January 1, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
One afternoon at World Impact the doorbell rang and Andrew and I saw two unexpected, smiling faces through the glass door. I was so excited to see Amanda and Tonya as I ran out to meet them. These two girls had regularly attended World Impact’s Children’s Program two years ago, then we were told that their family would soon be moving but they did not know when, and then one day they were just gone. No one had heard from them since they left—not an uncommon occurrence with the families we work with.
It can be a grueling aspect of the ministry—building relationships, emotionally investing, and then people are gone. Our neighborhood is filled with the memories of these people, and there are some days that the weight of their lives and the unknown breaks my heart. We pray that the words and love we shared with them will have a lasting impact, even if we do not get to see the results.
It was with these thoughts that I rushed out to meet Amanda and Tonya and hugged them tight. They were back in the neighborhood, and they had run up to the World Impact to see if we were still here. They were so excited to stay for our Jr. High Program that day and they have come regularly ever since.
Tuesdays they come with the other youth for games and a Bible Lesson. We recently finished a series on what it really means to follow Christ. Then on Thursdays, Amanda and Tonya come to join in our tutoring program, where I have created lessons for our youth that encourage learning and expose them to concepts and skills they do not receive in class. You would be shocked by the poor reading comprehension of our Jr. High youth and by their limited knowledge base.
Occasionally we host fun activities for the youth and on a recent Friday night we held a Movie Night. Despite the cold, wet night Amanda and six other youth came for the event (pictured to the right). Afterwards, Andrew and I drove the students home so they would not have to walk home in the dark.
Amanda gave directions to her home and when the van finally reached her house, we were shocked at how far this young girl had walked to participate in the program. Amanda and Tonya’s house stood eight blocks away from the ministry center, through a long stretch of the neighborhood that is mostly abandoned—certainly not a place for two young seventh grade girls to walk alone.
Andrew and I looked at each other as we pulled up to their rundown house feeling at once joy and heartache. They had been so affected by the love and commitment of our staff that they did not think twice about the distance, the rain, or the night. Instead, they come each week to be embraced by us and to hear the never-changing message of the love of Christ. We rejoice that God has given us this second opportunity to build relationships with these youth and we cherish it as a rare and special gift. Please pray for these youth. Jr. High is such a difficult period made even more difficult for our youth because of instability, broken families and inadequate education. We greatly appreciate each one of you and pray that God blesses you richly this year!
For His Kingdom, Andrew & Adria Medlen
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Fun
Andrew and Jason passed out over 300 flyers but on Saturday morning we were looking out at the cold gray sky and staring out the glass doors trying to will kids to show up. 10am...10:15...10:20...no one. Our Christmas Party was scheduled to start at 10am and we had 10 volunteers prepped and ready to send the next few hours with kids. The nature of programs here in the city is full of the unknown. We just never know if we'll have 1 or 50! We were biting our nails that it wouldn't be 1!
And then a mother and her 4 children rang the bell and then 4 more kids showed up. And then the bell started ringing for the next 3 hours! We had almost 40 kids attend and about 10 adults accompany them! It was our best attended Christmas party since I've (Adria) been here! They played games, decorated cookies, made Christmas cards, heard the Christmas story, and each opened a gift. It was a good day.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
December Update
December 1, 2008
Dear Team,
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).
Eight years ago I (Andrew) moved to St. Louis to do ministry with World Impact. One of the first people I met when I came to St. Louis was a teenager named James who attended a youth group run by World Impact. I was instantly drawn to James because I could see that this young man carried a heavy load of hurt and pain. I was soon informed by someone on staff that James had lost his mother to illness. He was the eldest of two boys, did not have a father figure in his life, and he lived with his grandmother. After I heard about his home life, my heart instantly broke for James.
I tried to build a relationship with James, but he was a very closed-off young man. After many difficult attempts to talk to him, he finally said a few words. Over time he began to open up to me, and we started to develop a more open relationship. James consistently attended youth group, and when he got into high school, he started to volunteer during the summer in our kids’ program. James went on to graduate from high school, and I have been meeting with him over the last couple of years in a mentoring relationship. Adria and I have had him over to our house, and he even has come to view Adria as an older sister from whom he can ask advice.
Even though he was involved with church and open to talking with me, James struggled with accepting Christ as the answer to so many of the questions in his life. He has struggled with relationships with girls and with finding a steady job. He has tried alcohol and drugs to find an answer to his problems. He struggles with depression, and recently he drank a six-pack of beer and a gallon of vodka. James passed out and woke up in the emergency room as he went in and out of consciousness. He was experiencing alcohol poisoning, and the doctor said that if he would have consumed any more alcohol, he would have died.
