Malkemes
December 19, 2011
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
Family is really important to us. When we ask our daughters at random times what they are thankful for they often say "our family." Sometimes we even like to imagine what it would be like to live as a family in the 1700's. The thought of "no computer," however, is a hard pill for the girls to swallow.
We are not a perfect family, but we have discovered the joy of living by God's grace. Years ago I (Paul) read a liberating book called Never Mind the Joneses by Tim Stafford that encourages us not to compare ourselves to other families, even Christian families. Rather we should discover and live out God's specific purpose for us.
We talk about our family purpose. We had a funny and serious moment wrapped up in one when Megan (at age 9) and Glenna were talking about why we live in Dorchester in light of some violence. As Glenna shared about God's purpose for our family, Megan responded, "Well, what if God has called me to be a New Hampshire country girl?"
We wrestle together. Megan, Cady, Grace and I love to play wrestle. In a similar spirit, we work out our purpose together. Sometimes it's hard and other times it's fun. This month, we have served as a family in preparing food for a Christmas dinner for the homeless and then by making craft kits for our neighborhood Christmas party. The girls also decided to use their own money to buy a gift for a 6-year old girl through Angel Tree. It's been a full and blessed Christmas season already!
Creating memories. On Saturday night, our first-ever neighborhood family Christmas party went much better than we anticipated. The sit-down dinner, making ornaments, a solo sung by a neighbor, and the reading of the Christmas story all contributed to an atmosphere that felt honoring to baby Jesus. As the party ended a new neighbor who is a Native American Christian came up to Glenna and said, "This is beautiful. You are creating memories for families and children that they will hold on to for a lifetime." Then she prayed God's blessing upon us.
Thank you for being part of our family! Our girls (and we) are keenly aware that there are many people, those we may not even know, who are praying for us and contributing towards our work in Boston. Thank you for creating lasting memories for us and our neighborhood families.
December 8, 2011
We're in a season of expectation. We are looking forward to 2012 with anticipation and a little nervousness all wrapped up together. The Boston Project's outreach has been experiencing a growth spurt. However, our fundraising and the size of our team has not kept pace with the number of youth and families coming to our door. Pray with us Luke 10:2.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
December is a time when we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. This Saturday we are hosting a Christmas banquet for those homeless with Starlight Ministries. The following Saturday, we will hold our first ever neighborhood Christmas celebration for families, organized by our new parent's group. At both events, the Christmas gospel story will be shared.
Hearing from God. As Glenna and I wrap up a year of rest from several leadership commitments, we are asking God about 2012. Are there things we should step back into, or new areas he is leading us to? What about His unfinished work in regards to healing in our personal lives? Please pray for our next steps.
We THANK God for YOU - our partners in ministry. We were recently at a missions conference at Grace Chapel with a couple who has served in Costa Rica for 46 years. At 75 they displayed such joy at seeing the fruit of their labors; some which hasn't been visible until now! It inspires us to look forward to many more years of ministry in Boston with The Boston Project, believing God for that same blessing. Thank you for walking with us.
December 7, 2011
- Answers to Prayers. Thank you for praying for us while at the national Christian Community Development Conference (CCDA) - God used the time to strengthen us; Homework Center has grown to 15-20+ youth coming daily; neighborhood leadership development is bearing fruit (and requires a good amount of Paul's time), and our family is adjusting well to homeschool and our new dog Sandie.
- New Staff and Volunteers. Pray for God's direction as we search for a new Missions Trip Director and another Youth Outreach Worker during the beginning of 2012. Pray for volunteers needed to tutor at Homework Center.
- Sharing the Good News. Pray for greater opportunities to share the hope found in Jesus Christ with neighbors, through Christmas programs, with the start of our youth Alpha Bible Study (Jan. 5), and during informal times like on the sidewalk in front of our home.
- Fundraising. 2011 has been a very fruitful year in ministry, yet at the same time we have not met some critical fundraising goals. Praise God while also praying for his provision for our specific financial needs.
November 29, 2011
The Neighborhood kept a secret from me for a whole month.
Surprise...Surprise! Each year our neighborhood association, the Talbot-Norfolk Triangle, nominates one person as "Neighbor of the Year."
