Pearl's Before Mine
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
August 2024 - Taking Root
Monday, August 12, 2024
Summer 2024 - Longer Phrases
-Almost every time I ask a kid to help out with something, they are willing and excited to do something "special"
-LJ went from being bossy during 4-square to showing more sportsmanship when he or others get out.
-Ava sacrificed her Zoo Field Trip to watch over her sick little sister until they got picked up early.
-A'Jah helped clean up so many broken water balloons after everyone went inside after water day.
-David always offers to wash off the paintbrushes after a messy art lesson.
-Trinity saw a often bullied kid sitting in the corner of the courtyard crying and went over to make sure he was ok.
-When I told a 5 year old that I was feeling tired, they gave me a hug, saying, "Aww."
-Chance always raises his hand when we need volunteers to pray for the whole group.
-Kids who spent the first couple weeks of camp completely silent and sitting by themselves are now sitting with others and making friends.
-Juju, who had previously helped with camp as a high school student the past 2 summers, is now the camp director and doing a great job.
As another summer of camp comes to a close, we leave not knowing whether this is the last time we'll ever see a kid or if they will surprise us by coming back next year. The longer a student is with us at 2nd Mile, the more they're equipped to be leaders in their community, the more they know about God and themselves, and the more their lives are poured into to reach their God-given potential.
(A few weeks later)
Today, the first school bells ring in Duval County, and Maximus is now in 2nd grade. I'm excited to see our former and new students in our after school program starting next week, with Max included. I always wonder what Max's experience will be like, having lived his whole life in Florida, in Brentwood, growing up in the ministry. I'm convinced God will use Max's unique experience to His advantage. Looking back now at summer camp, I remember the grind, the sweat, the after-camp naps and I'm looking forward to a little respite in the school year.
Please pray as BLOCK begins this Friday, adding new students from camp, that they will feel welcomed, that they will feel as though they fit in and belong. As our programs grow, I pray the touchpoints don't get watered down. Pray that God's word would impact not just their minds but their hearts as well.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
March 2024 - Blooming
Monday, March 18, 2024
February 2024 - Building something bigger
Snap back to reality, February 2024, the students in Block re-entered the building for a second time this school year, this time with no wooden pallets to contest for space, an even more blank slate to envision a future. Students wrote down their ideas for how to best utilize the space for future programming and for what would best serve the community. We returned to the current 2nd Mile location, and began to draw up plans like little architects. Some fun ideas they came up with were a meditation room to calm down, a computer lab, and a movie theater with a popcorn machine and vending machine. Groups then combined ideas and, using a shoebox, made dioramas of how the building could look. This was one of my favorite activities of the year. I can't wait to carry them along on the journey to a completed building. Quick update, we currently getting professional drawings made up to work out what is actually possible in the space, answering code related questions, renovation cost questions, etc.
At two:fiftytwo, February was our music month. In teaching the students about rhythm, pitch, and dynamics, I learned that the most engaging lessons were not the ones where I share my knowledge of music, the math behind notes, or even the emotions I get when I play, but rather letting the students make the sounds, create the rhythms, and touch and feel the instruments themselves. They got to try a keyboard, my viola (with extreme supervision), boom whackers, a kalimba (thumb piano), a cajon, and a guitar. It's fun to see which kids really get into which instruments. Are there any future musicians in our program? Who knows?
As students are currently on spring break as I write this, please pray that the students stay safe, that they are eager to come back and gather together, and that parents are given the strength, patience, and energy for a week that is more like a trial run for the upcoming summer.
Next month, I'll hopefully have some great updates about our summer camp. Spoiler alert, we've already hired two people for the summer and plans are already under way. Super excited!
Future contractors? |
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
January 2024 - Hit the ground running
As we enter into 2024, we reunite with students coming back from a long winter break. Often times, we kick our time off with some added fun, usually in the form of a field trip or two. January also saw the return of Open Court, taking the previous two months off due to holidays and "cold" weather.
Park field trip, high school BLOCK student in middle |
Open Court returned, most people to come! |
Getting on our game face for laser tag |
Carrot cake! |
New building, exciting things to come! |
Thursday, January 4, 2024
November and December 2023 - Alley Oop
Kids surprisingly got really into these career tests |
Dereon (6th grade) building an edible house |
BLOCK painting downtown (go to block_brentwood on IG for more) |
3rd grader made Moses parting the Red Sea |