach

VaDoll "V-Diddy"

I have been attending the ILA program meetings as an observer for a few months now and have been struck every time by how dedicated some of the students are to the ILA program. Particularly, I am speaking of two students Zach being one and VaDoll the other. Zach is an 8th grader in Mr. Todd’s classroom and VaDoll is a 9th grader in Mr. Ty & Adam’s room. The reason I am speaking of these two boys is because over the short period of time I have been with City Impact I have noticed dedication by these boys to attend not only the program on Sunday evenings, but also other activities which correspond with helping ILA.

For instance, one Sunday the philanthropy team (who is working towards raising enough money to build a playground for the children of the Friendship home) held a carwash from 12pm – 4pm. Both Zach and Vadoll, who are not even on the philanthropy leadership team, were at the car wash helping out their peers. I am talking about this because I noticed that even though they spent all afternoon outside working, they still chose to come to the evening program from 6-9pm! Then, they did the same thing again the next weekend!

This really made me take notice and these boys, so I did some investigating. You see, Zach and Vadoll come to ILA with Mrs. Precious (who is the reroute coordinator) and so I was just thinking that she made them come. I decided to find out from Precious what the truth was. After speaking with Mrs. Precious I found out that Zach and Vadoll have been involved with City Impact for the past 5 years and every bit of it has been important to them. I asked Mrs. Precious if Zach and VaDoll come because she encourages them to or by their own choice. I was informed that because City Impact means so much to them they are always willing to help out in whatever way possible to give back to City Impact. --Evian Schindler, Youth Program Communications Coordinator

ILA Love Languages

Recently City Impact welcomed Tasha to the team as the new assessments coordinator, and I thought it was about time I stopped in to see how things were going in her department. Now, if you are like me you may not know exactly what the assessments coordinator does. As I began to speak with Tasha I couldn't have been more excited to learn about what she was currently assessing.

Currently, Tasha is working with students one-on-one and having them take a test from the book The five Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman. The test the students are taking helps them identify their top Love Languages and in turn helps us better fit the need of these students. Love Languages are ways the student feels cared about and valued. For Example, some students feel loved by receiving gifts, while others need a hug or high five, some feel special when someone serves them, or by simple words of encouragement.

After talking with Tasha a bit more about this test she pointed out that in most of the tests she has noticed that "acts of service" is in the top three of most students love languages. She went on to tell me that after the student takes the test, she spends time explaining to them what those love languages mean because she does not want the students to feel like they are just taking a test, but really feel like there is a reason behind it.

Tasha expressed to me that she feels as though a big part of the students ranking "acts of service" in their top three love languages has to do with their participation in ILA. Tasha plans to send a copy to all parents of students who have taken the test, because she feels it is important for them to know how they can better love their child. We also plan to distribute each student’s love languages to their ILA classroom & small group leaders.

Having read Gary Chapman's The five Love Languages myself I know how helpful it was to me to know what my love languages were, I think that is why I was so excited to see that City Impact was taking the time to assess the love languages of the students.

Writing Team- Learning to Give Godly Advice

Update on the Writing Team

I had not yet had the opportunity to visit the writing team and so I made it a point to get in on their time on Sunday at ILA. Time and time again I am just blown away by the impact City Impact is having on these young men and women who attend the Impact Leadership Academy.

The writing team is working on practicing what to do when situations arise where they will have to give other teens advice. The time began with Mr. Mark (who is the writing team leader/teacher) giving the girls a little rundown of what they were going to be doing with their time that night. He began by asking if they remembered the article they had read the last time they had met and then went on to say they would be reading another article this week and then writing a letter to the author of the article, all in practice for their advice blog which these girls have created to help other teens.

The article is titled “Desperate to Fit In” and It is written by a young teenage girl named Colleen. After the article was passed out to everyone they took turns reading out loud. I want to give you a little taste as to what this article entails

Colleen is a young freshman girl who finds herself desperate to fit in, she begins the article by telling us how she does not know when everything started and then takes us back to a memory of sitting in a police car. Colleen becomes accustomed to drinking and she is a bulimic binger. When high school comes she really wants to fit in and meets a very popular girl Kathy who leads Colleen into a crowd she should not be in. The drinking and binging worsens and Colleen is caught by her parents when they find a wine bottle in her closet. A friend calls Colleen’s mother to tell her about Colleen throwing up all the time and then at her lowest point she is caught shop lifting. Colleen states that secretly she wanted to get caught, but she desperately wanted to fit in. She later states that the friend who called her mom did one of the best things she could have done for Colleen. When she hits her lowest point she makes some decisions for herself and finds that getting a new group of friends is a good idea. She finds a great group of Christian friends and finds they love her for who she is not who she tries to be. After recovering she is tempted again and falls into sin again. The article is ended by Colleen telling us that a few years have gone by and she is not interested in the party scene anymore.

At one point while reading the article Mr. Mark stopped the girls and asked them to think about cause and effect of the article, asked them to think about why she ends up the way she does. Mr. Mark also asked the girls to go back to a place in the article where Colleen talks about secretly wanting to get caught. The girls responded by saying that Colleen wanted to stop what she was doing but she knew she could not do it herself. When they were all finished reading Mr. Mark set a little scenario telling the girls that Colleen had written their blog asking for advice about her situation. He asked that the girls turn to a fresh page in their journals and begin writing a letter to Colleen.

After the girls were done writing the letters to Colleen they read them aloud. I was so touched by what each girl wrote that I want to share what all of them said.

Dear Colleen,

If these people you were hanging out with were really your friends they wouldn’t care how you act or they wouldn’t care if you choose not to drink or shop lift they would do their best to support your decision. I’ve been in your situation were some of my friends shop lift and my best friend moved away and I was desperate for new friends, I really wanted everyone to like me again so I began hanging out with the wrong people getting into fights and getting in trouble so I know how you feel when you need to make a decision that is best for you. Just stay with the right people or friends and keep your head high and don’t let those kids get to you.

CC

Dear Colleen,

I understand how you feel, fitting in is very important to some people, I have always wanted to fit in with the popular, cool, pretty girls. But really it gets tiring to do that cause people only need at least one person close who they can be their self around because that is their real friend. Drinking isn’t the answer it just makes things worse and having a eating disorder is common for people that think they are not thin enough. You just have to learn that not everyone can look the same. I just want you to understand that trying to fit in is normal just try and be yourself because if people cant accept you for who you are then they really wont be a good friend. Good Luck.

Ashlee

Dear Colleen,

If you don’t love yourself you really should and don’t let anyone take advantage of you because obviously you are hanging out with the wrong crowd and that’s okay because everybody does at one point in their life. You should be trusting God and believing that he can change your life because he has a plan for you.

TT

Mr. Mark encouraged the girls by telling them what they had done well and what they could improve. He encouraged them to remember to think of God while they are writing their advice.

I walked away from being with the writing team that night and was just so happy in my heart that these girls get to learn how to give other teens advice, and not only that they are learning what God thinks about them and by writing to others they are teaching themselves how to think of who they are. I began to think of how much I would have enjoyed something like this when I was a teenager. It is wonderful that these girls have the potential to impact lots of other teens. --Evian Schindler, youth Program Communications Coordinator