Captured Moments

Today I recieved an email from one of my India teammates which was a very pleasant surprise. She sent a few pictures she had taken on our trip she thought I may want. I was so excited to see this!




This is from Immanuel CDC, which I talked about in my post A Road that Leads To Somewhere. I fell in love with the kids in this picture, and it is just such a blessing that someone captured this moment! I cannot say for sure, but I can almost garauntee they are laughing at something I am trying to say in Tamil.

Smiling.

Great stuff for kids!

Recently I have been shocked by a couple things: first, the technological knowledge of children, and second, the completely inappropriate and immoral content of most of the websites geared towards children. They are plagued with violence, bad language, and immodest clothing. And when I say websites geared towards children, I mean they actually say "for children ages 6-12." It scares me to see the young boys in my class absorbing the language and violent behavior, and it breaks my heart to see little girls idealize the scantily dressed girls and "dress-up" dolls on these sites.

All this to say, I have discovered a ray of hope amongst all the filth. It is called Quest for Compassion, and it is the coolest website for kids I have ever seen! Its a game, its fun, and it exposes kids to different countries, cultures, and languages. The coolest part, it also tells kids about Jesus. Prayerfully it will inspire kids to help others rather than hurt others, and will help little girls find meaning and purpose beyond what the world tells them they should look like.

I encourage you to get your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and friends' kids involvled in this website! It is www.questforcompassion.org.

Enjoy!

A Love that Crosses Oceans

Often times I go to the Compassion website to pray over the pictures of all the kids who are waiting for sponsors. It breaks my heart to see all the kids who have been waiting for six months or longer. These kids usually take most of my attention. A week ago one of these kids stole my heart.

Oluka has been waiting a long time for a sponsor. You can see from his picture that he has some health problems, most likely malnutrition and worms. Please pray about sponsoring him. Click on his name and it will take you to his picture. If you click on "sponsor this child" it will, with no obligation, take you to another page with a full picture and more information. If the link doesn't work, it means (praise God) he found a sponsor. For you it may mean a small sacrifice (just $32 a month), but for Oluka it will provide the basics we take for granted everyday, and in no small way it will change his life.

UPDATE: OLUKA FOUND A SPONSOR! GO TO COMPASSION TO VIEW PICS OF HUNDREDS OF OTHER CHILDREN WAITING FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU TO CHANGE THEIR LIFE!

Jesus in the Inner-city

The following is my 2009 Youth for Christ support letter.



Dear Friend,
Blessings! Above is a picture of Angelina and Steven, two of the kids who attend my City Life club at Jefferson Elementary School in downtown Fresno. If you are wondering what they are looking at, it is with much joy that I tell you it is a Bible. Not just any Bible: it is Steven’s first Bible. His sister, Angelina, who received a Bible a few weeks earlier, is teaching her little brother how to look up scriptures. Angelina and Steven are two of the hundreds of kids who have been impacted by Fresno/Madera Youth for Christ this year.

As you may know, I have been with Youth for Christ a little over two years now, serving in the City Life program as a volunteer and an intern. I am blessed to announce that I have been given the opportunity to become a part-time staff member. In my new position as Summer Internship Director, I will be recruiting, mentoring, and overseeing summer interns, as well as continuing my ministry in the Jefferson neighborhood.

One of my favorite parts about working with YFC has been the freedom to use my talents, passions, and ambitions in my ministry. In my new position I will get to work with interns in creating summer programs in which they, too, can use their talents and passions for the glory of the Kingdom.

Would you like to come alongside me in this ministry? Most importantly, I ask that you would cover me, the interns, and the summer programs in prayer. Also, as the programs begin, many will need extra volunteers. Please let me know if you would like to consider participating in one of these short-term ministries. Last, but not least, developing and implementing these programs requires financial support. My goal is to raise $3600 for the months of April through August.

I am excited to see how God will use me in this new position, and I ask that you would prayerfully consider joining me in this ministry opportunity.

Thank you and God Bless,
Rebecca L. Allen


Donations and notes of encouragement may be sent to:

Fresno/Madera Youth For Christ
P.O. Box 4117
Fresno, CA 93744

(To support my ministry please include my name in the memo portion of the check)

To find our more about Youth for Christ visit our website at http://yfcnow.org/.

And just because I like to show them off, here are a few pics of some of our awesome kids!

Hanging out at Saturday Sports:


A special dinner with some of the kids at my house:


Taking students to a baseball game:


City Life kids performing a tap dance at a Youth for Christ outreach:


Some of our Jefferson girls in an angel making contest:

A New Look

Today I chopped over 10 inches off of my hair for Locks of Love.



Its short, but I think I like it :)

Compassion Staff

One of my favorite parts about my Compassion trip to India was the amazing staff. I ran across a few pictures today, and it really made me miss these people. In two weeks they became family.







Can you see why I love them?