Week 8-Calvary Church, FBC London, The Element Church, & Welcome Wesleyan Church

Leahy’s 

The eighth and final week of Bible Club at Leahy's Trailer Park was  extremely fun. Monday & Tuesday were quite different as it rained in the morning. Because of that, we switched the schedule with afternoon projects in the morning and club in the afternoon. Even with the chaos, the team came out with tons of energy and loved on the kids. Wednesday and Thursday were great days. The best day came on the last day of club when 46 kids came out. That's the most we've had in two weeks due to school starting early. The team loved on the kids and I got to go to stations with the children. It was the perfect day to end on, even with the sadness that followed. Please pray that the kids hearts will be constantly stirred for The Lord as the school year begins and that they live in a way pleasing to The Lord. Thank you for a great summer.

-Ben

Guernsey

The last week at Guernsey was bittersweet. It was bitter because it was the last week of Bible Club and these kids' hearts are breaking over no longer having that constant love. But it was so sweet having a team who was totally passionate about the community and getting them out to Club! The team had over 60 kids every day despite the rain and flip-flopped schedule on Monday and Tuesday, and they even broke a record with 85 kids on the very last day. FBC London was so willing to do shorter, afternoon Bible Clubs for the first few days and then go back to normal morning Bible Clubs for the last three. They brought back so many kids, including brand new ones, even to the last day. You could really see the fruits of the spirit developing in the children's lives because of the Bible Story and interactive crafts. The kids got a bag of candy and were told to share it with people to show kindness, and so many kids came up to the team members, other kids, and site missionaries to give them their suckers. It was so hard to look at these kids' beautiful faces as the days of Bible Club dwindled down, but FBC London took it better than anyone could have. They continued to pour the love of Christ into each and every kid. God has been working in this neighborhood since before we were here, throughout this summer, and will continue working after we're gone. Please pray for the kids, their families, and all the missionaries involved in their lives. Thank you SO MUCH, FBC London, for being a flexible, willing, and loving team to close us out. Guernsey had an AMAZING summer. We can't wait to see how Christ continues to work at Guernsey Bible Club!

-Holly

Kendrick 

So the very last week at Kendrick was a great way to end out this summer. Calvary Church was back in town and part of them was hanging out at Kendrick. This was no ordinary week though for sure. We had our first rain days of the summer, so Monday and Tuesday we were on a flipped schedule where we had projects in the morning time and Bible club in the afternoon. Afternoons are a different scene at Kendrick with fewer kids, but also kids that usually do not come in the mornings so it was really neat to get to spend time with them. Wednesday we were back to normal schedule and the kids were excited to be back. Calvary did a great job of spending a lot of time with the kids, pouring out love to them, and sharing the Gospel with them. As the last few minutes of Bible club came to a close, it was great to see the team scooping up kids for a hug, reminding them that they love them, and that Jesus loves them as well. It was a beautiful scene to see. Thank you Calvary Church for coming this week and helping us close out the summer at Kendrick with lots of love and passion for these kids!

-Logan 

Rosamond

Week eight at Bible Club Rosamond was a sad and joyous occasion, with a hint “what just happened?”.  Even the heavens cried for the last week of bible club on Monday and Tuesday. We had to completely flip flop our schedule. We had mass amounts of community center missionaries loving on the kids over there in the mornings, while simultaneously flooding the nursing home with young life and love. But with the afternoon came the sun, as well as BIBLE CLUB! We met a new family of seven who had yet to come because they just weren’t up early enough in the mornings. But when the sun prevailed Wednesday through Friday, they continued to come. It is good to know that God is sovereign even in our moments of frustration. We ended strong on Friday with our week’s high of 59 kids. The team from Welcome Wesley was really prepared with innovative games and crafts as well as visual aids for bible story. The ever growing number of kids at club was evidence of the effort to connect with the kids each team member put forth, as each child came back the following day. Thank you for a great last week and thanks to all for a great summer. Be praying for these kids to be ministered to throughout the school year and that some of them can make it into Brinkley Heights Urban Academy. Let us all keep in mind that God is unchanging. He will be here through the year just as he is in the summer. Let us keep the same hope for this community because Christ IS the only hope they have… that ANYONE has. “For by works of the law NO human being will be justified in His sight, since from the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law – although the law and the prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus for all who believe. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”Let us be fully convinced that God is able… and that he will.                                                   -Kaden

                                                                            

Johnson
We had a great last week of Street Reach 2013 with Calvary Jr. High from St. Louis. Even though we had a flipped schedule due to the rain on Monday and Tuesday, kids still showed up in the afternoons when we came out. The team poured out all they could knowing this was the last time the kids will be at bible club for awhile. The bible story this week was talking about kindness one day and the team member leading it challenged the kids to remember the verse for a surprise. They came up with hand motions to remember it easier and the kids were so excited to yell out Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts!” One of the leaders from Calvary said walking the kids back home one day there were two girls who were starting to check each other. It was really cool because another girl kept saying stuff like “we just talked about kindness, you two need to be nice to each other” and “did you learn anything from bible club?” It’s awesome to see one child living it out, and I know it could go as far as sparking the rest of the neighborhood to be kind and living for Him. The entire summer at Johnson was incredible. Beautiful weather, tons of kids, and plenty of changed hearts. It's so sad knowing this past week was our last, but it was awesome getting to love on so many kids. Many thanks to Calvary for being the hands and feet of Jesus and being willing to take a week out of their summer to serve Him and be the disciples we are called to be. 
-Justine

