Where the Gospel Meets Real Life

We've been so impressed with the maturity we're seeing in a number of our high school students over the past year! It's crazy to watch some of these kids who have been a part of Mercy Street since they were in the 4th grade, growing into adults who are making responsible choices that will effect their entire lives.

For instance, one of our precious students just received her driver's license the day before her 18th birthday. She is the first person in her entire family to take on the responsibility of getting her license. She took the bus to Desoto for her driver's ed course for several months, begged people to evaluate her progress on a regular basis, went through the long and arduous process of working with the DPS for several weeks, and finally passed her driving test this past week. She cried as she left the DPS because she was so proud of herself for taking the difficult steps in order to become a responsible adult!

It was such a blessing to watch her mentor leading her through the process, just like so many other mentors are walking their students through the steps of applying for colleges or going into the military. They are beautiful images of the holistic ministry we're seeking to do here in West Dallas. It's extremely valuable to teach our kids the Word and to encourage them to follow Jesus first and foremost. But we're also hoping to walk alongside them in all the practical ways that will help our kids flourish into responsible adults. The Gospel of Jesus encompasses the spiritual and the physical, and we seek to embody the way of Christ in both realms as well.

Students becoming Teachers

We're continuing to be blown away by the depth of spiritual growth occurring in our high school students! One of our girls recently started a Bible study at her school. It wasn't long before a teacher, who doesn't know the Lord, began attending the study. After a few weeks of Bible study she said, "This is incredible! I so wish I had heard all of this when I was your age." 


I gasped in wonder. Those are the kinds of things we dream about when we start discipling young people! This particular girl actually came to know Jesus through her relationship with her mentor. We don't share that to sound like we're doing anything special, we're simply pointing students to the One who rescues. We're just blessed to do that alongside so many solid leaders who pour their lives out for our precious kids. Speaking of awesome leaders, meet Anna Jones. She has been heavily invested in our high school girls for over 2 years. She's a ball of fun and a solid woman of the Lord. Leaders like her are the reason we're seeing our students coming to life. 


My name is Anna Jones. I am a Registered Dietitian for the City of Dallas WIC Program (Women, Infants, and Children), where I get to help women and children learn about nutrition and health. I just got back from Kenya on a mission trip with my church, The Village. This was an eye-opening experience and I am praying for the Lord's direction in my life. I love coffee, getting to know people, frozen yogurt, experiencing different cultures, listening to music, walking (outside, to the grocery store, or wherever), being around my close friends, dancing and being silly. What brings me most joy in life is remembering who Christ is and what Christ has done for me. When I reflect back on all that Christ has done in my life, I'm overwhelmed. I am grateful that the Lord allows me to be a part of His big plan of drawing others to Himself. That is humbling. I love being with the High School students at Mercy Street. It really brings me so much joy to be around those girls because: 1) I get to see all of the individual/unique and purposeful personalities God created. They are each so beautiful and talented. 2) I am challenged constantly by them. Either with hard questions about the Bible or by just observing humility in their own lives. They also send me amazing texts with Scripture almost everyday, which is very encouraging. 3) They are FUN to be around. They make me laugh all the time. 4) I love seeing what God is doing in their own lives as well as how God uses these girls to change me and draw me closer to Him.

Meet Shasta!

Our small group leaders are one of the driving forces that make our high school ministry so dynamic. We're blessed to have some of the coolest, most solid men and women of God who pour themselves into our students all week, every week. We want to introduce you to a different one each week so you know who's working with your friends, mentees, students and children. This week, I introduce to you the vibrant ball of energy that is Shasta Patton: 

I graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 2010 with a degree in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in sports broadcasting. Music and sports are my passion!!! I played basketball for 12 years and have worked with professional teams and networks such as: Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Fox Sports, etc. I also write and produce all types of music as well. My ultimate goal is to win souls over to Christ through the entertainment industry via Radio/Tv/Film.  The media is so negative and our society's moral values have completely deteriorated. However, I believe that I was Chosen to start holding our generation accountable and winning souls over by reaching out to large masses at one time. Sports and Music has been the devils playground for the last decade....well I plan on changing that!

Which is why I really enjoy working with Mercy Street, It's a direct connection! I'm not only helping out these young people but they are stretching me in so many areas as well. Im yearning to connect with each of them deeply and also be a positive female role model that society rarely highlights.
Only what we do for Christ will last, and serving is what I was placed on this earth to do. I pray that God uses all of us to make these young people's lives a little easier and bring them hope. Prayerfully they'll be able to see Christ more and more each week.

High School Bible Study

We are growing deep and wide in our Tuesday night Bible Study! The depth is coming from both the focused lessons written by Mercy Street staff, and the vibrant faith of our amazing small group leaders.

