Ministry
I have days in my life when I can only say thank you, Lord.

Part of my role is to facilitate the ministry of others. When I began I think I saw myself as the minister and the people were paying for me to do ministry. Now I recognize that we are all on this journey together and that we are all called to this amazing life of love and service to one another.

So yesterday was a wonderful day in so many ways. Because I was doing ministry and watching ministry here at Karl Road.
I meet every Thursday with Kumba, who is a single mother from Sierra Leone who I am mentoring in ministry. She has started a program here on Thursday evenings of mentoring children and yesterday we met for the 4th time. More about that later.

When she and I meet we talk alot about life and relationships as I hear about how she is someone that people are drawn to and she prays for them. She is bringing people into our church - usually single mothers with many children and it is already changing our Sunday worship experience. It is exciting and challenging at the same time.

We had a healing team meeting yesterday afternoon - a time of prayer and sharing.
It is so nice to have an hour of just being open to God's spirit and being able to share with others our need of healing. Here is the wonderful prayer that I shared yesterday -


A Prayer for Healing - Joyce Rupp

Healing God,
Come to my hidden corners,
Open the doors to my soul rooms
That are tightly locked

Awaken in me,
Bring to life all my deadness.
Enthuse the depressed emotions.
Reenergize my inner weariness.
Bathe the grime of my ego-centeredness.
Clarify my confusions.
Fire my neglected love.
Brush off my dusty dreams.
Nurture my spiritual hungers.
Ease my sore relationships.
Deepen my sense of self-esteem.
Stir up my connection with the world.

Tenderly gather in your arms
All that still needs healing,
All that remains wounded and wanting.
May I grow each day into greater wholeness
With a stronger, purer inner freedom.


As I left the church that day, I glanced into Nicki's office (christian ed) and saw her helping Mrs. Torres work on her resume. While I went home to rest the foundations kids came and filled the church for their tutoring.

Then I came back with Chuck at 6 for our mentoring program. Last week we had 12 kids and I took the youngest three into the nursery and watched them. This week we had 24. Kumba keeps bringing more people. They all came late - which is part of our challenge in bringing different cultures together. Janet and Jean Marie prepared sandwiches for the kids and Chuck made french fries. Four of the kids who came were muslim so we left the ham out of their sandwiches. Then we divided up - this time I had 6 kids in the nursery and the muslim mom. At one point she left to pray and her 1 year old started crying and several of us tried to comfort her. As I sat there kids were playing with the kitchen and bringing me "food" to eat. It all took me back. Later I talked with the mom who came here 4 years ago from Somalia to join her husband. She brought her child and has had two more since. Her husband has now left her for another woman.

At the end of the program I got all the kids and adults into a circle and we sang - "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" And it was fun.

Then one of the boys threw his hat up and it was caught in the sconce(?) so that Chuck had to get a ladder and retrieve it. Watching him joke with these little boys was just so endearing to me. He was the only man present that night and I thought how important it is to have a man around for these kids and moms.

It was a good day.....a day of ministry