National 

The Element Church from Woodruff, South Carolina came in to close National out this summer. National has been able to have Bible club open every single week this summer and with this one final week there were countless blessings that came from it, from the team and from the kids. It began with walking routes to get kids to come to Bible club, relationships were built with the kids that extended out into the community as they walked on their routes. Almost each day I would hear a new story about a missionary being able to pray over someone in the community that lived on the streets that they were walking on and Elijah, a boy that has been coming to Bible club this summer when he was getting dropped off after Bible club one day, his grandma said that she could hear how much fun Bible club was all the way at her house which is a few streets away from National’s location. We have Bible club outside as a way to be seen in the community, but who knew that we would be heard within the community as well, even being streets away. Jesus is flooding Memphis! At Bible club this week, National set a record on the very last day with 81  kids coming out to be loved. Each day National had more and more kids come, kids were literally coming from everywhere because of the teams energy and their love for our kids. The kids response to the Bible story was phenomenal! As I would sit and be a lap during Bible story time the kids were not only engaged, but everything being spoken was directly from the Word of God. No attention was focused on any of them as missionaries, but all on Jesus’ light radiantly shining through them. The Word of God was proclaimed in Bible story and in every single other station as well. In games the kids had fun stuffing XXXL shirts with balloons, racing, then showing off their strength found in only Jesus, when they learned about Jesus praying to be glorified and over his disciples, they played four corners and while in the different corners would take time to pray, and on the last day the focus was from Matthew and the hidden treasure where they had a kiddie pool filled with ice and had to search for candy with their feet which was the “hidden treasure”. The kids loved every single aspect of Bible club this week! National was blessed to have so many kids come to be ministered to and so blessed to have the team give all of themselves to the cause of Christ and close out this summer at National. At the very end of club on Friday once all the kids were back home, all the team members were back at the park, and the park was cleaned we all stood in a circle and prayed, prayed over the kids and that the park would be used to glorify God throughout the year! It was sweet ending our time at National in prayer because everything about Bible club at National has been rooted back in prayer. Glory to God for a beautiful summer at National, for God transforming lives, for all the smiles from the kids, for all the sounds that echoed Jesus, and for every missionary that left a little piece of their heart at National.

-Gaby 

Whittier

It was a great last week at Whittier! I couldn't have asked for a better team to leave the final impression of the summer. The middle school group of Calvary ran Whittier well this week, especially considering many team members have never been a part of Street Reach before. Although our first two days were flipped because of the weather, club ran very well and kids were ministered to. The final days flew by as the kids learned about Jesus in fun, engaging ways that applied Bible stories to the kids' lives. The kids were constantly engaged and always building relationships with team members. The kids, on our last day of Bible club, begged for us to extend club for another week, and for the team to continue pouring into their lives. It was difficult watching the kids leave Bible club for the summer, but I praise God that this team had the opportunity to close our summer out. I believe the kids will remember this team's enthusiasm all throughout the school year.

-Hannah

Street Reach summer 2013 has concluded. We finished the week out strong with 450 kids coming to Bible Club on the last day! 

Thank you to every individual that committed a week to serve on these streets in Memphis. You were specifically sent to be Jesus' hands and feet and Memphis was flooded in the light and love of Jesus this summer. You planted seeds and you harvested those seeds that were planted in kids hearts. Jesus was alive and his name was proclaimed!

Thank you to every individual who joined with Street Reach in prayer this summer. Every voice lifted high to Heaven because God did mighty things in the lives of those serving and in the lives of the kids. He transformed hearts, he humbled us, he gave new life, and to him be all the glory for all the things he did that are inexpressible to put into words. 

As Street Reach summer 2013 closes down, Memphis doesn't close down. The kids are still here, they are still desperate to be loved with the love of Christ. Continue to partner in prayer with Street Reach, pray for children by name, pray for streets that you walked on by name, pray for your Bible club site by name. Pray and then pray some more. The only thing that remains as Street Reach concludes is for the city of Memphis to be covered in prayer as none of us can physically be here. 

To Christ alone be all the glory, honor, and power, now and forevermore. Amen. 

Week 7-The Gathering Place, Boones Chapel, FBC Prattville, FBC McMinnville, Lamar Baptist, Parkway Baptist, Blue Ridge Christian Fellowship, FBC Jenny Lind, FBC Mumford, Grace Baptist, & Eurika Baptist

Tutwiler

The Acteens of FBC Prattville brought so much love to Tutwiler this week and the kids definitely felt it! The girls came in with a passion to share the Gospel and a passion to give some hugs! I got excited at the very beginning of the week when I saw storage tubs full of popcorn, at least 30 hoola hoops, and so many fun crafts to make just during free play! We hadn’t even started club yet! It was amazing to get to love on some kids who had still yet to attend club before. It was an amazing site to see 27 kids smiling and having a great time learning the 10 commandments and making necklaces in relation to the Bible story. It could not have been a better week to spend with the Tutwiler kids for the last week of it’s running during the 2013 Summer! It was a sad Friday, but tears of joy ran down those girls faces as they drove away from the club site knowing that God really touched those kids’ hearts! Please pray for those kids as they will not be attending club for the rest of the summer. Pray that God has His hand on those kids as they begin school and shine as a light in their community! It’s been an amazing summer! God truly blessed me with such an opportunity to open Tutwiler! 