We spent the month of September on the topic of Friendship. We believe that bad company corrupts good morals, so we wanted to start the year off by challenging our students to FIND good friends and to BE good friends.  The month of October will be devoted to discussion surrounding Faith. We will start by addressing WHY we need a Savior, then spend a couple weeks discussing what a vibrant faith looks like practically. The first three Tuesdays of every month we eat together, play some games, have a short talk that frames our lesson, and then spend about an hour fleshing things out in small group settings. The LAST Tuesday of every month is a PARTY night where we take the kids out for fun and fellowship. Our prayer is that the laid back change of scenery will give the leaders opportunities to establish deeper bonds with our students through Christ-filled conversation and lots of laughter.

We would LOVE for you to get involved in our Bible studies! Mentors, students, parents and friends are all welcome to come hang out with us as we lock arms and walk toward Jesus.

Preview of the next several posts: Small Group Leader bios! We couldn't be more thrilled about the quality of leaders the Lord has led to Mercy Street. You'll have the opportunity to get a glimpse into their lives here on our blog in the weeks to come.

The God Who Provides

I saw an old white man with a long beard and faded collar shirt, screaming in the intersection of Hampton and Singleton the other day.  On the other corner was a young guy in his twenties with a long beard and nasty backpack, screaming and stumbling and obviously strung out on something.  Just the night before I’d watched a car pull up to my neighbor’s house – the man was feigning for meth and they cussed and threatened each other’s lives in the name of the precious drug.  I thought about some friends who abuse prescription drugs so heavily that they’re no longer mentally or emotionally present in our conversations; they’re walking zombies.

The scenes running through my mind only perpetuated my feelings of hopeless about the state of our world.  There’s tragedy on every corner of every neighborhood in the world.  So many people who are abused – physically, sexually, emotionally, verbally.  So many kids are abandoned; whether by dads who bolt at birth or workaholic parents who don’t know the children who sleep in their home.  So many people are suffering from mental illness while others are enslaved to addictions they never intended to start.  All of us our victims and perpetrators, wounded and wounding.

 

I thought about how mentors sign up to meet some of the specific needs of our community in West Dallas, but then mentors have their own burdens that keep distance between them and their students.  Then my shortcomings came to mind and I was discouraged by my inability to do more for our high school girls.  I passed Fiesta, then Pinkston, then the homes in Lakewest, and I felt utterly hopeless for the tragedies of our world to turn around.  Sometimes it feels like the cycle of selfishness is carried by each of us and breathed onto everyone around us, and it can all feel so helpless.  

Our God is the God who provides. That ray of truth burst through my hopeless cloud and brought my cynical thoughts to a halt.  Initially I thought to myself, “Yeah right God.  You’re going to provide new dads for all the abandoned kids in the world?”  And I felt the weight of the truth that our God is the Father who provides for His children.  I tend to reject that idea because I’ve heard it misused so many times – as if God is a big piggy bank who pours out coins on his children when they behave.  But when I choose to reject the TRUTH that our God is a God who provides, I’m choosing to deny the power of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  

I thought about the story of Abraham, where he explicitly refers to God as his provider.  His conversation with his son, Isaac, is such a startling yet refreshing story of faith.  As they were heading up to the altar to offer a sacrifice, Isaac said to his dad: "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"  And Abraham replied, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." (Genesis 22)  Ultimately, God did provide the lamb for that offering – and it’s a foreshadowing of the offering He provides for every single human being to ever walk the face of the earth.  The offering is Jesus Christ, who came in human form, to defeat death and extend an invitation for us to rise with Him in the newness of life.

Because Jesus came to dwell among us, He provided a way out of the addictions that hold us in their grips of death.  Because Jesus died on our behalf, He provided a way for those of us who are drowning in despair to find life.  Jesus provided the ability for us to get off ourselves long enough to enter into someone else’s life – to love them right where they are, in the middle of their mess.  Jesus provided a way for us to share in His work of redemption in the lives of individual students in West Dallas even when we feel like we don’t have any time or answers.  God has provided everything we need to follow Him wholeheartedly and serve the world around us.  The answer is to run after Jesus with all our hearts; to live like He lived and value the things He valued. It seems like an impossible task until we remember He's already made the way for us. 

Keepin' it Real

She gasped and her clasped her hand to her mouth: “You did WHAT?!”  I’d just opened up to a mentor of mine about the messy situation I was in and suddenly wanted to crawl out of the window and ride in the trunk until we reached Chick-fil-a.  I started sweating the moment I saw the shock on her face – that was precisely the response I was so horrified to receive.  I’d just invited her into a secret part of my life because I trusted her and craved her wisdom, and I felt totally judged. 

She quickly apologized and admitted that’s the worst response she could give to a high schooler who’s just made such a vulnerable admission.  I appreciated her apology, but it was a little too late.  Her feelings of shock and repulsion were revealed in her response to me and there was no recovering.  The wall went up.  Of course she could reflect on her response and try to make it more palatable for me, but what was in her came out in her initial moment of disbelief.  I decided she was not a safe person to be honest with when my life wasn’t sunshine and roses.  I resolved to keep our conversation on the surface from then on, if I was going to converse with her at all.

