Our Day with the Kids!

This morning started with preparing for our day by spending some time with the Lord.
Our mission for today was kids ministry. Our first stop was at Sonfest Pavilion a childcare center on the westside of Buffalo. The owners of this program are Mr.&Mrs. Tillman, ages 89& 91 and have a big heart for these children. They have been doing this since 1960 and are blessed with volunteers to help out with the kids & other physical tasks so today was our day to be the helping hands!
While Jenn,Carlos,Eve & Kaelyn sorted items at the warehouse for a couple of hours Sam,Kathi & I spent time with the kids. I was given a hug the moment I walked in by a 4 year old named Xavier and he asked me if I wanted to play a game with a big smile. I also got to play basketball w/his two older brothers and It was nice to have fun with them and see them happy and laughing. Even though people visit them everyday I knew this was special. Me and Sam played with them on the merry go round, we got them all to color.. Kathi & and 10 year old Brandon colored. I don't think these boys really colored but did because we were. Brandon had 2 younger brothers and I told them to be nice to eachother. They were 3 brothers who fought. I told the older one that he should be an example to his brother. Instead of saying shut up & stupid.. They should be nice. They were speaking ugly to eachother. It was sad but I knew that it was because they didn't know any better. These kids need love and attention.. I'm thinking about all of the kids that we encountered. I will never forget about them.

The next stop was kidz club in a different neighborhood. I was able to hold the side walk chalk contest. Many of the kids made their art about loving God and loving Jesus. We had about 100 kids come out. If it wasn't for the Dream Center team,Pastor Eric & Michelle doing this , what would they be doing? It was good to see them doing something fun...

Another thing today that touched my heart was Jeremy's testimony. Jeremy shared that he grew up in a bad neighborhood and Pastor Eric reached out to him through kids club. Coming out every week to hang out with kids could change a kids heart. He now wants to be a Pastor like Pastor Eric. Having the opportunity to meet Jeremy makes you want to have the passion that he has.
So what sticks in my head is "It's not about me it's about them"... I sit here with their faces in my mind and feel so blessed to have met them.
-Ana
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry