Back to School

It's August and I'm not buying school supplies or checking on where my classes are or even trying to figure out which of my friends I can eat lunch with. I'm not looking up what time I need to catch the bus or finishing summer reading assignments I procrastinated on or buying books for school. Instead, I'm sitting in on meetings, planning programs, and hanging out with those kiddos that are still in school. So far, I'm quite enjoying my first post-grad August. There are plenty of adjustments that I'm still making, but the "real world" is treating me well so far.

Walking into the FOR office in Clarkston International Bible Church (CIBC) and be welcomed by the other staff has been really encouraging. It's also been a lot of fun to get to work more closely with people like Annalisa (who works with the youth at CIBC) in planning an after school homework group for middle and high school girls. Getting opportunities to work with a great group of people for a community I love is pretty awesome. 

Here's the break down of that after school group:

• We meet Thursdays 4:30-6:30 (boys meet on Tuesdays)
• First 30 minutes we get settled, hang out, and catch up
• Next hour we do homework or other academic activities
• The last 30 minutes we eat dinner and do a little devotion

We are hoping that besides helping girls achieve their academic goals, we will also be able to facilitate life giving relationships between leaders and students. There will be opportunities for willing girls to tell their stories and share about what it's like to be a teenaged girl living in Clarkston. Whether they are a refugee or not, each girl has unique experiences that makes her special. Finishing homework and setting academic goals is great, but the chance to mentor these girls and help them become all God created them to be is something to get really excited about!

Wish List:

• Tables and chairs (to do homework on)
• Flash cards (multiplication and division)
• A vacuum claener and/or carpet sweeper (to kep our space clean)
• combination locks (to keep our supplies safe)
• Volunteers to provide dinners (we have the rice, just need something to go with it)
• Calculators (scientific and graphing for students to borrow)