Off to a great start!

Monday

Today was our first full day of BUMP. The students were excited to get started with their work in the community with Stillmeadow Evangelical Free Church. In the morning we went to work with The Samaritan Women. The Samaritan Women is an organization that works with women who come out of the sex trafficking industry and works to rehabilitate them while providing a safe environment and practical job training. While there we did various jobs such as moving asphalt to make a road, pulling weeds, and helping them prepare for their freedom barbeque event. Megan, their volunteer coordinator, also gave us a presentation on human trafficking.

            In the afternoon we heard a talk from a lady at Stillmeadow named Yorell. She talked to us from John 4 about what personal evangelism should look like as a Christian. We then set up and hosted a community block party. It was a great event where we got to meet kids from the community and preview the week to come at VBS. It was great first day of learning and serving as a team!

Tuesday

            Today was our first day of Vacation Bible School! We had about 60-70 kids from the whole neighborhood ranging from pre-school to juniors and seniors in high school. The kids played games, did crafts, and learned about the creation story in our Bible time. We had many kids asking good, reflective questions about the Gospel and how God’s word intersects with their lives.

            Additionally, that morning, we helped out with a bi-weekly food drive that was hosted by Stillmeadow. We unloaded food off of the truck, unpacked and organized it, and helped those who came to the drive transport food. This was an incredibly fruitful time not just because we were able to help provide food to those in the community but also because several of the people who came with no connection to the church brought their kids back for VBS and got connected to the church. Also, we heard a presentation from Danise Jones-Dorsey, the executive director of My Brother’s Keeper which is a local soup kitchen in the community. She spoke about the reality of hunger in our country’s cities and how My Brother’s Keeper seeks to provide food, housing, healthcare, and job training for those in need. All in all, it was a great day of ministry and God is to be praised for all of it!

Wednesday

Today was our day off! We decided to go to the Baltimore Zoo for the morning and afternoon. It was a relaxing and fun time with our group. We then returned to the church and prepared for VBS. We had a similar amount of kids for our second night of VBS as the first. In our Bible story we talked about sin and the Fall. The kids learned that all the human sin and overall brokenness of our world comes as a result of mankind’s willful rebellion against God. They also learned though of the hope promised in Someone who would defeat sin and set everything right. It was another great night of interacting with the kids and showing them the love of Christ.