Next trip now in the making

As I write these words my next trip is now in the works.  It will take place in May,  to Johannesburg,  South Africa.  Details are sketchy at this time and tomorrow will find out exactly what will happen then.  I'll be caring for orphaned children,  and likely I'll be taking donated items to them.

This past Saturday I went to an all-day missions conference at the Wheaton Bible Church,  called "Missions On Our Doorstep" and received valuable information on how to effectively minister to the many immigrants and refugee families who are re-locating amongst us.  It was quite a day. 

Choose kindness

Once a Creeker, always a Creeker

I've made the decision to stay at Willow Creek for the time being,  at least keep membership there intact,  even though I've not attended there since mid-January.  I may make another visit to Wheaton Bible Church sometime in the future,  but will not pursue membership there.  Yes,  the change keeps happening.  My "roots" are,  and always have been,  at Willow Creek.

 You can take the Creeker out of the Creek,  but you can't take the Creek out of the Creeker.

Willow Creek attenders are nicknamed "Creekers"

A Nomad no more

For the last few months I've been kind of nomadic in terms of church attendance.  But last Sunday I visited the Wheaton Bible Church (W Chicago/Carol Stream area) and really enjoyed it.  They are a very outreach-oriented church,  externally focused.  I hope to begin volunteering with some of their outreach ministries in the next month or so.  They have a neat outreach program in a nearby apartment complex,  near Routes 59 and 64,  that is home to many immigrant families.  They have ESL classes,  after-school programs and tutoring for the kids.  They have changed the whole atmosphere of the low-income apartment complex over the past 3 years,  when it began.  A large decrease in crime and police activity. 

 I honestly felt at home here.  A great place to plug into.  After one last Sunday service at Willow Creek in 2 days,  I'll begin attending WBC regularly beginning the following week.  One exception is I'll still attend at Willow Creek Chicago once a month,  as I don't want to give up the ministry going on there.  I'll update as more things progress

Valentines Day

Even though today is Valentines Day,  I treat this day as if it were any other day of the year.  Ironically this is the only evening this week that I do not have a commitment of sorts,  so just gonna chill out at home.  I know for some single adults,  this can be one of the most difficult days of the year.  In fact,  Feb 14 ranks number 3 (behind Christmas and Thanksgiving) for the amount of suicides committed by single adults.

 I,  however am not one of those.  I'm at a good place in my life right now,  and content.  This day is also named after a Christian.  (St. Valentine)  Maybe someday I'll have a special "Valentine" in my life.  It would also mean changing my lifestyle a bit. 

In terms of church attendance,  I'm kind of a "nomad",  a sojourner who attends at 3 churches at different times.  Willow Creek,  Parkview church,  and Community Christian Church.  The latter 2 I attend on Saturdays,  and save Willow Creek for Sunday mornings (both Barrington and downtown Chicago campuses).

Happy Valentines Day!

Compassion and Kindness

This past Friday I was invited to a luncheon at Willow Creek church,  and the speaker was Wess Stafford (Compassion International) and he spoke very openly about his ministry and his heart for orphans (and children in general).  After the lunch I had the privilege to meet Wess in person,  and told him a little about what I do,  caring for orphaned children in the Third World.  You never know,  we may someday travel together to poor countries and minister to children and orphans. 

 Wess was the guest speaker at Willow Creek this past weekend.  On Sunday I headed downtown and attended the Chicago campus,  saw Wess via video from S Barrington.  Afterwards we served some food to about 45 homeless men at the shelter on Clark St.  This is the same shelter I served at on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.  I'm planning to trek downtown once again this Sunday to again attend the Chicago campus of Willow Creek.  The vibe and energy here is totally off the chain.  This past Sunday it was really cool to see the ethnic diversity in that room,  hear the different accents of the English language.

 Yesterday I began serving at the Peoples Resource Center at their Wheaton location.  They have another location in the Westmont area.  It's quite a place,  a refuge for the needy of DuPage County and the west suburbs of Chicago.  I worked in their food pantry.  They also have a Clothes Closet,  ESL classes,  Computer training,  job counceling,  etc.  I'll be working there every other Monday.

 I don't know when I'll be traveling abroad as of yet,  but will always keep you updated

 As always,  remember to choose kindness!

Happy New Year

I know we're 13 days into the new year but realized I've not posted since Christmas Day.  It finally snowed here in Chicago,  ending a 2 month snow drought and mild temperatures.  After going out earlier today,  I wish the mild weather would return again soon.  Just today I found out about Orphan Network,  an organization that works with orphaned children,  mostly in Nicaragua.  Later in 2012 hopefully I can make another trip with Global Orphan Project,  the organization in Kansas City I traveled to Haiti with last month.

 I wish you all blessings in this new year.

Christmas Happenings

Merry Christmas everyone!
 In the past few days I decided to do something a little different,  something I've not done before,  or at least to this extent.  I decided to check out 4 different Christmas Eve services at some area churches.  Here is a brief snapshot as to what I've been up to since last Thursday;

 Thu Dec 22 - Christ Community Church (St Charles Twp) 7PM service

 Fri Dec 23 - Parkview Christian Church (Orland Park) 7PM service

 Sat Dec 24 - Willow Creek Church (South Barrington) 12:30PM service

 Sat Dec 24 - Community Christian Church (Naperville) 11:00PM candle-lit service

 Believe me,  it was fun.  May even plan to do this again next year. 
 I spent most of today in downtown Chicago serving a meal to about 50 homeless men at a shelter.  This was a Christmas gift to them,  a nice warm ham meal.  It's especially rewarding to do this on a holiday.  I served them turkey back on Thanksgiving Day and it was just as rewarding. 

 As always,  do good and choose kindness