-Aimee

Kippley

Week 7 here at Street Reach was incredible, and it was good to be back at Kippley one last time. We hit our high point on Friday with a total of 36 kids. But aside from the numbers, this week was still amazing. I personally enjoyed having my home church from FBC Jenny Lind be able to work with the kids I’ve come to know over these three summers. One thing I have never seen before at Bible club was all the koolaid! The kids loved it! But what they loved even more, was the attention they received from the team this week. It wasn’t just sad for all of us, but they were sad to see us go. God’s love was truly displayed for the kids. My personal favorite moment of the week was taking a kid home named Jermaine. He was going home and he was sad. He kept telling me that he wasn’t special and he didn’t have any friends. When interrogated on his depression the true problem was revealed. He was upset that he didn’t get an extra cup of koolaid. So we sat down not far from his house. And I told him just why no one is special, because we all deserve the same punishment from God. I told him about a God who created everything and has the power to do incredible things. I asked him if he wanted to go on home or hear more of the story. He wanted the story. I told him how we aren’t incredible like God. God is perfect and we mess up. He is going home because he messed up and that’s called punishment, and we deserve God’s punishment. This went on for a while. I’d tell him more and ask him if he wanted to go home, but he always wanted more. Finally he went inside much happier in heart and I Pray that that time we spent together will forever be with him, a seed that will one day bloom.  Be praying for these kids, because Kippley will not be open until next summer. This has been the last voyage of the BBC Kippley 2013. May God be with these kids of whom God has made some his own. Praise be to God forever and ever Amen.

-Kaden 

Kendrick

It has been another great week at Kendrick! Returning team from Blue Ridge Community College was back this week and hanging out over at the Kendrick site for the first time. Even though the team had never been to this site before they still did an awesome job of getting to know the kids and really loving on them. Monday and Tuesday we had 36 kids come out which was the high for the week. The kids had tons of fun this week especially during the Bible stories where they participated in acting out the stories of David and Goliath, and Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors. Songs had a blast too as I heard the kids singing “This little Light of Mine!” all the way across the club site! The kids had a ton of fun this week, so I know these guys from Blue Ridge did too! Thank you Blue Ridge Community College for all the hard work and sore necks this week as you poured out yourselves to these kids, and also for preparing the way for next week!

-Logan                                                                                                    

Leahy's 

The seventh week of Bible club was another astounding success at Leahy's Trailer Park. The team was from Boones Chapel in Prattville, Alabama. There were two teams from Prattville in this week. The week at club went well. A few of the kids are at school already and some were out of town for the week. The kids came out each and every day as the number was consistent for the whole week. The team poured tons of love and passion into the kids. They were filled with energy and this week was the week that I saw the kids have the most fun. Week eight is the last week of Bible Club for the summer. Please be praying that God has been stirring in the hearts of the children & that they would come to know Christ as their personal Savior & Lord. Also pray that the teams this week will pour as much love out as possible.

-Ben 

Guernsey

Parkway Baptist Church was back at Street Reach for another fun summer at G-street! Each day got more and more fun at Bible Club with this fun-loving and passionate team. Seeing all the special relationships build throughout the week was so humbling and an awesome testimony to God's relationship with us and with His son. The team really stretched themselves to do things they were uncomfortable with and to love on each and every kid at Bible Club. Our kids will DEFINITELY have fun memories from this week! We had a bunch of crazy crafts like birdhouses and "chompers," a few fabulous renditions of "Boom Chicka Boom," some great games of kickball, and most importantly, great Bible stories that taught the kids some of the 10 commandments. I got so excited when talking to the kids because I could see that the commandments were really sinking in to the kids. They realize that both Bible Club and the summer are quickly coming to a close and that they need to make decisions and changes in their lives; some of them are truly beginning to realize what God's direction and purpose for their lives are. This was especially evident in discipleship club on Thursday with Alex, Kenna, Kaijha, Nestor, and Wilmer, and our highest number of kids on the week being on Friday, after a crazy storm on Thursday! God is moving in this neighborhood despite the drugs, violence, and hate that surrounds so much of it. Parkway definitely did their part in spreading God's light and encouragement. Thank you so much for giving up a week of your summer to serve God's children for the advancement of His kingdom. It definitely pumped us all up for one more amazing week at Guernsey!        

-Holly

National 

FBC McMinnville was back in Memphis this week and back at National to serve. They have been coming and serving at National the past few summers and have been able to see the testimony of National come to be and see how it has grown from such a small Bible club site into a larger Bible club site. National has been rooted in prayer and because of that, the Bible club has been bearing so much fruit and this week was a testimony of that picture taking place. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Love was constantly being poured out as team members gave lots of piggy back rides or simply just held hands with the kids as they walked to and from Bible club. This filled the kids with so much joy just because the attention was focused on them and a lot of times they lack the appropriate attention and love that they deserve. Bible story was led with such a gentle spirit and it was evident because the older kids were more tuned in this week than they have been all summer. Their gentleness was also evident in the conversations they were able to have when two kids this week accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Be praying for discipleship in these two boys lives. All praise to our God for the work He is still continuing to complete at National every single day and every single week. It is beautiful seeing how God is constantly and continually reclaiming this community for Christ one heart at a time. National is extremely thankful to have served alongside FBC McMinnville this week. As we approach our last week this upcoming week, pray that conversations would be full of grace and seasoned with salt; being filled with nothing but Jesus. Be praying for the kids that they would know how much we love them, but that the love of Christ extends so much higher, wider, and deeper than any love we could ever offer them. 