Shortly after that, I asked James when we could get together to talk. The next day he walked into my office and said he was ready. I asked him just exactly what he was ready for, and he said that he was tired of doing things his way and was ready to accept Christ into his life. At first I was a little skeptical given his history, but after a few more questions to make sure he was ready, James prayed and asked Christ into his heart.
I will admit that at times I have lost heart and wondered if James would ever see his need for a Savior. I have met with him for years, but he had not made the choice to follow Christ until now. I am thankful for Galatians 6:9 and how God shows this verse to be very true in our lives. Thank you for praying for Adria and me as we continue to look for the James’s here in St. Louis.
We hope that you have a very merry Christmas. It is a joy for us to celebrate the birth of Christ this year knowing that there is one more person who now knows life in our Savior.
All for our Risen Savior,
Andrew & Adria Medlen
Dear Team,
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).
Eight years ago I (Andrew) moved to St. Louis to do ministry with World Impact. One of the first people I met when I came to St. Louis was a teenager named James who attended a youth group run by World Impact. I was instantly drawn to James because I could see that this young man carried a heavy load of hurt and pain. I was soon informed by someone on staff that James had lost his mother to illness. He was the eldest of two boys, did not have a father figure in his life, and he lived with his grandmother. After I heard about his home life, my heart instantly broke for James.
I tried to build a relationship with James, but he was a very closed-off young man. After many difficult attempts to talk to him, he finally said a few words. Over time he began to open up to me, and we started to develop a more open relationship. James consistently attended youth group, and when he got into high school, he started to volunteer during the summer in our kids’ program. James went on to graduate from high school, and I have been meeting with him over the last couple of years in a mentoring relationship. Adria and I have had him over to our house, and he even has come to view Adria as an older sister from whom he can ask advice.
Even though he was involved with church and open to talking with me, James struggled with accepting Christ as the answer to so many of the questions in his life. He has struggled with relationships with girls and with finding a steady job. He has tried alcohol and drugs to find an answer to his problems. He struggles with depression, and recently he drank a six-pack of beer and a gallon of vodka. James passed out and woke up in the emergency room as he went in and out of consciousness. He was experiencing alcohol poisoning, and the doctor said that if he would have consumed any more alcohol, he would have died.
Shortly after that, I asked James when we could get together to talk. The next day he walked into my office and said he was ready. I asked him just exactly what he was ready for, and he said that he was tired of doing things his way and was ready to accept Christ into his life. At first I was a little skeptical given his history, but after a few more questions to make sure he was ready, James prayed and asked Christ into his heart.
I will admit that at times I have lost heart and wondered if James would ever see his need for a Savior. I have met with him for years, but he had not made the choice to follow Christ until now. I am thankful for Galatians 6:9 and how God shows this verse to be very true in our lives. Thank you for praying for Adria and me as we continue to look for the James’s here in St. Louis.
We hope that you have a very merry Christmas. It is a joy for us to celebrate the birth of Christ this year knowing that there is one more person who now knows life in our Savior.
All for our Risen Savior,
Andrew & Adria Medlen
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sweet 16
We celebrated Laniecha's 16th birthday this weekend. Andrew and I and Laniecha and Ja'Marion went out to Applebee's to acknowledge this milestone. Both of us were struck with how much she's grown up these past three years. We are praying that the growth will begin to focus more on spiritual development now that she is gaining some stability in the classroom and at home with her son. We also purchased some safety gates for the stairs in their house, as Ja'Marion is almost 9 months and crawling everywhere! Andrew is going to install them tonight. The purchase of those gates were made possible by the support of dear friends and fellow believers who have so graciously taken up Laniecha and Ja'Marion's cause. I am so grateful for their support. Here are a few fun pictures from the day.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Movie Night
Friday night we had a Middle School Movie Night, and despite the fact that it was cold, dark, and rainy we had 7 kids show up. In our current youth group meetings we've been talking a lot about Jesus and our need for salvation, so we watched the movie Narnia with the intention of discussing its parallels to the Gospel message.
