(That gave “sending kids to camp” a whole new meaning.  We aren’t just “sending”… we, in fact, are “going.”  We’ll be sleeping in the cabins.  We’ll be thrown off the blob.  We’ll be crying like babies on the top of the zip line… )

The plan is to load up and leave this Sunday to head down to Pine Cove Christian Camp in Columbus, Texas. There will be horseback riding, sports, games, arts and crafts, and of course evening activities which we’re told involve, ‘nerd square dances,’ ‘camo,’ and, ‘mud.’

There will be lots of activities, great food, and fellowship.  Most importantly this camp will be focused on the Lord.  We are praying this will be a week that will deepen our relationships with these kids, and each other. We are praying that our kids grow in, and start to desire an intimate relationship with our Lord.

We are so thankful for this opportunity. And we hope someday we’ll get the chance to take all of our kids.  We pray that this 6 days away at camp will be unforgettable to each child that goes.

The evening started with some rain. There was torrential downpour all across the Dallas-Fort Worth area from 5:30-6:30pm; the first pitch was scheduled for 7:05pm. Mentors inched slowly along I-30 listening to the radio for updates on the weather situation and the status of game-time delays or cancellation. Everyone was faithful to keep on moving west from Dallas in hopes that the rain would let up… And it did! It was delayed by 20 minutes, but clouds broke and it was a beautiful night!

While this was a game to be simply enjoyed by mentors and kids alike, it was also a game that would put Champions of Hope on TV screens across the Southwest. Champions’ had been the chosen organization to be spotlighted in the Fox Sports Southwest/TXA 21 Community Corner segment.

The short segment highlights local non-profits to help spread their message; we were grateful for the opportunity! We didn’t get a copy of the 20 second clip, but a few Champions’ fans took pictures of their TV’s!

Here are a few pics from the game: check out our photo gallery for more!

First time experience… We got there in plenty of time to find our seats and chat for a while, learning that none of the kids had ever been to Music Hall at Fair Park (which is right in their ‘backyard’!!) and not many of the mentors had been either.  If you have ever attended a musical there or at a similar venue, you know that it is an experience that will impress you, regardless of the story.  The set design, acting, music and dance performances, and the coordination of a whole crew that comes together seamlessly when the curtains raise is amazing!

Needless to say, the kids were too young to even  know any thing about Little House – with the exception of our Booker T. Washington theater student, who had read the play!!  Melissa Gilbert’s presence and performance was great — but had little meaning to the kids, just us ‘old’ mentors who grew up watching her as Laura Ingalls.  ;)   Regardless of historical context, or nostalgic significance, the kids had a great time.

We all enjoyed the show and it was an awesome opportunity to have a great experience right in the South Dallas neighborhood.

** Interesting note:  The following week as mentors and kids attended the Rangers game, the actor who played Pa Ingalls was the guest singer of the National Anthem.

or to chase their sisters around with.

Regardless of cuisine preferences, everyone that attended had a great time.  The event proved to bring everyone together: families of Champions’ mentors’, mentees’, board members, and donors; as well as Cornerstone members, Village Church members and homegroups, and friends from the neighborhood.  Some pitched in to do the ‘cookin’ and boilin’ ‘ while others were playing basketball across the street at Cornerstone.  Of course, when it was time to eat — everyone came together.

Here are some pictures of the day!

We went and saw a movie on a Wednesday night.  It was after dark getting him back so I was in a hurry to get him home.  It is a little unsettling for me to hang out in SouthD after dark so we pulled up to his house, I told him I had a good time and that I’d see him next week.  And he said “Hey, aren’t you going to pray?”

I had made a habit of every time I’d come down, before I’d drop him off, I’d pray over him before he got out of the car.  Well, being in a hurry on this night I was just trying to get him out the door and he totally called me out on it! So, we prayed.  I prayed for him and then he prayed for me.

It was very humbling, and I’m just pumped for more of these.

God IS Mighty to save, that’s all I got for any explanation because there is nothing I did, I feel awkward, out of place, and definitely outside of any confidence I may have. I don’t’ understand these things but they sure encourage the heck outta me.

~Jack Drake

When I picked K up to hang out, it was finally my turn to choose where to eat.  Nothing against CiCi’s but I was a little tired of it.  A co-worker told me about a soul-food place down in Oak Cliff that I should check out, Sweet Georgia Brown’s.

As we got into South Oak Cliff, we passed probably one of the more rundown apartment complexes I’ve seen.  K pipes up “HEY, that’s where my mom lives, we should go see her!”  So I told him to call her and if she was around we’d swing by after grabbing a bite to eat.  She was there, so we went and ate- best chicken sandwich and sweet tea I’ve had in DFW by the way- and headed over to meet her.

I met his mom, Tanya, and they were both excited to see each other.  She gave me her phone number so I could keep her in the loop of what was going on with him.  Come to find out, this apartment complex was where K grew up, and will be staying this summer.  He was hollering at a bunch of the kids out the window as we drove in, a reunion of sorts.

We didn’t stay long, but it was good to go by and meet his mom.  Also, it will be a lot easier to find him in the summer now that I’ve already been there.

When K and I are riding in the car, a lot of times there can be silence.  It’s not awkward, but just quiet.  Over the past 6 months I’ve really gotten into these Christian hip hop guys- Tedashii, Lecrae, Trip Lee and some others.  I had asked K who he liked listening to, he told me, but the names he rattled off I didn’t recognize except for Lil Wayne.

Thinking they were fairly similar in sound, I put on some Trip Lee.  The first song I put on was “Superstar”.  I was watching him out of the corner of my eye, and as the song got going he, and then we, slowly got more into the music.  Started with a simple head bob to the beat, and by the end we even had a little shoulder action bouncing in.  The next song that went on was “Inexhaustible”, he seemed to like that one as well.