-Gaby 

Vernon

This week was a great week for Vernon to end on. The team in from FBC Mumford did a wonderful job of just loving on the kids at Bible club. They poured everything they had into the kids, and were striving to reach out to the community. God was definitely present at Bible club this week. You could see him working through the team, and in the faces of the kids that came out to club. The oldest group was making tons of questions and really listening to the Bible story. God did great things at Vernon!
-Marcus

Whittier
It was a great week at Whittier! Grace Baptist Church came with an unstoppable passion to see these kids change. Several times in the week, team members expressed their desire to keep going despite the opposition, and they followed through perfectly. It's almost as if the spiritual attacks were heightened this week against Whittier, which only encouraged the team more. Knowing they were being opposed because something great was happening at Bible club, the team gave every part of themselves and poured love on the kids in an amazing way. And this love was evident to the kids. They retained the Bible stories and were able to tell me the moral of the lesson each day, and each kid loved this week's crafts, which enforced the Bible stories further. The kids kept coming back each day despite the increasing heat, proving that the team had something they liked.This week, a lot of kids seemed to be broken hearted over the fact that summer is nearing its end, and many of them begged Grace Baptist to stay until the end. This week in itself was a testimony to what God can do when we keep going and keep trusting Him, and because of this, kids were able to be reached for Christ in a unique way, and a couple kids even ended up getting into one-on-one conversations with the team about who Jesus is and how to know Him.
-Hannah     

Jackson

When Jackson closed a couple weeks ago, I was sure it would be the last time we'd see those precious children this summer!  But when Parkway Baptist came in this week, we were able to open up the site one last time and what a joy that was! From precious kisses from the itty bitties, to being a human jungle gym for the kids, it was so beautiful to see Jesus love on Jackson through our team.  It was so sweet to sit with the kids and listen as they shared what they had been learning about God this week. With the lovely weather and the chance to come have fun at Bible club one last time, we ended the week with 44 kids!  I'm SO thankful for Parkway and having the opportunity to go and love on these kids again! Pray for the children of Jackson--that God would continue to grow the Gospel seeds in their hearts even while we're gone! And pray that He would send more missionaries so that we can love on these kids even more next summer!

-Lauren

Treadwell

Over the past couple of weeks some of our Treadwell kids have been attending Rosamond and National, but the families around Treadwell were so excited to see their very own Bible Club back this week. One community member even stopped by and wanted to make a donation for all we are doing for the kids in the area. Lamar Baptist Church from Texas was in town and did a great job of letting the community know we were back. They started the week with over 30 kids and quickly progressed to 74 on Thursday breaking our Treadwell record for the summer. We also were able to see lots of new faces at club this week. Two of my walking routes brought a ton of kids who had not been able to participate in club this summer. I was so proud of all of the hard work that they put into getting kids to club.  One new family had an older brother come along to help with the younger siblings and he was a great help to us at club. He would stay with the youngest group, help with rotations, and translate when needed. We were so thankful for his willingness to serve along side us this week. Lamar is a larger team and the kids loved getting so much attention from all of the youth and leaders. After learning about the Ten Commandments all week the kids were eager to listen as the gospel was shared on Friday. Many of the kids expressed interest in knowing more about how to have a relationship with Christ and our discipleship club is going to follow up with those kids. Mr. Jeremy and his team did an awesome job in Bible Story by making everything relevant to both the culture and the age group he was teaching. The Bible Story team rewrote the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to go along with the lessons and I loved hearing my three and four year olds singing their new favorite song around Bible Club. Over all we had a great week at club, and Friday was bittersweet as we ended club for the last time this summer. The kids were awesome, despite the high temperatures and humidity. Many of them walked a long way to be at club, and that’s how we know that they love it so much. Please continue to pray for the Treadwell kids as they get ready to start back to school. Many seeds were planted, others were watered, and we even saw some harvest. Pray that the kids who made professions of faith would grow and become a light for the Lord in their schools. Thanks for the prayers this summer as we ministered to these sweet kiddos.  
-Kacie

Johnson

We had so much fun this week with The Gathering Place at Johnson! This church came to pour out everything for these kids, and was one of the most selfless groups I have seen. They fell in love with the kids at Johnson, and show them how much they cared about them. Their planning for Bible club was so extensive, and they were prepared for almost anything. Each station seemed alive this week with all the fun activities they engaged the kids with. Games was filled with lots of new games many of the kids had not played this summer, and almost everyone was ready to participate after the first couple of days! The Bible story taught the kids about God’s law, The Ten Commandments, and how we are in need of Christ’s redemption to pay for the laws we have broken. Songs had music playing for the kids as they learned the lyrics and were taught what they mean in living a godly life. The team was even singing the Bible club songs together as they walked the kids down the road! Crafts were amazing as well this week. The team spent so much time preparing the crafts for the kids, and they all enjoyed making them. They even spent one night very late signing around 80 crafts for the kids who would be coming out the next day! This group was all about having fun, but never slacking in their service. While some groups are usually playing, The Gathering Place tirelessly worked to make Bible club better, while finding joy in serving rather than being served. They even wanted to put out encouraging notes for all the teams that were here with them! One morning at breakfast they put out cards on all the tables that had Scripture written on them to encourage all the groups we had in this week. They helped to make this a great week, and I am so grateful for the privilege of working with them at Johnson. 

-Jonathan

Rosamond 

With two weeks of club left in the summer, Parkway Baptist Church from St. Louis, Missouri came into town and rocked Rosamond. Despite the humidity, we had a week high of 42 kids show up on Thursday and Friday. Club was lots of fun as the team dressed in character for Bible Story and brought lots of energy to all four stations. On Friday morning, we had 10 kids show up early enough to participate in send off! It just goes to show how hungry these kids are for the Word that they would walk to club at nine in the morning on their own. It also is a testament to what a spectacular club the teams that come in are hosting as we also have a hard time getting the kids to go home. One day this week, Justine was about to rotate stations and went over to Bible Story to make sure everything was wrapped up. When the group noticed she was about to blow the whistle to rotate, they all pleaded with her not to. “Please, just two more minutes!” “Don’t blow the whistle!” It was such an encouragement to have eight and nine year olds plead to stay at Bible Story. Then again on Saturday morning, we had a boy walk up from Farmville wondering if “Bible Study” was happening today. How beautiful it is to see our kids desire to be taught about their Father. Please keep our kids in your prayers as we approach the last week of club this summer. Thanks again Parkway Baptist for a great week of Bible club!