Every time I watch that movie through that lens I glean more from it. It is a powerful story (it doesn't hurt that I'm a huge C.S. Lewis fan) and one thing that really stood out to me watching it this time was the theme of "The Body." Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy all want to belong to the epic battle between good and evil. They join a fight that is so much bigger than themselves. And then, throughout, there is a bond of loyalty that runs through those fighting for Aslan. I couldn't help but think about the battle that we as Christians are fighting, a battle that seems almost impossible at times. Often it takes a fellow believer taking a stand beside us and promising to fight with us until the end to bring courage to the fight. And then there are the gifts that Peter, Susan, and Lucy are given: Peter the sword and shield, Susan the bow and arrows and horn, and Lucy the dagger and healing potion. These gifts were used to advance the battle and to care for those they fought with. Likewise, the gifts God gives each of us are to be used in the great Kingdom battle and to care for our fellow believers, the Body of Christ. I don't know if Lewis wrote all of that into the story or not, but one thing I love about literature is that you can interpret different things from the different lenses you view it through...in that way a story never grows old because we are constantly growing and seeing life through different eyes.
It was fun to draw out some of the symbolism from the movie with the kids. They were a little slow catching on at first but then they started to see the parallel between Aslan and Jesus and Edmond and our sinful natures. One of our boys, who is smart and funny, but who rarely seems to be listening with his class-clown ways and disruptive behavior bowled us over with an insight. He said, someone who could represent Edmond is Paul. Andrew asked him how that was, and he answered that Paul used to be a really bad person who hated Christians until he got saved and started doing good. All three of us leaders looked at each other with acknowledgement of the hard battles we have fought with one another to lead these wonderfully, difficult children: he had been listening all summer long when we had talked about Paul several times! And even more, he remembered the story enough to accurately apply it to the interpretation of Narnia!
It was a good night.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
What's in an Index?
Who's Columbus? What's an index? Where is Portugal? These questions are ordinary enough, but they are ones that 6th through 8th graders should have the answers to. Or they should at least be able to find the answer if they don't know them. I am continually horrified by the inadequacy of these children's education.
There is no one person to blame for this, but the devestating fact is that there are thousands of children in our inner-city schools who are being systematically trampled under our mandated standardized testing and poor funding management. The fact is that there are a plethora of reasons for this injustice; it is complicated and messy and it is an issue that when people aren't expereincing it first hand they would rather not be bothered by it.
We don't have the staff or the funds to run a full-scale tutoring program and the fact is that a once-a-week tutoring program is merely a drop in the bucket. So, I decided to try something else instead. Our kids' reading comprehension is dismal, their exposure to the world is limited. I can't teach them everything but perhaps I can help them learn how to learn?
Last week we talked about Ferdinand Magellan and his voyage around the world. I split the kids into two groups and sent them on a scavanger hunt of sorts for information about him and his accomplishments. As we sat around helping them pick out the important details and teaching them how to use an index I saw real excitement on their faces. They all scrambled to pick up their notes and share what they had discovered when the time came. And they even looked fairly interested when I went over the Word of the Day: expedition. I couldn't believe it. One of our young girls who is 15 in the 8th grade and has serious emotional and learning struggles and who often falls into extreme mood swings came through the door and I cringed thinking she would not be able to keep up and cause problems...her face was alight with the victory of learning. She stood proud with her notes during the oral presentation with the rest.
This week we talked a little about Vincent Van Gogh. After a short powerpoint presentation, to which they were mostly paying attention we painted our own Van Gogh paintings. I want to open a little of the world to these kids and give them a few more tools with which they can fight for their future. So far it's been a lot of work for a total of 3 hours, but seeing those kids standing in front of the group eagerly sharing their historical discoveries, or having a good time painting a classic post-impressionist piece of art makes it all worth it.
Please pray for our youth as they struggle with so many things. Pray that first and foremost God will grab hold of their hearts as we share the gospel with them. And secondly, pray for their school and family situations, as the majority of both are leaving them without the tools they need to be succesful in life.
There is no one person to blame for this, but the devestating fact is that there are thousands of children in our inner-city schools who are being systematically trampled under our mandated standardized testing and poor funding management. The fact is that there are a plethora of reasons for this injustice; it is complicated and messy and it is an issue that when people aren't expereincing it first hand they would rather not be bothered by it.
We don't have the staff or the funds to run a full-scale tutoring program and the fact is that a once-a-week tutoring program is merely a drop in the bucket. So, I decided to try something else instead. Our kids' reading comprehension is dismal, their exposure to the world is limited. I can't teach them everything but perhaps I can help them learn how to learn?