That was about all the music we had time for as we rolled up to his house, but I asked him what he thought of Trip Lee.  He said he liked it, but he said “I don’t understand why he kept saying I’m not a Superstar?” Completely fired up to have an opportunity to share, we just got to walk through why Trip Lee would say something like that.  My rough and sloppy explanation rounded out to be basically, “He’s saying that he isn’t anything special; he’s a sinner just like you and me, but there IS someone special worth attention and fame, and he’s talking about Jesus.”  K just grinned and said he understood that.

I was pumped I got to share, and this whole thing of mentoring is just a constant reminder of how little and inadequate I feel for this task, but the Lord does His thing, and it’s awesome to be a part of.

~Jack Drake

~Read Chris’ story below.  The kids’ names have been abbreviated.

“This past weekend [May 21-23], I took my mentee, J, and his brother, D, camping with my wife and sister.  We went to Possum Kingdom State Park, a short 2 ½ hour drive from South Dallas.  Originally, we were going to canoe on the Brazos River, but the day before we left, they decided to release some water from the dam, thereby closing the river.

The trip was a ton of fun.  We decided to go tubing on the lake Saturday – definitely a first for the boys. In fact, it was a trip full of firsts – first time in a tent, first time on a boat, first campfire, first s’more.  Honestly though, the trip was very challenging for me.  J doesn’t exactly like to listen and he often does things without asking.  Needless to say, I was on edge for most of the weekend.  I set pretty strict rules, and I was inflexible with them.

On the way home, I was really beating myself up mentally for being so hard on the boys.  While they were in good spirits, I feel they missed out on some of the fun I had on camping trips growing up.  Then, really out of nowhere, J said he wants to get baptized.  I had noticed before that he had been carrying around a pocket NKJV New Testament that he said he had been reading.  This spurred a 30 + minute conversation about God with the boys.  They asked so many ridiculous questions – often referencing South Park, American Dad (the Rapture) or Family Guy as the source of their misconceptions.

This question and answer session was incredibly encouraging.  It reminded me that in my immense weakness, God is supremely sufficient.  The boys not only had a great time, but it is becoming more and more clear to me that God is doing something in J’s heart.  This is a kid that asked to go to church with me and gets up at 7:30am on the weekend to do so.  He hums worship songs from church while he rides in the car.  He started reading the Bible on his own.  It is incredible.
While this was definitely a great trip just in that the boys got to experience new things and had a great time, I think I will be able to look back at this trip and see a vital turning point in my relationship with J.  He made it clear he wants to learn about Christ, and I am fortunate enough to be along for the ride as he gets to know our King!”

~Chris Despain

These activities are important for several reasons.  One is that mentors and kids get to interact with other mentors and kids.  This is encouraging to be reminded that you are part of something bigger, and you are not the only one walking through some of the challenges of a new mentoring relationship.  The kids also get to be around their classmates in a setting outside of school.  Usually this allows the mentor to experience “another side” of their student that they don’t get to see during one-on-one time; the social interactions of 5th graders prove entertaining, and perplexing, to everyone!!  ;)

Another reason that these activities are important is being able to offer the kids experiences that they may not have had before.  We try our best to diversify in our activities- some being educational, encouraging of the arts or cultural experiences; other being sports-oriented or encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle.  You can see our Photo Gallery for pics of some of those activities.

This Spring, two of our activities were Rollerskating and Fair Park’s Annual “Get Kids Fit Fest.”

The day 0f rollerskating brought out many different levels of skill with our group.  Some of the kids seemed to have been born on skates; others tried their absolute hardest to figure it out.  Even those who were learning each has different ideas of how to get from point A to point B.  It was very encouraging to watch mentors learn with the kids, help them figure out skating, and travel around and around a rink for hours holding hands or being their for moral support with the kids who were learning.  Unfortunately all the movement made it hard to take pictures that turned out- be here are a few!

In April, we attended the annual “Get Kids Fit Fest” in Fair Park.  It was great to take the kids to an activity that’s purpose was to encourage a health, active lifestyle and was being held right in their neighborhood.  The event was large, inside with AC thankfully, and very well-attended.  The kids had many activities to choose from, including yogo, rock climbing, putt-putt golf, shooting hoops, and practicing their fast-ball pitching skills.  Here are a few pics!

We had a great time in March and April.  Check back soon for updates on more of our recent activities!! -including our visit to a Dallas Summer Musical and our first Rangers game this season.

The last blog was posted on January 19th.  Guess what happened 8 days after that post? … The Champions of Hope Board of Directors met.

And they made a big decision—

If we are going to see change in lives in South Dallas, we need more healthy, thriving mentor relationships.  If we are going to match and support more mentor relationships to be healthy and thriving for years to come, we are going to need more staff to support them.  If we need more staff, we are probably going to have to pay them…

Goal: Raise enough funding by May 1 to hire our second staff person.

THAT is why there has been no blog post since January 19th.  This staff has been busy!!  And the efforts of the board and many volunteers in that fundraising effort have proven to be successful.  We should have a second person starting very soon!

And surely, SURELY this blog will be worth checking into every week or so.

In all seriousness, THANK YOU to those of you who have given time, effort, prayers, and cash.  We are grateful for every person that makes up this ministry.

Carly

“Kacee, did you know that if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr didn’t change things, the world would be much worse…and we may not have had the chance to be friends like we are” ~ Charles Rice student

What a blessing to be a part of the reconciliation process: people to people, and people to the Creator God.  Thank you Dr. King for being far more than an activist, but an activist for the Lord Jesus Christ himself- without whom no hope for reconciliation would exist.