-Ashley 

Pope
Being a new team always stirs up anxious feelings and uncertainties among team members, but this week Eureka Baptist proved that they were ready to stand on the front lines for the kids at Pope. On Monday, the team was prepared to show our kids how to "Face fear and trust God," the motto for the week. Bible lessons about Paul, paired with fun songs, crafts, and games, showed the kids that they can be equipped to face any roller coaster, as long as they remember to put every circumstance in His hands. With an increasing number of kids each day, Eureka grew as a team, applying to each day the knowledge that they had learned from the previous day. The kids were very attentive to what the team members had to say, which struck up great gospel conversations and formed deep connections between the kids and team members. With nearly forty kids in attendance on Friday, Eureka Baptist created a wonderful last week for Pope, declaring the Lord's name proudly in this city. We look forward to seeing them next year!
-Emily

This week we had 556 kids come to Bible club on our highest day with 13 Bible club sites running. This upcoming week is our last week of the summer as Street Reach will close with seven sites being open. Be in prayer for the missionaries coming in this final week, for the staff as they say goodbye to the kids that they have been able to pour Jesus into all summer and build relationships with, and be in prayer for the kids that they would be able to understand the purpose Street Reach is here for which is to show them the love of Christ and teach them how to walk in His ways alone! 

               

Week 6-FBC Gleason, South Community Church, FBC Sparta, Fairlane Baptist, & FBC Liberty

Guernsey

What another fun week at G-street with FBC Liberty in town! We were INCREDIBLY blessed to be able to work with this awesome team. The week FLEW by because of all of the cool things that God did through their hard work, fun-loving attitudes, and serving spirits. The kids loved Bible Club so much that the number of kids who came each day only increased, with 79 kids coming out on Friday! This has been the hottest week of the summer so far, but neither Liberty nor Memphis seemed to care. Christ's love and the gospel were still poured out and shared at every single opportunity. I especially loved watching the personal relationships that were made. The Liberty youth stepped in as fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers to these lonely kids. Our kids are starving for love and they definitely got their fill of it this week! The team's passion never faded throughout the week. Their stations were so fun with a ukulele at songs, crafts that really let the kids express their creativity, Bible stories from the book of Acts, and the always popular "What time is it, Mr. Bear?" at games (which we might have had a little fun with ourselves in the gym at evening site meetings!) I never saw anything but a smile on the kids' faces and they are so excited that Bible Club will continue for a couple more weeks. Thank you SO MUCH, Liberty, for your passion, willingness, and hard work! It was definitely felt by Street Reach, the staff, the kids, and the community. We can't wait for another week at Guernsey and another summer with FBC Liberty!

-Holly

Tutwiler

The staff and I had the incredible opportunity to run a Bible club site this week that would not have been able to run. We were able to minister to 32 children this week while also ministering to the community over on Tutwiler. It is such a blessing to see God at work in an area that needs Him and His love through the hands of the staff of Street Reach. The staff members found a love and passion for the kids at Tutwiler as seen through the sweaty backs, dirty hands, and never ending smiles. The Tutwiler children loved having club in their part of town, as did the parents, which added to the great attitudes and conversations we were able to have at club. Despite all the distractions from the community this week at club, there were a ton, we were still able to spread the Word of God to the kids and they listened. Even still, if you ask them “what is prayer?” they will answer “prayer is talking to God” while doing hand motions that go along with the answer. It is one of the cutest sights to see! Pray for Tutwiler next week as it will get the opportunity to run for the 3^rd time this summer! Praise the Lord!
-Aimee                                                                                 

Leahy's
The sixth week of Bible Club at Leahy's Trailer park was a beautiful week. Fairlane Baptist Church came down from Alexandria, Kentucky. Their team consisted of 8 members, 7 females, and one male. The team poured so much love, joy, and enthusiasm into the children at club each and every day. On Friday, God brought out 40 little ones that he wanted to hear about His love and mercy. I think the greatest thing to happen this week was the consistency of the children. On Monday and Tuesday we had 35 kids each day. Wednesday brought out 33 and Thursday had 37. Normally, the numbers are not that consistent. But it shows God's grace, love, and mercy. Please be praying for the teams this week as we have 11 churches coming in. 

-Ben

National

1 John 4:7-12 says “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Love was present in the park, love was shared to these kids and love was made complete in kids hearts this week. This week National was able to serve with FBC Sparta from Sparta, Tennessee. They did a wonderful job of bringing more and more kids to the park each day and on Wednesday we had our highest day of 74 kids coming to be loved with the love of Christ. On Monday one of our routes didn't bring back any kids so one of the girls that walked that route prayed that night for God to send eight kids out on Tuesday and what did Christ do...he sent eight kids! It’s sweet to see who God hand picks to be at National each and every day. This week National’s missionary in training (MIT) after helping run water each week was able to take a new role this week and be among the kids of the park and share his love with them. It was a beautiful picture to see him serving as the hands and feet of Jesus in a new way helping lead songs and giving the kids piggy back rides. National then had three helpers taking the role of running water this week, they were kids from the community that have displayed leadership and responsibility, as well a passion to grow in the Word and be discipled. The conversations of why they wanted to help was “not because it’s a sacrifice, but because I get to serve” and “I love Jesus and want to show Jesus to the other kids.” The sweetness of those words was overwhelming realizing that these kids are desiring God and that he is alive and working in their hearts. Discipleship club also began this week and these kids that were able to help with water got to begin that this week. They spent their whole afternoon time diving into the Word and are now reading the book of Romans. One of them came to Bible club the rest of the week with more and more of Romans read and more and more of Romans underlined. Hope is rising on these streets of Memphis and kids of this community are experiencing the gospel as love is made complete in their hearts. Be praying for the last two weeks at National, for the teams coming in, that the love of Jesus displayed by FBC Sparta would continue with each team and that the kids would understand that true love is only found in the Father, that love is Jesus dying on the cross for each of us and that his love is made complete in each of us when we respond to the gospel. All glory to God for the work of FBC Sparta at National this week and all the work he is completing in each of the lives at National!