High school students are thrown into grown up games and find themselves in situations that might be shocking and difficult to handle.  How do we create a safe place for them to share things they desperately need to talk about? How do we avoid gasping and screaming out of utter disbelief?  Here are a few things to consider when working toward creating a safe space for your students:

1.       Be honest with yourself!  My mentor’s response revealed a degree of self-righteousness.  The Bible says our hearts are all desperately wicked until Jesus comes along and cleans us up on the inside.  When we’re honest with ourselves about our own secrete desires and selfish motivations, we won’t be surprised by the sins of others.
2.       Be honest with your students!  How can we expect our students to be vulnerable with us if we never share our struggles with them?  They’ll be intimidated by our perceived perfection and assume we’ll never understand their situations.  We don’t have to vomit all our deepest, darkest secrets on them prematurely, but we can share insecurities and ways we’ve missed the mark.  Our transparency assure them we’re in the same boat as them: sinners in need of a Savior. 
3.        Ask honest questions.  Once you’ve paved the way to vulnerable sharing by being real with your own shortcomings, invite them to join you.  Students rarely initiate conversations about sensitive issues or deep areas of angst.  They need to know you don’t expect them to be perfect and that you’re interested to take things deeper.  Find casual moments to ask pointed questions, such as car rides or while you’re watching games.  I guarantee you, they’ll feel special when they realize you want to really know them and not simply the image they portray.

You’ve earned the right to go deeper with your students by the time they’re in high school.  Students are hard pressed to find safe places to share their junk.  Provide that space for them by initiating the move because they’re dying to be known!   

Back to School Excitement

Girls' movie night!

If you come around Holystone Street, you'll hear a buzz of excitement as we launch into the new school year. We've got parties, Bible studies, trail rides and soccer leagues coming right around the corner. All we need now is for you to join the fun!

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you read about some of the exciting opportunities. We love creating space for you to use your gifts to serve the community. For instance, we have an incredible mentor who loves to bake! She's starting a baking class at Mercy Street on Sunday evenings to share her skills while loving on our kids. If you're passionate about writing or sports or fashion or business, let us know because there's a place for you to serve our community.

Here are some specific events to keep in mind:

• The Back to School Kick Off  is next Tuesday, September 6, at 7:00pm. It will be a night of food, fun and fellowship for high school students, along with their parents and mentors. We'd love for you and your students to join us to hear about all the exciting events this coming year! 
• High School Bible Studies will hit the ground running every Tuesday starting in September. The first 3 Tuesdays of the month, girls will meet at Mercy Street at 6:30 and the guys will meet at Carlton's place. The last Tuesday of every month will be a night of celebration where we all come together for fun outings and games. The Bible studies are the best ways for students to be involved in life here at Mercy Street and we're always looking for more volunteers to serve!
• Sports Seasons are starting up and we're thrilled to announce some new changes. Lee Jackson has been hired as our new Director of Sports Ministry and he's a dynamic man of God. He's looking for some more soccer coaches to come pour into our soccer kids so let us know if you're interested! We're also excited about Danny Garippa coming on board as the Director of our Bike Shop. Consider grabbing your students and joining us on a group bike ride in the area - our first one is on Saturday, September 10th.

Please check out the calendar on the  Mercy Street  website for dates on parties, potlucks, sporting events and more. The more the merrier around here, so be in prayer about ways you can join in the festivities this school year!

A Recap of our Time in Senegal

Mercy Street has always dreamed of the day when we would see leaders emerging from within the community of West Dallas to go out and serve the world.  By the grace of God and the help of our partners at PCPC, we watched this beautifully unfold over the past 10 days.  Six of our most solid leaders traveled to Dakar, Senegal to serve alongside Mamadou Diop at the West Africa Theological Institute (WATI).

The students amazed us with their grateful spirits, childlike wonder, incredible work ethics and profound realizations.  As we watched the women at WATI vigorously pounding millet from the fields to convert it into coucous, I heard Sharmonique say, “And we get mad when the microwave takes too long!”  As we drove past the straw huts with dirt floors, they would mention how grateful they were for air conditioning at home and a free education.  The students were keenly aware of the incredible opportunities they’ve been given, and they plotted about ways they could somehow utilize their resources to raise awareness for the needs of WATI and the Senegalese people.   I’m thrilled to see what their brilliant minds come up with as they continue to discuss practical ways they can serve Mamadou and his team from our home base here in West Dallas!

Watching Mamadou in action was one of the highlights of the trip for our team.  He has such a gentle and quiet spirit, yet he’s one of the strongest leaders we’ve ever seen.  He was constantly looking for ways to bless our team; whether that was through fresh mangos, a word of encouragement, a reminder that love is expensive, or a celebratory boat ride.  It was worth it to fly our students over there just to watch the way Mamadou loved those around him and poured himself out for the Gospel. 