I (Paul) am part of the Steering Committee that makes this decision. I thought we chose Mrs. Pegues.
When I invited Mrs. Pegues to come up and receive the award at a recent neighborhood meeting, the surprise was on me (video below).
I later learned that the entire neighborhood including my own children knew about this special award for a month and no one said a word! This may have been the biggest unexpected surprise in my life.
October 20, 2011
- Get up early and enjoy the stillness found in the city during the early morning hours. Read your Bible, listen to the birds sing, walk around your neighborhood quietly.
- Because the city tends to be busy by nature, structure your life so it is less busy. Learn to enjoy being "present" without a lot of planned activity. This helps bring balance.
- Enjoy creation. There is so much of God's beauty found in urban areas. You may not have vast mountain ranges, but it is a delight to soak in creation found in small gardens, window boxes, or random flowers growing in the crack of the sidewalk. Take time to observe.
- Find your peace in God. Life circumstances and external factors impact all of us, but they should not trump the peace we can find in God daily. Make sure your disciplines include times of silence, solitude, and scripture. I've even been able to do this on a city bus while on the way to work downtown each day.
October 12, 2011
- CCDA Conference. It's so great to be here! Ask God to use this time of training to refresh and inspire us. The theme is innovation in ministry. We gleaned many gems of information yesterday about discipleship, tutoring programs, neighborhood church partnerships and self-care.
- Homework Center. This week we opened our Homework Center for the new school year. Pray that our children work hard towards academic success and for the nurturing of strong friendships. Also, praise God for Mayonne, our new children's outreach worker who arrives this weekend!
- Youth Leadership Development. In September we launched the TNT Youth Council. This group of 10 neighborhood youth (ages 14-18) are learning about leadership and taking an active role in bringing about change in their neighborhood. We are excited to be walking alongside this next generation of leaders.
- Family Adjustments. We have had two major changes in our life in the past month; the beginning of homeschool and the addition of a new puppy (Glenna is elated!) Pray for our family as we adjust to these new and positive changes.
October 11, 2011
We've arrived at CCDA! Thanks to everyone who donated funds, travel advice, and plane tickets. This is the first conference that we are attending together in 12 years related to our work as part of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).
October is also when we launch our school year programs. We are excited to begin Homework Center, Real Life and Pretty Tween Girls Bible studies, and to continue our leadership development work through our new neighborhood Youth Council.
Listening to God. Mid-summer we were impressed with the need to be still. As a ministry team, we have kept a more low key fall schedule as several staff (ourselves included) are seeking God for direction, personal healing, and restoration.
We THANK God for YOU - our partners in ministry. We can't do it alone. We have been committed to God's work through The Boston Project for 16 years now. What an adventure with hopefully many more years to come! Your prayers, volunteer help, and financial gifts have not only sustained us, but have spread the message of Hope found in Jesus Christ.
September 27, 2011
Very...Very...Very surprised and honored today to receive an award for "Excellence in Public Service" from the US Attorney of Massachusetts, Carmen Ortiz, for crime prevention work in our neighborhood. Pictured with me is Bob Francis from Mass Housing. Interestingly, Bob also grew up in this same neighborhood in the 1960's.
Together we work alongside community partners and law enforcement to further the Dorchester Coalition for Great Neighborhoods (the former Washington Corridor Weed & Seed site) focused on public safety and the reduction of youth violence.
September 9, 2011
Update 9/26. We are going to CCDA! Thanks to all our friends who donated funds and even plane tickets to help us go to this conference. We'd greatly appreciate your prayers that our time there will be refreshing and that we will learn a lot.
This October, we hope to attend a national training conference for members of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). This association is made up of individuals and ministries like The Boston Project who do great work in urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods all over the United States.
It has been twelve (12) years since Glenna and I have been able to attend a conference together related to our work (Kingdomworks '99 for those who remember). We'd love to attend this year, and feel like we need to for added perspective on our family and ministry.
To be able to go, we need to raise $1,000 for travel, housing, and conference registration and expenses. If you would like to make an online donation or mail in a gift, we would be immensely grateful. (please note in the memo "Malkemes - CCDA") Thank you.
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