The Good News in Cleveland

As the weather cools, it becomes harder to connect with our neighbors on a regular basis because we all begin to stay indoors. Last weekend went by, the parks were empty, and no one knocked on the door; it was unsettlingly quiet. Late Sunday afternoon, Caleb and I went on a brief walk and ended up connecting with 10 neighborhood kids who then walked with us back home to have hot chocolate and dessert while playing Catch Phrase outside. These interactions are critical in our interpersonal relationship building. Pray that we have wisdom in knowing how to effectively build relationships throughout these cold months where the typical activities of playing basketball and hanging at the park are undesirable.

This past weekend we took 17 teens and 5 leaders to Banished at Camp Patmos; it was a healthy mix of newer teens who just started attending Shoreway this summer (majority of whom are our neighbors), and those who we have known for years. Among our leaders was Ronald who is 19. Once a CityView student attending Camp Patmos, he is now leading and growing in the faith. We had solid opportunities to build relationships and make memories together. In chapel, the speaker spoke on evidence for the existence of God. Though many of our teens know about God and the gospel, they are not driven to worship. Pray that God would do the work that only His Spirit can do in their hearts. Our hearts are heavy today because we want to lead more Cleveland teens to encounter the greatness of God.

I would be rich if I had a dollar for every time someone said, "just tell the poor to get a job." Often, one of the most discouraging aspects of walking in relationship with our friends here in Cleveland surrounds the processes of obtaining identification, benefits, housing, jobs, etc. There are hurdles and roadblocks for those who come from cyclical, generational of poverty that we have personally never had to face. It's exhausting. In recent months, I have been helping two adult women work through the beginning stages of becoming independent from their mother as they attempt to get IDs, social security cards, jobs, and WIC benefits to help feed their young children. This process has been full of nothing but bad or lacking information, discouragement, repeated hurdles, phone calls, and long hours of sitting and waiting in government offices alongside countless others experiencing the same things. All of this is best summed up in the statement made by one of the w