                

I think Mamadou’s spirit rubbed off on our students during our time together.  Christoph, a man from the village who was leading our painting project, had been eying Adrienne’s brand new boots from day one.  On our final bus ride home, I noticed Adrienne didn’t have her boots on, and I found out she gave them to Christoph because he needed them more than she did.  She didn’t make a big show or ring bells so all would see; she simply wanted to bless Christoph.  Later in the day I saw Seville give is brand new pair of Jordan’s to our translator, Detchie, and T.O. parted with some dear gifts for our other translator, Songo.  It was those quiet moments that opened my eyes to the deep work of the Spirit in the lives of our students.  I pray we made an impact on the men and women of Senegal during our 10 days together, and I can assure you the Senegalese made a tremendous impact on us.  

A Day of Celebration

Today was our last work day at WATI!  Mamadou informed us when we arrived in Djilas that it would be primarily a day of fellowship and rejoicing.  By “primarily a day of fellowship,” he actually meant ALL celebration.  The day began with our team (including Dethie, Mamadou and Songo) sitting in a circle sharing stories.  We threw the soccer ball to one another and whoever caught it had to share a funny story from the trip or some sort of memorable moment.  We could’ve sat in the circle for the whole day cutting up and sharing with one another because the stories are endless! 

Young men began showing up at WATI to chat with us, however, so the circle expanded and the game changed.  A particularly moving moment took place when Christoph, the painter, began sharing his heart.  He doesn’t speak a lick of English so we haven’t had the opportunity to connect with him relationally, but he’s clearly been observing.  He told us today that he was grateful to know us, at which point he directed his attention to Ms. Jacque.  He said he was deeply touched by her spirit this week, and that if he ever has a daughter he hopes she will grow up to be just like Ms. Jacque.  He told her she’s deep in his heart and that he would like to name his future daughter after her, in hopes that she will flourish into such a warm and loving woman.  Several of us almost broke down in tears as they hugged…and then we all laughed when he started dancing and singing the French song Ms. Jacque had been singing all week.  Christoph has never come around WATI before; he was simply there to teach us how to paint buildings this week.  But it was obvious today that the Lord had a different purpose in bringing Christoph to WATI this week, and we believe God will continue working in his heart long after we return to America.  He had been eying Adrienne’s boots from day one and she gave them to him as a gift today.  On our first day she told me she couldn’t wait to leave her brand new boots for Christoph, and I was thrilled to hear she did so today.  There was no big show and it wasn’t in front of a crowd, she simply wanted to bless Christoph.

Christoph and Ms. Jacque

Later in the day Carlton shared his heart with a group of guys who joined our circle.  They’re students in their twenties who have been coming around each day to speak with us in broken English.  He shared about his own struggles trying to figure out what it means to be a man.  He talked about the insecurities he felt regarding his ability to provide for a woman, to protect his family, and to impart wisdom to those around him.  But he said he ultimately found the strength to be a real man when he began following Christ.  And he said real manhood comes from identifying with Jesus and submitting to the God who is all powerful and abounding in love.  The guys listened intently and I imagine they’ll remember that circle as they continue to wrestle through all the big questions life poses. 

T.O, Sharmonique and Seville enjoying the boat ride

We took a boat ride to a beautiful island at the end of the day and we basked in the vibrant colors blooming on the trees with the neon sun setting slowly in the distance.  This week will be forever buried deep in our hearts.  Mamadou encouraged us over dinner that our students have also had a tremendous impact on the people around our hotel.  He said the concierge was extremely impressed with our students.  They are used to guests complaining when the water or electricity go out, but our students never mentioned it.  He was also shocked that we came to serve others.  The concierge said that every day when we arrived home from work, he thought to himself, “I want to be a part of a group like that.”  Mamadou told him we were Christians and that we were compelled by the love of Jesus.

 

We don’t communicate those stories out of any sense of pride, but just to let you know the Lord’s moving in ways we can hardly believe.  I mean we know ourselves!  We’re sinners who feel ungrateful so much of the time and devote a tremendous amount of our energy to our own well-being.  So we know if those around us are seeing selfless spirits, God must be moving in a powerful way!  We are thrilled to be a part of that and are grateful that He’s chosen to work in our team and through our team during this life changing week in Senegal.  

Adrienne, Tim, Mamadou and Carmen

Cartwheels and Good Conversation

Our day started with smiles and cartwheels!  WATI is located in a small village called Djilas, where a group of energetic young boys await our arrival each morning.  Carlton promised them he would bring a soccer ball by Thursday, so he was on a quest for a ball this morning on our way to Djilas.  When we drove up and Carlton showed them the soccer ball through the window, there was an epic celebration like none we’ve ever seen in the U.S.  All the Christmas’s and birthday celebrations combined don’t come close to the excitement the boys showed over the soccer ball.  They jumped and screamed, hugged and did handstands to show their exhilaration over Carlton’s fulfilled promise.  Our entire team was almost in tears because it was such a moving exchange. 

