Summer 2008
I have been spending this summer in the valley of Texas, about 20 minutes from the Texas-Mexico border (where they are currently building a wall..! :<) This summer has been exciting and very challenging.
I have been blessed to stay with Bob and Donna Clark who are friends of my parents, and now my friends. They have allowed me this unique opportunity to stay with them, while I am taking Spanish courses, and trying to daily practice espanol.
Monday thru Friday I have my morning classes, from 7:45AM-11:00AM. My spanish class hasn't been very educational. Our teacher, while being a nice, younger adult man(young 30's), he has already missed approximately 7 classes of a summer session. He is in a mariachi band, and I think that consumes a lot of his time and energy, and this is just a job that pays the bills.
Anyhow, I am also taking an economics course which I am actually enjoying a lot. My teacher, Alberto Davila, makes economics interesting and shows its importance as a field of study of our lives.
Anyhow, school, overall, is OK. What I feel the most blessed by and what I have enjoyed the most is (besides indoor soccer) the church. Bob is the pastor of two United Methodist churches down here, and the Pharr, Texas church is really doing some amazing things. During the summer, Monday thru Friday, there is a "summer feeding program" where kids under 18 are fed for free (thru government money!). Statistics say that over 40% of kids in that age group are undernourished and go to sleep hungry.
Furthermore, after the food, the kids can hang out there from 1:00-3:30 and there they can play games, do arts and crafts, etc... This is where most of my interaction has been. After I get done with my college stuff, I come to the church and just hang out and play with the kids. We play soccer sometimes, basketball, tag, and do arts and crafts. It has been my pleasure to get to just hang out with these kids. Show interest in their lives, encourage them, play with them, give them hugs, and recieve hugs from them.
Furthermore this church hosts a food pantry during the normal school year, serves as an angelfood distribution center (look this up on google!), collects donated items to help mothers/parents in need, homeless people in search of clothes/food, and much more. They have lots of projects and programs reaching out to hispanic people who often know little to no english, such as padres ayudan padres (parents helping parents), a "Christian basics and fundamentals course" called Alpha in spanish, and lots of other great things. I asked Bob if he had a structure or plan of what he wanted to do with the church when he became the pastor and he said, "no. I just made it a point to get to know the people, listen to them, learn about their needs, and find ways to serve those needs". There was no step program he thought he should impliment. It was all about learning the churches (peoples) and communities needs and trying to find ways the church could meet those. Makes sense to me.
Anyways, I could write a lot more, and I desire to. There has been so much going on down here and in my life that I could write for hours. I just completed my first fast - which was inspired by a book that I read on fasting. Water and juice for three days. Now I fast until at least sunday on fruits and vegetables in the morning and evening. I say this not to boast, but to remember part of my journey. Fasting is not an easy thing..
Until the near future,
Sean
I have been blessed to stay with Bob and Donna Clark who are friends of my parents, and now my friends. They have allowed me this unique opportunity to stay with them, while I am taking Spanish courses, and trying to daily practice espanol.
Monday thru Friday I have my morning classes, from 7:45AM-11:00AM. My spanish class hasn't been very educational. Our teacher, while being a nice, younger adult man(young 30's), he has already missed approximately 7 classes of a summer session. He is in a mariachi band, and I think that consumes a lot of his time and energy, and this is just a job that pays the bills.
Anyhow, I am also taking an economics course which I am actually enjoying a lot. My teacher, Alberto Davila, makes economics interesting and shows its importance as a field of study of our lives.
Anyhow, school, overall, is OK. What I feel the most blessed by and what I have enjoyed the most is (besides indoor soccer) the church. Bob is the pastor of two United Methodist churches down here, and the Pharr, Texas church is really doing some amazing things. During the summer, Monday thru Friday, there is a "summer feeding program" where kids under 18 are fed for free (thru government money!). Statistics say that over 40% of kids in that age group are undernourished and go to sleep hungry.
Furthermore, after the food, the kids can hang out there from 1:00-3:30 and there they can play games, do arts and crafts, etc... This is where most of my interaction has been. After I get done with my college stuff, I come to the church and just hang out and play with the kids. We play soccer sometimes, basketball, tag, and do arts and crafts. It has been my pleasure to get to just hang out with these kids. Show interest in their lives, encourage them, play with them, give them hugs, and recieve hugs from them.
Furthermore this church hosts a food pantry during the normal school year, serves as an angelfood distribution center (look this up on google!), collects donated items to help mothers/parents in need, homeless people in search of clothes/food, and much more. They have lots of projects and programs reaching out to hispanic people who often know little to no english, such as padres ayudan padres (parents helping parents), a "Christian basics and fundamentals course" called Alpha in spanish, and lots of other great things. I asked Bob if he had a structure or plan of what he wanted to do with the church when he became the pastor and he said, "no. I just made it a point to get to know the people, listen to them, learn about their needs, and find ways to serve those needs". There was no step program he thought he should impliment. It was all about learning the churches (peoples) and communities needs and trying to find ways the church could meet those. Makes sense to me.
Anyways, I could write a lot more, and I desire to. There has been so much going on down here and in my life that I could write for hours. I just completed my first fast - which was inspired by a book that I read on fasting. Water and juice for three days. Now I fast until at least sunday on fruits and vegetables in the morning and evening. I say this not to boast, but to remember part of my journey. Fasting is not an easy thing..
Until the near future,
Sean