Last week we talked about Ferdinand Magellan and his voyage around the world. I split the kids into two groups and sent them on a scavanger hunt of sorts for information about him and his accomplishments. As we sat around helping them pick out the important details and teaching them how to use an index I saw real excitement on their faces. They all scrambled to pick up their notes and share what they had discovered when the time came. And they even looked fairly interested when I went over the Word of the Day: expedition. I couldn't believe it. One of our young girls who is 15 in the 8th grade and has serious emotional and learning struggles and who often falls into extreme mood swings came through the door and I cringed thinking she would not be able to keep up and cause problems...her face was alight with the victory of learning. She stood proud with her notes during the oral presentation with the rest.
This week we talked a little about Vincent Van Gogh. After a short powerpoint presentation, to which they were mostly paying attention we painted our own Van Gogh paintings. I want to open a little of the world to these kids and give them a few more tools with which they can fight for their future. So far it's been a lot of work for a total of 3 hours, but seeing those kids standing in front of the group eagerly sharing their historical discoveries, or having a good time painting a classic post-impressionist piece of art makes it all worth it.
Please pray for our youth as they struggle with so many things. Pray that first and foremost God will grab hold of their hearts as we share the gospel with them. And secondly, pray for their school and family situations, as the majority of both are leaving them without the tools they need to be succesful in life.
Monday, November 3, 2008
November Update
November 1, 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
An often bantered about cliché is that “Children are our future!” This is of course in many ways very true, but children are not held separate and suspended above the natural progression of time, which builds future experiences upon the past. History, particularly family history, plays an integral part in the determination of how children will live out their future. I would change the emphasis and say “Parents are our future” for it is from parents that children develop a vision of the future, and it is from parents that children inherit the tools with which to create it.
One of the tragic things I have witnessed here in the city is the dominance and cycle of destructive behaviors passed from generation to generation. It has made me all the more aware of the blessings that Godly family and Godly community have been to my life. Without the saving work of Christ, so many of the children Andrew and I work with are destined to failure as they try to scrape out a future with the broken experiences of their lives. Because of this I have become passionate about the need for parents in our community, particularly the mothers, to be given godly and constructive tools for parenting.
It is this passion that led me to approach another missionary on staff, Nancy Phelps, about starting a women’s outreach centered on equipping mothers with these tools. Amazingly, since the birth of her first daughter, Ella, last October she has been feeling many of the same things. And so, in mid September we began our Just For Moms (and me) group. In a few weeks our first session will be over and we will be evaluating where to take the program from there.
The women involved have been so excited for this outlet and we have been able to really wrestle with both universal and cultural parenting issues. It continues to challenge me in ministry and open up new doors in relationships. Please pray for the women in our Just For Moms group, and pray that we are able to reach out to more mothers in the community. Pray also for Nancy and I to have wisdom in the guidance of this group.
Thank you all for your support; your continued prayers and encouragement are greatly felt in our lives. Thank you for allowing us to see first hand the results of your partnership.
Happy Thanksgiving!
For His Kingdom, Andrew & Adria Medlen
Dear Family and Friends,
An often bantered about cliché is that “Children are our future!” This is of course in many ways very true, but children are not held separate and suspended above the natural progression of time, which builds future experiences upon the past. History, particularly family history, plays an integral part in the determination of how children will live out their future. I would change the emphasis and say “Parents are our future” for it is from parents that children develop a vision of the future, and it is from parents that children inherit the tools with which to create it.
One of the tragic things I have witnessed here in the city is the dominance and cycle of destructive behaviors passed from generation to generation. It has made me all the more aware of the blessings that Godly family and Godly community have been to my life. Without the saving work of Christ, so many of the children Andrew and I work with are destined to failure as they try to scrape out a future with the broken experiences of their lives. Because of this I have become passionate about the need for parents in our community, particularly the mothers, to be given godly and constructive tools for parenting.
It is this passion that led me to approach another missionary on staff, Nancy Phelps, about starting a women’s outreach centered on equipping mothers with these tools. Amazingly, since the birth of her first daughter, Ella, last October she has been feeling many of the same things. And so, in mid September we began our Just For Moms (and me) group. In a few weeks our first session will be over and we will be evaluating where to take the program from there.
The women involved have been so excited for this outlet and we have been able to really wrestle with both universal and cultural parenting issues. It continues to challenge me in ministry and open up new doors in relationships. Please pray for the women in our Just For Moms group, and pray that we are able to reach out to more mothers in the community. Pray also for Nancy and I to have wisdom in the guidance of this group.
Thank you all for your support; your continued prayers and encouragement are greatly felt in our lives. Thank you for allowing us to see first hand the results of your partnership.
Happy Thanksgiving!
For His Kingdom, Andrew & Adria Medlen
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