We worked at a slower pace today since Mamadou sensed fatigue from our team.  There wasn’t a negative word spoken or a hint of laziness from the students, Mamadou is just keenly aware of the people around him.  We moved a tremendous amount of bricks to assist the masons in their building, but we spent even more time on break!  The breaks are filled with wonderful conversation.  We’ve been able to bond with local students who drop by to see the Americans, and we’re able to truly enjoy relationship with one another.  Sharmonique will say, “Hey what’s been your favorite part of Africa?”  And everyone shares what they’re learning and appreciating.  Another minute we’ll all bust out singing Rihanna together.  And the next Seville will crack us up with his humor…that boy marches to the beat of his own drum and we absolutely love the sound!  We’re experiencing the beauty of community in ways that we rarely do at home.  The group seems to think it’s because we pile so many tasks on our plates at home that we run from one thing to the next, often missing the most important thing: relationships. 

The Senegalese move at a pretty slow pace.  At the beginning of the trip, we found ourselves getting frustrated with the 45 minutes elapsing from when we ordered our food to when it was placed in front of us.  We’ve come to embrace the pace, however, as we’ve seen the joy that comes from the opportunity to just be together.  We sit around the table for 2 hours at dinner time and we laugh, ask questions, score on each other and just enjoy life with one another.  We spent a good portion of that time tonight discussing Jesus’ statement that we’re to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  By the end of the spirit led conversation, we determined that our job is to be salt and light; not to strive really hard to do the jobs of salt and light.  Our job is to recognize our identities are in Christ and His finished work on the cross, and for our goodness to be the outpouring of our relationship with Him.  That’s the good stuff right there!  We’re eating a lot of fish and rice here in Senegal, but we’re getting to the meat and potatoes of Christianity. 

We're all intrigued by the real live chameleon on the stick

Love and Laughter in the Family of Faith

Well friends, we encountered our first significant issue last night.  Tim and Seville were minding their own business in their hotel room when a lizard scurried across the floor.  Evidently this sent both of them into a tizzy and they ran out of the room screaming like girls, begging T.O. to let them sleep in his room where they would be safe from the lizard.  Obviously their fright wasn’t received too well by the rest of the guys, but it certainly didn’t help their case when it was reported this morning that I (Julie) saw a colossal lizard running across my wall….and simply rolled over and went back to sleep.  Needless to say, Tim and Seville could use your prayers!  In their defense, the lizards here are at least three times larger than any lizards we see in America; and some have neon yellow heads attached to blue bodies. 

Back: Mamadou, Carlton, T.O
Front: Seville, Songo, Dethie

We’re exactly halfway through our trip now and we truly feel we’re among family here.  Mamadou asked two men he disciples to join us for the week, Songo and Dethie (Detch-ee), and the three of them have been with us for every meal, bus ride, work day and excursion.  Songo and Dethie both speak phenomenal English so they translate for Mamadou whenever he’s struggling to effectively communicate.  It’s been fun to watch our students bring the men right into the family.  It feels like we’re connecting with older brothers who have a wealth of wisdom to share.  The students are constantly asking questions about Senegal, about their testimonies, about Muslims, mango trees, the government, the school system, the soccer fields and everything in between.  We can’t get enough of our Senegalese brothers!  Lights are coming on in the minds of our students as their conception of the world is rapidly expanding and their notion of the Body of Christ is taking a new shape.  Christianity is exploding from something they heard about in Dallas to a dynamic, worldwide movement involving risk and opposition and persecution and redemption.  The kinship among the entire team is absolutely beautiful. 

Ms. Jacque's not kidding around with that mask!

We’re continuing to find joy through working with our hands at the West Africa Theological Institute.  We’ve painted several buildings, and Ms. Annie actually painted Carmen’s blue hat when she dropped the roller on top of her head!  We’ve been working on a new building which involves mixing concrete, moving massive amounts of dirt with wheel barrels, transporting bricks and many hours with the local masons.  Sometimes they make us feel like we’re in their way, but they told Mamadou that our team was a huge help today and they were thankful we were there.  We celebrated the victory with the juiciest mangoes our lips have ever tasted!

I don’t want to say that every moment has been easy breezy because it hasn’t.  Our team is working hard and we’re together every moment of every day.  I know sometimes people are tired, muscles are hurting, buttons are pushed and we’re all stretched.  But I’ve been blown away with each person’s ability to extend grace.  The Apostle Paul wasn’t lying when he said, “Love covers over a multitude of sins.”  Love has trumped everything on this trip at every turn.  When Mamadou shared a word with our team last night, he said, “Love is expensive.”  He said it costs a lot when we love someone – our money, our time, our devotion, and often our lives.  But he said we Christians choose to spend our entire selves to love others because Jesus paid the highest price ever paid when He sacrificed everything for us.  He said when we give up our comfort and immediate desires in order to sacrificially love others, we’re following in the most beautiful footsteps that have ever walked the earth.  That’s sinking in with our team.  We’re hearing testimony after testimony of incredible men who converted from the Muslim faith to Christianity, and the reason is because they found love in Jesus like none they’d ever known before.

