"KUYA" Facebook Lookback Video 2014

-------------------------------------------------

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support!

If the Lord leads you to not just support me in prayer but investing financially as well, I would love and appreciate that very much as I am in huge need of ***MONTHLY SUPPORTERS***. Please view the "PRAYER & SUPPORT" section on the right side of this blog.

By supporting and partnering with me, you will have a direct impact on the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for sharing in this opportunity with me to influence the lives of many of God’s people.

UPT Tuesday Gathering UPdate (PRAYER REQUESTS)

[I shared this section of our Camp Freedom Update during
one of our 'UrbanPromise Toronto - Tuesday Gatherings']

"AFTER PARTY"

(aka Families, School, Alumni)

ROSE...Please pray for: 

• ...the continued communication and strengthening of relationships throughout the Jane and Finch community
• There has been improved communication with Christian Centre Church and Inner City Outreach on clear and unified missions, visions, updates, reports, programs, roles and expectations...all with the goal to glorify Him
• I have been able to visit homes as well as participate in other programs to keep in touch with past kids/youth, leaders, families...God has also given me those divine appointments as I “bump” into these people
• Even though we have been moved out of the Brookview M.S. building, we regularly pick up our youth in that school and also nearby stores. We still communicate with the students, teachers and other ASP programs

THORN...Please pray for:

• ...past StreetLeaders who have left the institutional church but are yet hungry for organic relationships with Jesus and His church
• ...past youth who have stopped coming to program for various reasons such as: bullying, fights amongst kids and/or their families, laziness (unwanted discipline), relocation, bad experience with institutional church, worldly success, misunderstanding, sin, etc.

BUD...Please pray for:

• ...our alumni StreetLeaders who continue to share the love of Jesus in the Jane and Finch community either through UrbanPromise, CCC, ICO, their school and other jobs
• It has been great hanging out with them with our current team after debrief...playing with them, eating out with them, participating in other community "stuff", having “real talks” with them and more

-------------------------------------------------

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support!

If the Lord leads you to not just support me in prayer but investing financially as well, I would love and appreciate that very much as I am in huge need of ***MONTHLY SUPPORTERS***. Please view the "PRAYER & SUPPORT" section on the right side of this blog.

By supporting and partnering with me, you will have a direct impact on the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for sharing in this opportunity with me to influence the lives of many of God’s people.

The Meeting House: Uptown - Local Compassion Christmas 'UPT StreetLeader' Campaign (2)

Two of our StreetLeaders shared something on that second Sunday morning:

-------------------------------------------------

Kuya: "What is a StreetLeader & what does a StreetLeader do?"

StreetLeader #1:

"A StreetLeader is a mentor from the community who used to be a kid at camp. Everyday after school...we tutor children with their homework, feed them healthy snacks, study the Bible and on Fun Fridays we have dinner together and play lots of creative games. We also do the same things in March Break Camp and Summer Camp except we take them on trips where they have many fun learning experiences."

Kuya: "What impact does a StreetLeader have on the kids and what impact do kids have on a StreetLeader?"

StreetLeader #2:

"StreetLeaders are some of the few positive role models to kids where we all talk about Jesus and we all live in the same community. We grow up with them like my leaders before me. God uses someone like me to impact their lives but they also impact me. I learn patience, unconditional love and following through with discipline. They are as much a gift to us as we (mentors) are to the kids." 

-------------------------------------------------

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support!

If the Lord leads you to not just support me in prayer but investing financially as well, I would love and appreciate that very much as I am in huge need of ***MONTHLY SUPPORTERS***. Please view the "PRAYER & SUPPORT" section on the right side of this blog.

By supporting and partnering with me, you will have a direct impact on the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for sharing in this opportunity with me to influence the lives of many of God’s people.

The Meeting House: Uptown - Local Compassion Christmas 'UPT StreetLeader' Campaign (1)

One of our StreetLeaders shared something on that one Sunday morning:

-------------------------------------------------

"Good morning church. Well for starters, my name is _______ but I am better know as "Disney" and I am a StreetLeader (SL). I have been a SL for two summers now and this is my first year being a part of the after school program. I am one of the lucky SLs that gets employed right out of the community. I have lived in Jane and Finch all my life, I went to school there, I go to church there. Living in Jane and finch is okay...now, I say 'okay' in the sense that we all connect on the same level, it's not..."I'm having my sweet sixteen here"; it's more like..."I'm from a single parent home."

Back to being a SL, let me just say that being a leader with UrbanPromise Toronto (UPT) is so amazing because not only are you helping children in the community but I’ve found that my relationship with GOD has grown stronger by being surrounded with such godly people. With the opportunity of being a SL with our Summer Samp, After School Program or even our basketball program, we help our kids stay off the streets. We instil in them the knowledge to go out in the world and do good. There is this saying and it says...“A leader is someone who sees something wrong in the world and does something about it.” Us SLs take that extra step and do something, we get to work with some of the most amazing kids and make a difference in their lives and in turn the community. Over this past summer, I was even able to be a part of two girls decision to accept Jesus into their lives. 

I personally know first hand the effect of growing up with a mentor like us SLs, I still talk to mine and still refer to her as "Purple"...her camp name. I was only able to see her once a week but fast forward six years and I still remember lessons I’ve learned and changed accordingly to. I found and still find that to really help, with at least my relationship with GOD, I was to go to Bible Studies or Friday nights and made friends and those relationships are still strong to this day. 

In a society where kids think they have no one to talk to or turn to we make it very clear that we are there for them whenever for whatever. To now be on the other side of the relationship, I can’t even put it into words. Being a SL not only helps our kids but us. I believe I can speak for all our SLs when I say, "It's not only us having an impact on our kids lives but it's them who have an impact on us." Lots of us believe that it's God putting us at this camp to connect with this kid to help them with whatever it is that they’re going through but I have seen that it is often them helping and teaching us whether it may be patience, compassion or patience. 

Lastly, mentors are the gifts that just keep giving and I think thats wonderful."

-------------------------------------------------

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support!

If the Lord leads you to not just support me in prayer but investing financially as well, I would love and appreciate that very much as I am in huge need of ***MONTHLY SUPPORTERS***. Please view the "PRAYER & SUPPORT" section on the right side of this blog.

By supporting and partnering with me, you will have a direct impact on the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for sharing in this opportunity with me to influence the lives of many of God’s people.

December 2014 UPdate (1)

 

-------------------------------------------------

"the @UrbanPromiseTO #CampFreedom family at @themeetinghouse #uptown location where they are raising funds for our StreetLeader program...giving mentors as a Christmas gift but something that'll last all year! #PTL"

"the @UrbanPromiseTO #CampFreedom family at @themeetinghouse #uptown location for the second week in a row where they are still raising funds for our StreetLeader program...giving mentors as a Christmas gift but something that'll last all year! #PTL"

"surpassing our $10 000 fundraising goal for our @UrbanPromiseTO StreetLeader program...giving mentors as a Christmas gift! "This gift lasts all year!" #PTL for @themeetinghouse #uptown @theugyouth with their #IceCream fundraising cart as they invited me to speak and hangout at their Christmas Party. #CampFreedom"

-------------------------------------------------

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support!

If the Lord leads you to not just support me in prayer but investing financially as well, I would love and appreciate that very much as I am in huge need of ***MONTHLY SUPPORTERS***. Please view the "PRAYER & SUPPORT" section on the right side of this blog.

By supporting and partnering with me, you will have a direct impact on the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for sharing in this opportunity with me to influence the lives of many of God’s people.