30 Days of Excitement: An Overview of Thrilling Adventures
There is not a week that goes by where the Lord does not meet us in our work. His heart is for our city. A verse that drives our ministry and lands on us afresh almost daily comes from Matthew 9:37.
“Then Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his fields.'” – Matthew 9:37
The field the Lord has allotted to us is inner-city high school students. This month we had multiple events, visited multiple campuses, and led multiple bible studies. Below is a brief description of three highlights.
Dawit Kebede, the Community Collaborator for Urban Youth Excel, shares his story and why it is important to “meet students where they are.”
Feeding Souls with the Bowls Event
Our 2nd annual Feeding Souls with Bowls event was a blast! Anthony and Dawit brought 7 students to embody the work we do for our guests. Our students welcomed the guests as they entered, mingled with them as they ate, and spoke to anyone who asked about our work. One student was able to share portions of his testimony to our guests so that they might get a feel of the needs our students face and the rescue God has already begun to provide. These students exemplified those whom we seek to serve. Moreover, we watched dozens of folks from around the valley come and enjoy the festivities. By the end, we shared our mission and heard wonderful feedback. Many asked questions, and some committed to partnering with us spiritually and financially. What a day!
UYE Bible Studies
Getting students off campus and into our homes for a meal and time in God’s word is always a joy! It goes without saying that issues of identity plague students today so, this semester we are reading through portions of Genesis and John. Students were taught that their dignity and values come neither from their successes and failures nor from their sexual preferences or aspirations, but simply that they were made in God’s image, called to be his living statues in the world. They have a dignity no man can give and no man can take! We hope that our continued bible studies will provide the truths of that our students need to hear!
UYE Off-Campus Events
Bi-weekly we host events off campus for students to come and have fun. We usually play games, eat food, and hear a brief message about Jesus. These gatherings have between 35-50 students from high schools across the valleys. As we pray over this event, we ask that God allow them to sense how life was supposed to be: loving others, being loved, and belonging to a community of adults caring about them. Our off-campus events are able to flourish because of the equity we build with students as we meet with them in their classrooms and during lunches weekly. Our on-campus work is indispensable to what we do!
We could list many more events, one-on-one hangouts, and dozens of conversations occurring throughout the week, but that shouldn’t detain us. Rather, after another month of ministry, we can confidently declare that the fields are ripe for our harvest, and these images capture that!