And did I mention how much fun we’re having together?!  We laughed so much at dinner tonight that people were springing up from the table to run to the restroom.  Like, we’re talking stomach hurting, cramp causing, uproars of laughter!  This week will be forever treasured in the minds and hearts of our entire team.  

Day 4: Hard work and Good food

Day 4: Hard work, Good food and a Boat ride

From Carlton's Notebook

Each day has had it own story. Today's story has 2 main parts: Work & Food 

Work

Today was our second day of work at the West African Theological Institute. From the beginning, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was up tight because our leader, Pastor Mamadu had warned us that at the work site, there would be Muslims. That did worry me as much until he said that a group of young, local, Islamic believers had attacked a local church and it's Pastor. He also cautioned us to the fact that because we were Christians they may not accept us and may even have rude things to say to us. 

Well today was intense! As we entered the gates, we saw that there were more workers than yesterday. We divided up the work assignments between painting, moving dirt and digging the foundation. I was assigned to digging which was the place where the 6 Muslim workers were. As I tried to get involved they quickly noticed two things: The first was that I could not speak french and the other was that I was not used to digging. Through out my 5 hours of working with the group they continued to make jokes about "the American", referring to me.  They also gave me the worst shovel and continued to give me the jobs that no one wanted. 

I worked hard as I could despite the ridicule. I didn't take a break until I saw them take one. In the end, they told one of our translators that I worked hard and did a good job. I believe I left with their respect and friendship.

J

Food
It has been said that you have not been to Senegal, unless you have had fish and rice. Well that is what we had for lunch today. In fact, we shared a meal the way Senegalese people do. With our hands! Today was awesome:)

Working at WATI

We had a full day at WATI today (West Africa Theological Institute).  We took a 45 minute bus ride through the villages to Djilas, where WATI is located.  Mamadou had the vision to start WATI several years after he became a Christian because he saw many men were eager to become pastors, but they had little knowledge of the Bible.  He says the Lord is capturing the hearts of many Muslim men, but they need to be trained in the Word of God in order to make disciples of their villages.  So he says they pour into Pauls, and each Paul has a Timothy in his village with him.  The Timothy learns under the Paul for about 3 years, and then the Paul moves on to another village and the Timothy becomes the new Paul.  Each set of Paul and Timothy’s have  three other Christians from the village who serve alongside them, and when a Timothy becomes a Paul, one of those three becomes a new Timothy…and the discipleship process continues as they all serve the entire community.  WATI holds classes for all five of those men, along with women who want to learn to disciple women and children.  Mamadou is an incredible leader and man of God.  As he shared how his vision for WATI has come to fruition, I couldn’t help but feel like we have several Pauls and Timothy’s (and Lydia’s!) on this trip.  

We started the day by sanding the buildings we will be painting for the rest of the week.  You would have thought we were in a contest to see who could sand the most territory because everyone was working so diligently and so fast.  I had to force T.O. and Adrienne to stop and pose for this picture on the left….okay that might have been a stretch, you know those two love to pose!  In all honesty though, the students and leaders each jumped to do every job with ZERO grumbling or complaining.  I’m blown away by the team’s work ethic and so proud to work alongside them.

The daily customs of the Senegalese people are new to all of us.  We were fascinated by their well and wanted to take turns drawing buckets of water.  They had to cut us off whenever we gathered water for projects cause we got a little too excited with the activity!

The women endure a grueling process to make coucous.  They take the millet gathered from the fields and place it in this large bucket, then vigorously pound away until its ground into powder.  We watched in wonder and Sharmonique said, “And we get mad when the microwave takes too long!”  Wisdom is pouring from the students left and right.  As we chatted over a break, I overheard Carmen and T.O. discussing how lazy we are in the states.  They aren’t bashing the States; they’re just recognizing the need to be resourceful like the Africans and to take advantage of all the opportunities available to them.  I hear them using that word time and again as they observe the people in the village, “Man, they’re so resourceful.” 

We took a break for lunch, and everyone ate with such grateful spirits.  Today’s lunch consisted of bread and jelly, and you would have thought we’d been served jelly prepared for royalty.  They ate it with such joy and didn’t say a single word about wanting anything else in the world.  I couldn’t be more proud of our students.  Everyone's noted the way Mamadou has prepared the very best for us at every point, and the team couldn’t be more appreciative.  We eat the jelly with an understanding that something like jelly is definitely a delicacy in the village, and we’re utterly grateful.

 A few of us wandered into another part of the village during a break and we found the most adorable baby in the whole wide world.  We used broken (very broken) French to tell the family how precious their baby was, and they used less broken English to say how fascinating they thought my camera was.  They didn’t know about the automatic flash, however, and were noticeably frightened when they found out by taking a close up of the baby’s face. 