-Gaby

Johnson

This past week has been one that the kids at the Johnson Bible Club will not soon forget. First Baptist Church Liberty from Liberty, Texas came and loved on the kids this week, and poured themselves out for them! They were passionate about serving the kids, and letting Christ shine through in everything they did. The kids learned so much from the Bible as they heard about Christ’s call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Even as it became very hot outside, the team kept on giving it everything they had and relied on the Lord for their strength. Again, it was amazing to see the children become softer as the week progressed, and they became more and more receptive to God’s love. There was a sense of calm and peace on the Bible club site by the end of the week, and one would never know that there were 65 kids there! This could only have come from the Lord in a place that is filled with chaos and commotion. Liberty showed how they have servant hearts’ and they wanted to do whatever the Lord led them to do. I am grateful for the Lord sending Liberty this week, and it was great being able to see them again! 

-Jonathan

Kendrick

Week 6 of Bible Club at Kendrick was awesome. Returning team from First Baptist Church Sparta was in town and had the site booming! Sparta was new to the Kendrick site, but you wouldn’t know it by the amount of love and passion they had for these kids. Each day they rolled up with tons of energy and excitement, which had the kids excited all week. The kids loved the boombox over in songs station that bumped Christian music each day as they danced along. They also loved the Bible stories as they were acted out and showed how they apply to us still today. Friday was our biggest day with awesome weather that brought out 42 kids! It was great to see Sparta finish the week strong as they poured out love on the kids for the last few moments. Thank you so much FBC Sparta for all the hard work and love this week!
-Logan                                                                      

Rosamond

Week 6 at Bible club Rosamond was great. The team from Gleason, Tennessee really took the hammer, took the nail, and nailed it. I really enjoyed seeing the bigger guys leading songs. Usually it is the older kids and the boys at Bible club that think they’re too cool for school (or songs anyway) but now someone bigger and cooler was leading songs with them. It was also awesome seeing three kids finally get to come to Bible club whose parents had yet to allow them to come to Bible club all summer. With a high day of 49 kids and best behaved record of Shark, Grizzly, Grizzly, Penguin and an entire week of child approved lunches made for an incredible week. I cannot wait to see how God will continue his good work at bible club these remaining two weeks. So be praying that God will do amazing things, that every tongue should confess and every child know that the LORD is God.                                                                                                       -Kaden

Whittier

We had an AMAZING week 6 at Whittier! South Community Church came full of love to pour out and it had such an impact on the kids! With the great weather and incredible team, 62 kids came out and experienced the love of Christ! When Jesus' first disciples asked Him how to pray, part of His example prayer asked for the Kingdom to come on Earth just like in Heaven--and this week, I truly believe that we were able to see glimpses of the Kingdom coming down into these dark streets. One of the most beautiful Kingdom moments was seeing peace rising up in the middle of a street feud. On one of our routes, two families had some majors issues with one another. We aren't sure how it started, but everyone--parents and kids--were super angry with one another. For the first couple days, the team dealt with cursing and arguing among two of the boys from both the families.  But as the team loved on them and showed them what it means to be like Christ, we began to see a change in the two boys. They began to share and play together. They looked out for each others needs and also for the needs of the team members they walked with.  We saw a beautiful transformation in these boys! We've talked alot about how we don't have the power to change these neighborhoods, but during weeks like this, when we step out of the way, we see God's power shine through.  Please continue to pray for Whittier!  Pray that Christ would reign in the hearts of these children and their families! Pray that those who don't belong to Him would be redeemed! Also, pray for Yoshi and Mario as they prepare to move--pray that these last few days would be used by God to bring them in as Him sons. Pray for Francisco who is having brain surgery in three weeks--pray for healing and protection and that God would use this time in his life to bring peace and redemption to his whole family. Pray for the team coming in next week, that through them, Jesus would continue to build on the foundation He has laid in the hearts of the families in Nutbush. We are so thankful for your prayers and can easily see the ways God is answering your faithfulness to pray! 

-Lauren

This week the light and love of Christ was shared. We began the week with 329 kids at all the Bible club sites on Monday and ended with 427 kids on Friday that got to experience Jesus Christ. Praise be to God for how he added daily to the number of kids coming and how almost 100 more children were coming by the end of the week! 

Next week we have around 200 missionaries coming in which will be another huge week for Street Reach. This means that 13 Bible club sites will be up and running. 

Be in prayer! 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:17-18

Be in prayer for the sites that have been open all summer and the sites opening up again this week. Be in prayer for all the kids that will be ministered to. Be in prayer that the gospel would fearlessly be made known. Be praying as the summer winds down that Jesus would be alive on every Bible club site, on every street we walk, in every missionaries heart, and in every child's life. 

