Summer Project Orientation

Hi everyone! :)

Today was the 5th full day of Summer Project! Although, it feels like I have been here for longer. Everyone arrived safely on Friday. On Saturday, we did a scavenger hunt and got to explore different areas in the city of Milwaukee. On Sunday, we went to Berean Family Worship Center as a Project. Also, we had our first Outreach at Bradford Beach. GOD IS AWESOME! He is definitely at work in the hearts of the people in Milwaukee. I got to share the Gospel with a woman in Spanish and she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. Praise God! I was just amazed at how God was already at work in the hearts of people before we even arrived. On our first Outreach 6 people accepted Christ as Lord & Savior! We will be doing another Outreach on Saturday in 2 local parks in Milwaukee. Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News and continue to work in the hearts of those who accepted him as Lord and Savior this past weekend.

On Monday morning, I woke up to one of the Staff members banging on my door. We were told we had 10 minutes to get ready and to be downstairs in the Chapel. We went through a 24 hour poverty simulation and we were homeless for 24 hours. It was a very powerful experience and it definitely brought us all closer together. Our cellphones and keys were taken away at the beginning of the simulation. We were given $15 (fake money for the day). We were allowed to buy breakfast, lunch, or dinner for $5 (each meal) and had to pay $3 for a housing fee. Also, we were only allowed to have 3 possessions for the day. I choose to keep my bag, my toothbrush, and a blanket. 2 out of 10 in the group were really homeless for the beginning. They had no money and no possessions. We were given a list of tasks to complete before we returned at 6:30pm. I bought lunch which ended up being a can of Crush grape soda and a small bag of Lays. One of tasks on the list was to ask someone for a quarter and to give it to another homeless person. I asked someone for a quarter and I was ashamed. I felt my pride and dignity had been taken away as I took the quarter. Also, we had to collect 20 cans/plastic bottles which involved going through people's trash in dumpsters. It was really gross.

For me personally, it did not hit me until my roommate started crying in the morning. She was allowed to brush her teeth or to get a drink of water which were very basic needs. We ended up eating dinner at St. Ben's where they serve meals for the homeless. I was so thankful for the meal. I must admit it was strange being on the other side. I was so use to being the volunteer and not the homeless person. At the end of the day, I felt really gross from all the humidity and sweat. To make matters worse, we slept in the cage which was a room with concrete floor. The floor was very hard and the room was hot making it difficult to sleep. One of the Staff members spent the night with us. It ended up being a sleepless night which is typical for a homeless shelter. The Staff member could not find his water bottle so he turned off the fan. One of girls had a breakdown after wearing a sweater and pants on a hot day. After finding his water bottle, he turned it back on. An hour or so later a Staff member came to turn it back off because they were told to so by City on a Hill. An hour or so later again we were woken up because there was a rat infestation and were told to evacuate the building. Afterwards, we went back to sleep only to be woken up again an hour later. We were told to go back to our rooms because of the rat infestation. In reality, we had a long day ahead of us and the Staff wanted us to get some rest. We were to be out of the building before 7am. We ended waking up on time and meet in the Chapel again. The poverty simulation was over, but mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually it was not.

The poverty simulation gave me a whole new appreciation for things. For the very simple things in life. Like being able to drink water, brushing my teeth, showering, and eating a warm meal. It was that day that I learned what it really meant to rely on God. He was all I needed. It was thanks to the strength that He gives us that I made it through the day and the amazing and encouraging people on my Project. The experience brought us a closer together. We had no choice, but to trust one another. It was neat to see us come together and to see Christ in each one of us.

 This song capture exactly how I felt during the poverty simulation.

I encourage you to click on the link and take a few minutes to listen to the song!

Overall, these past few days have been long, tiring, and busy. I have been learning so much about God and His heart for the poor. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us as the summer continues!


I do have a few ways that you could be praying for me and my team.

1. Pray that God would be my source of strength and that I would be able to find soul and physical rest in Him. Especially, as Project moves forward as I try to get into a new routine of continuing working full-time and with daily Project commitments.

2.  For the people in Milwaukee who will hear about Jesus: for God to prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News

• Specifically, for our upcoming Outreach on Saturday that will be in 2 local parks in Milwaukee
• For the 6 people who came to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior that God would continue to stir in their hearts and for the people we initiated spiritual conversations with 

3. For our first Weekly Meeting this coming Tuesday, June 19 at 7pm. These meetings will be open to the Milwaukee community and for many people it will be the first time they hear about Jesus.

4. For honesty and vulnerability in our Action groups (small groups). We meet for the first time yesterday and shared with one another our life stories. We will be officially meeting for the first time on Friday and will be going through Ephesians this summer. Also, I will be meeting with my discipler tomorrow for the first time as well. Just that God would be honored and glorified through both and that we would be able to encourage and build one another up.

5. For all of us to continue growing closer to Jesus and fall more in love with Him as we share the Gospel with people in Milwaukee

6. That Jesus continue be honored and glorified by our Project

Thank to all of you for your continued support! I hope to be able to share updates on a weekly basis as time allows. Have a great week everyone! :)