After lunch we shoveled dirt and raked leaves.  Our team made the shoveling experience into wheel barrel races and spent some time in heated competition.  I’m hearing a lot of laughter and seeing smiles at every turn.  As the students are reflecting, they seem to recognize that we’re unbelievably blessed, that we’re far too ungrateful, and that it’s time to begin considering how we can use our resources to serve the world around us.  The overarching theme in all the feedback is that we can’t allow all our blessings to simply terminate on us.  They aren’t feeling guilty over the fact that we’re blessed, but guilt over the fact that we don’t acknowledge it more and honor God by using our gifts to bless others.  We’re all learning so much from the men and women here in Senegal and from incredible conversation with one another.  The Lord is clearly working through every moment and He’s hearing our cries (and yours) to open the eyes of our hearts so that we might see Christ more clearly than ever before. 

Church in Senegal!

We stayed in Dakar last night which is the capital city of Senegal. It's home to Mamadou and his church family where we had the privilege of worshiping this morning. On our way to church, Mamadou drove us by their old church building, pictured on the right. It was torn down a week ago because the government decided to build a road right through it.  

We then headed to the new site they're so grateful to have received: a place where they could erect a tent just behind a home. We listened to them worshiping the God we all serve, but in a foreign tongue. We heard them read the same Scriptures we hear day in and day out, but in a language that is uniquely theirs and heard by God with the same clarity. Then we listened to the pastor share from the book of Acts through two different translators who represented the various groups gathered to worship. The pastor spoke about how wealthy they are  because they have mansions in heaven. He rejoiced over how rich they are because riches are found in relationship with Jesus. Most of them live in the village pictured below, and their church was just torn down a week ago, yet they are rejoicing with shouts and praises about how WEALTHY they are because of Jesus. It was mind boggling and humbling for our group to take it all in. 

After church we stopped by the school Mamadou's church oversees. It is a private school where about 150 children from the village attend, and their mission is to tell all of their families about Christ. We are praying about ways we can help raise money for their school since the children in the village captured our students' hearts.

We departed from Dakar and began the three hour bus ride out to the village we will stay in for the rest of our time here. It was incredible to hear the kids talking about how much we have to be grateful for back home. Adrienne said, "Man we so spoiled and we don't even realize it!" They initiated conversation about how we have air conditioning, fresh water, a free education they complain about, and so many other gifts they take for granted. Every single one of us was deeply impacted by the church's spirit of gratitude and it had us begging Jesus for a similar spirit by the end of the day. 




On our drive to the village we're staying in, we passed villages that we had never imagined existed. The houses were all made of clay and bamboo. It was difficult to see the dirt roads at times because there were piles of trash all over the place. Our kids were saying they had no idea people lived like that. They began brainstorming about ways we might be able to help them long term. The wheels were turning for each of them as they began to realize how privileged they are, and that "to whom much is given, much is required." They are continuing to think about ways they can help the people here in Africa, and specific ways they can take what they're learning here to serve our community in West Dallas. Listening to our kids processing is like a sonnet spoken softly in my ears. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! 


We are staying at a gorgeous hotel right on the river so we spent the evening resting, sharing, and enjoying a three course meal with one another. We weren't about to complain about the dressing on our salads or other details we might have mentioned before the trip. An appreciation for the salad itself is already beginning to overshadow the little things that might have bothered us before. I'm praising God every moment for the opportunity to process through such enormous questions with these amazing young leaders. 

Our Student Leaders in Africa!

We arrived in Senegal after an overnight transatlantic plane ride! We landed early this morning and held tight until we were riding in a bus with Mamadou Diop, the 7 foot local pastor with a heart of gold. He has coordinated our entire trip on this side of the ocean, and he will join us on all our adventures throughout our time here. I honestly feel privileged to have the opportunity to spend a week with a leader like him. He's quiet but has a strong presence everywhere we go. Here he is towering over T.O. below :)

We hit the ground running this morning and went to Goree Island, a historically popular destination in Dakar where the slaves used to be sold in the 16^th century.  We took a ferry out to the island and soaked in the beautiful scenery!  It was crowded with kids running around begging for money, and men and women fighting to earn a living.  While there are no longer slaves held on the island, we couldn’t help but feel like a significant number of the people are still in bondage.  It’s a spiritual bondage that we pray is broken by an understanding of the freedom offered to them through relationship with Jesus.  The country is still 94% Muslim, which is why we hope to provide encouragement to the Christian pastors at the West Africa Theological Institute during our time here.  Our team is pictured at the slave quarters below. 