Week 5-Union Grove Baptist, New Blackwell Baptist, Mt. Zion, Bethany Baptist, West Hartselle Baptist, & Boanerges Baptist

Rosamond

This week was the beginning of the end for Street Reach summer 2013 at Bible club Rosamond. (Sad Day!!!!). But this week was by no means a sad week! The love shared by Union Grove to the kids was nothing short of God’s first love for us. From the Bible stories shared daily, to the colorful new toys brought by the team, to the extra snacks at crafts, every part of the day made me rejoice. It was awesome to see, on Friday, every child taking home a framed picture of themselves and missionaries from this week. It was also nice to see so many colors on the Bible club site this week; it just makes it LOOK fun at a glance. Thanks to Union Grove for donating the flags and balls; the kids love them so much. The week hit its peak with 53 kids two days in a row and even the day after the fourth of July 50 of the kids were ready for some more bible club! Truly, God’s name was made great this week. I hope you all had a great fourth of July; I know Rosamond did. God bless, and peace out!

-Kaden
                                                                                                                                

Leahy's

Week Five of Bible Club at Leahy's Trailer Park was an astounding success. This week I worked with New Blackwell Baptist Church from Rutledge, Tennessee. They brought a team of 9 members. It consisted of one youth member, two college-aged members, and six adults. It was definitely a different experience working with a team of mostly adults. I enjoyed it very much. This week, not only were the kids ministered to, but the adults that would pass by were ministered to as well. A crazy but God-inspired story took place this week. On Monday, crafts used a box of Bibles. The trailer park has dogs that just roam around & they were near the craft station. The dogs ended up opening the box, got a Bible out, and started running. By the time we had caught the dog, it was near a group of adults. We ended up giving every adult in that group a Bible and they all opened it and started reading it together. God can use anybody, or anything, to get the Word out. Please be praying for the kids next week.
-Ben                                                                                   

Pope 

Week 5 at Pope was rocked by Mt. Zion! They brought so much love and passion to Bible Club and it was seen through the smiles of the kids. Relationships were built that will surely last for years. Pope was pushed to the max July 3^rd with 59 kids being loved on and receiving the Word of the Lord. I had so much fun at club with their fabulous crafts and unique games. It was an amazing time shared by all. The week even continued to be great through the 4^th of July with homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches given to the children at Pope so they wouldn’t go hungry. Mt. Zion truly loves their kids at Pope. The team left their hearts on the club site Friday when it was time to say goodbye because they had so much passion for those kids. This week was a really great week with a really great team! Please pray for Pope as it will not be running next week but it will again before the summer closes. The kids will continue to be loved on and ministered to before the end but please pray that the Lord would continue to work through the teams that come in and love on them. He knows the plans for each and every heart at Pope!

-Aimee

Kendrick
What another great week at Kendrick! Returning team Bethany Baptist Church from Alabama was in the house and shaking things up at the Kendrick site! It was great to see some familiar faces from last year, as well as meet new people that came this year. The team was well prepared and was ready to jump in and love on the kids as soon as they got off the bus! Monday they hit the ground running and had a blast with the kids. Bethany kept the energy up from there even when 46 kids showed up on Wednesday, which was the high of the week! Thursday was July 4^th, so the teams got the opportunity to make all the sack-lunches for the kids, which they loved! Even though we had fewer kids on Thursday because of the 4^th, the team took that opportunity to really love on the ones that were there. Songs station had a powerful story of how they opened God’s Word and read to the older kids about dancing and singing loudly for the Lord which the kids had not heard before! It is awesome testimony of the power of God’s word! Bethany summed up all the love and energy they had left on Friday and poured every last bit of it out on the kids before they had to leave. Thank you so much Bethany Baptist for such a great week!
-Logan      
                                                                                 

National

I am asking the Spirit more than ever to guide me as I write this because it was one “special” week. National was covered in Jesus, flooded in the light of Christ, and God was glorified above all with the 76 kids that he handpicked to be at National, which is a record so far this summer. West Hartselle Baptist Church from Hartselle, Alabama came back for round two of serving at National and were filled with twice as much fun, energy, Jesus, love, and hugs. West Hartselle’s hearts were captured by these kids, but even more than that, the kids hearts were captured by West Hartselle because of Jesus that was shining so boldly through them. Bible story was a beautiful picture of Jesus on display. The older group (11+) weren’t just listening to the story this week, but they were teaching the Bible story to the other peers in their group and then back to the team members. Each time I would walk over to Bible story, or ask a child a question later about the story they would be able to give me an answer right back or at some points proceed to tell me the whole story of Paul, which was their focus this past week. The Word of God was alive at National this week! West Hartselle was constantly laying down their lives and this was present in the selfless ways I saw them serve. They sought nothing for their own glory, but all for the glory of God, they did not seek attention for their own, but attention pointed to the only one that saves. A little boy who had the longest route to National had holes in the bottom of his shoes, so the team bought him shoes. Three brothers (two 10 & one 12) who touched the hearts of the team members who picked them up each day bought a basketball and gave it to them to play together. The smiles they had shone for miles when I asked them about it. West Hartselle was constantly focused on playing the background and letting God take the front. National was covered in Jesus and Jesus was present in the park each and every moment that Bible club was happening. On Friday after all the kids had been taken home and the park was empty, we circled up one final time, hands raised together and prayed, prayed for the kids and the missionaries that were taking their place at National to love on their kids and show them Jesus and cheered for “Club National” one last time. West Hartselle began “Club National” and left it for other National teams to join. West Hartselle began their week filed with love and left every last drop of love they had on Friday. Another beautiful, Christ centered week at National was witnessed and to God be all the glory forever and ever! 
-Gaby 