We ate a delicious meal on the coast: fresh fish grilled with its skin, gills and eyeballs intact!  Everyone raved about it, yet we all grew in appreciation for the small blessings of Texas; like not having to constantly fan our food to keep the flies away.  It was a joy to hear the students sharing how grateful they are to be here and how grateful they are for the gifts they have back at home.  We are blown away by the beauty of Senegal and it still feels so surreal.  It’s also amazing to see that we are a blessed country in America and to grow in gratitude for those things in the midst of our fun and exciting time here! 

Lastly, are we not the luckiest people in the world to get to go on our adventures around the world with students as cool as the ones you see below? We are so blessed to spend a week with Adrienne, Seville, T.O., Carmen and Seville; and we're savoring every moment of this incredible opportunity! 

 

A Season to Celebrate!

Our first class of seniors are graduating next Saturday which calls for an epic celebration! We have 25 kids who received mentors in the 4th grade who are either graduating from high school or receiving their diploma over the course of the summer. This means they have mentors who started walking with them 8 years ago and have watched them grow from silly little kids into intelligent young men and women. We had a sweet time honoring them at our graduation celebration last Saturday at Mercy Street.

Uncle Bill and his two students: Larry and Broddrion

We're getting excited about the LeCrae concert at Mercy Street on July 16! He is one of the best hip hop artists in the world, and he is coming to do a concert exclusively for Mercy Street students and mentors. His sole purpose is to bless us and pour into us. It's going to be riveting! You and your student won't want to miss it. Enjoy a little taste of LeCrae in the mean time:  

Johnny will also be leading our Summer Work Crew again this summer if your student is interested in a job at Mercy Street. There are only 12 slots available, so we reserve the spots for those students who have demonstrated leadership qualities throughout the years. If you think this might be a good fit for your student, then contact Johnny, Carlton, or Julie for more information. 

Our Hope for the Summer

Fun times are in store for our high school students at Mercy Street this summer, and we hope this blog will be a way for you to stay up to speed with all the happenings. But more than that, we hope it will be a place for us to share our excitement and wonder over the incredible ways God is moving here in West Dallas. We are living in the tension! Our human experience involves so much pain and anger and beauty and laughter and grief and suffering and joy. It's the reality of redemption bursting onto the scene of a fractured world. We feel all of those emotions here at Mercy Street and we want this to be a space for us to share them; because the Spirit of God seeps into all those areas to display His beauty. He's bringing restoration through sanctification and transformation through purification. We're coming alive!

We have had a consistent group of high schoolers attending our Tuesday night Bible study and we hope to continue building momentum throughout the summer. How will that play out? Backyard Bible Study! We are praying for different families to host our Bible study on Tuesday nights during the months of June and July, and we would love for you to become more involved with our kids through this avenue. We hope to keep things fresh for our high schoolers by exposing them to new places and faces. Email Julie if you are interested in hosting us for a night this summer!

Our high school camp will be at Lakeview Conference Center in Waxahachie this summer from July 22-25. It is far enough from the city to provide gorgeous scenery but close enough for you to come hang out with us! We will leave on Friday afternoon and return on Monday morning, and we'd love to see you there. In order for students to attend, they must pay the $100 registration fee and participate in at least 2 work days at Mercy Street on May 21st, June 9th and 10th, or any Tuesday night.

Get to know some of our Student Leaders who are pictured above! From the left to the right we've got: Carmen Alvarez, Seville Smith, Timothy Thomas, T.O. Carey, Sharmonique Ellis and Adrienne Drake. You will hear more about these leaders over the summer, among others who are actively seeking to participate in the redemptive work Christ is doing in West Dallas. It is a tremendous joy to serve alongside our student leaders and we are humbled by their resolve to be counter cultural leaders in the midst of a world that is constantly vying for their affections. Please check in regularly to hear more stories and find new ways to get involved! In the mean time, may we all turn our eyes upon Jesus Christ, and just gaze into His face moment after moment after moment. Where else can we turn?

Last Day of Tours

Our last day of college touring brought us to Texas State in San Marcos and University of Texas in San Antonio.

*           *            *

TEXAS STATE

One of our own leaders, Tara Worthen, gave us a tour of her alma mater Texas State.

Texas State is located in the beautiful hill country of Texas.  Tara was able to show us through the student center, classrooms, and around the campus.  The university also gave each of the students a Texas State t-shirt.

We greatly appreciated having Tara as our tour guide, not only because she is one of our leaders, but also because she was able to relate much information about the school.  She told the students about admissions, housing, student groups, sports, the surrounding city, and much more.  Thank you Tara, you did awesome!

More beautiful pictures of Texas State...

*           *            *

The last university of our 2011 College Tour was University of Texas at San Antonio!

UTSA turned out to be a rather large school, educating over 30,000 students a year.  At UTSA we were given a tour of two types of dorms (including the inside), sports/fitness facilities, as well as the general campus.

We were also met on campus by one of Carlton's former students.  He is now a university student with a sports scholarship.  He stayed and encouraged our students to work hard and remember that your attitude impacts your life.  He wanted to show that you can accomplish the dream of going to school and pursuing a better future.

-Jennilee