Jackson

We had such a sweet week at Jackson! The staff and MITs ran club and we all absolutely fell in love with the Jackson kiddos.  We kicked off the week with 48 kids!  One of the sweetest moments was when I sat with the 3 and 4 year olds at lunch on Friday--we talked about what they had been learning in the Bible story station and they told me, "Prayer is talking to God! You can talk to God anytime, anywhere, and about anything!"  Sometimes it's easy to think that the little one's aren't listening. We watch as they stare off at a bird in a tree, or just up and run off from their stations.  But what we don't always realize is that they are soaking up every word!  And what a comfort to know that we plant and we water but GOD makes the seeds grow! Please pray for the Jackson site. Next week we will be unable to run it. Pray that God would send more workers into the Harvest. Pray for faithful workers to come and finish what has been started in the hearts of these children and pray trusting that God will do it!  Thank you so much for your continued prayers over these precious children! Much grace and love and peace!
-Lauren

Johnson 

Boanerges showed an incredible amount of passion for Christ and the kids out at Johnson this week! We were blessed again with the greatest amount of kids coming out to Bible club this summer for Johnson with 75 on our highest day. It was so exciting to see the team go out and love on the kids from the time they picked them up of their doorstep to the time they dropped them off. The kids learned this week about how important the Word of God is. They learned the God wrote the entire Bible, and it is in fact His Word. Then the team taught them about how they should read the Word, and draw closer to God. The kids had great questions for the team, and I know they are listening even when it seems like they are not. By the end of the week the kids that started with a hard shell slowly began to soften up, and become open to the love the team was showing them. It is always a sad time when the team leaves after the kids have experienced the love of Christ, but a new team will be in next week. One of the walking groups showed a great amount of passion to get kids to Bible club who had never come before. They persistently knocked on doors, and show love to the families until they were willing to let their children go. This was encouraging to see, and know that the children were truly being loved this week. As always, the musical instruments were a hit with the kids. They played on the buckets and shakers while singing songs, and had a great time laughing and having fun with the team. I am so glad Boanerges decided to be here this summer, and God really used them this week! 

-Jonathan

Guernsey

The Fourth of July week was popping this year with Boanerges Baptist Church hanging out on G-street! This team is a returning team, but they were unable to come last summer, so their presence at Street Reach this year was definitely felt and appreciated! It was so amazing to watch this group connect with and love on the kids even though it was a completely different site from what they were used to. Their passion was evident in the way they talked to and about the kids. Beautiful relationships were made as Boanerges displayed what the church and family are supposed to look like biblically out in the streets of Memphis. This week, the kids definitely learned more about Jesus and what it means when a person follows him. The older boys and girls were completely engaged in Bible story and in one-on-one conversations, asking questions and sharing pieces of their lives with the team. Many of them, such as Jehison and Gabe, have shown that they are starving for discipleship, which will begin next week. And God was completely faithful in sending kids out whom He wanted to be ministered to; over 60 kids came out on the 4th, even though the neighborhood had tons of fun parties and cook-outs and a big picnic and waterslide were going on right next door to Bible Club. We were also blessed to see Terry, Alfreddie's older brother, for the first time this summer. So in the craziness and loudness of this holiday week, God painted a beautiful picture at Guernsey Bible Club. The kids loved Boanerges and were so thankful that we came out when so many were taking the day off, because God didn't take the day off; He was loving and teaching these children all week, as He has been all summer. Thank you so much for another great week, Boanerges!
-Holly

Whittier

It was another great week at Whittier! This week, Bethany Baptist Church brought a strong desire to see kids experience the love of Christ. We had tons of new kids show up, as well a bunch of "regular" kids who were excited to see the returning team after a year of being apart. The team this week was obviously passionate about what they were doing, and brought a good time and a high level of energy to the kids each day. It was apparent that the kids had made strong connections with Bethany Baptist. On the last day, a number of kids were crying. At first I thought they were sick and I figured they should go home, but when asked why he didn't want to participate, one kid answered, "It's Friday. We have to say goodbye on Friday." I don't think I've seen that many hugs given before the walk home before. The coolest thing was that the team never missed an opportunity to pour the love of Christ on the kids. No matter what was happening, the team found ways to turn the situation into a sermon, showing the kids practical ways to live like Christ.  If this team left one message with the kids this week, it was that God's mercy is new every morning, and that no matter the circumstance, they are all "winners" in Christ. I'm confident the kids will remember the love shown this week for years to come. 
-Hannah

There was a sweet spirit within all of the teams this week, serving with selflessness and having willing hearts to do whatever the Lord was asking of them. Street Reach has been blessed, the kids that were ministered to were blessed, and the entire community has been blessed by the work the Lord accomplished through the teams being Jesus' hands and feet this week. This week was full of thankfulness and praise to our God. Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise and an encouragement that all the love these teams poured out this week will continue by the teams coming in next week as the Lord fills them up with himself and that his love will continue on and on and on...  

Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 
Worship the Lord with gladness; 
come before him with joyful songs. 
Know that the Lord is God. 
It is he who made us, and we are 
his;
we are his people, the sheep of his 
pasture. 
Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
and his courts with praise; 
give thanks to him and praise his 
name. 
For the Lord is good and his love
endures forever; 
his faithfulness continues through
all generations. 

Next week, Street Reach will be beginning Discipleship Club. Discipleship Club will be going out into the community and discipling kids that have accepted Christ this summer or are interested and asking questions about the Gospel. Be praying as we begin this for Street Reach to be equipped by the Spirit to lead these kids and be in prayer for the kids that will be discipled, that they would learn what it is to be a disciple and then go and make disciples, that make disciples, that make disciples...