Riddle
December 21, 2011
"God is faithful!" seems to be a great phrase to sum up this year for our family. Though there have been some difficult times of stress, uncertainty, and family loss, God has shown us his goodness and guidance as we continue to seek Him.
These last few weeks have been full of holiday festivities but also precious family time. Recently both Keith and I have had a chance to be still and just marvel at the amazing gift we have in our boys. God has given us many opportunities to enjoy them and the amazingly beautiful and complicated treasures that they are. Now that they are older, we have been reading chapter books together and this fall have truly enjoyed sharing our favorites - The BFG, Inkheart and The Hobbit to name a few.
We have also had the joy of exploring God and concepts of spirituality with them recently, which is so much fun because their view of God is so uncomplicated. I was informed last week that if you take Jesus' last name and put "mas" after it you get the word Christmas! Joseph just finished his first term of first grade and is doing great - he excels in math, just like his dad (and gets distracted by things in his desk just like his mom). Tim performed in a holiday concert this weekend with Boston Children's Chorus. It was beautiful and he did a great job, but (in his own words) he would rather go home and take a nap than listen to everyone else sing. Aaron has discovered his voice and talks about EVERYTHING he sees. Our car rides are full of exclamations from the back seat as he yells out the names of all the things he sees. His favorite is the pizza sign we pass on the way to Joseph's school.
We look forward to 2012 and the many more adventures that await us. Thank you all
so much for your continued support and prayers, and from our family to yours, have a blessed Christmas!!
November 9, 2011
Last month, Sarah and I shared with you about a two-fold challenge - a coming transition in our ministry, and a large deficit in our family's support-raising - and asked for your help. We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the loving response from so many people.
Financial Update
At the beginning of October, we were $8,000 behind where we should have been in our financial support-raising. In the past five weeks, we have received over $6,600, plus several commitments for future special and regular gifts. This puts us back on track to meet our year-end goal, and helping us regain stability in our current finances. We do still have a ways to go for 2011, so if you would like to give towards our remaining year-end need of $10,325, you can give here.
Even in times we didn't get paid, it was fun to see how God would provide, including a friend who bought us groceries, a paid focus group on "sippy" cups, and even the start of a little baking business! Several people (unsolicited) asked to purchase baked goods from Sarah, and after a couple weeks word spread to their friends and family. Since cooking is something she loves to do and can do at home with the boys, she is planning on continuing baking cupcakes, cookie platters, and more through the Christmas season, and is calling her little venture "Sparrow Baking" after Luke 12:6-7 (sparrowbaking@gmail.com).
Ministry Transition Update
While we are still in a season of prayer and seeking God, our next steps are slowly but surely becoming clearer. We ask you to continue to please pray diligently with us. Ask God to give us specific and clear direction for His desire for our next steps, as we will be making some larger decisions over the coming weeks. We will keep you up to date as we go!
Some people have asked if we are planning on staying with The Boston Project. Our short answer is, "Possibly." There is potential for stepping into new roles within our ministry, and we are in the process of discerning what these roles would look like, how they fit into the growth and calling of the ministry, and if stepping into them is God's will for us and our family. If so, we are excited to continue serving in this ministry we love so much, yet in a new way. We will keep you up to date as we go!
We want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is truly a humbling yet joyful experience to know that our daily subsistence is literally held up by the prayers, generosity, and love of so many people. It's time like this that we really reflect on where God has placed us, and how he has blessed us richly in our relationships. We appreciate everyone who personally got in touch with us to pray, offer words of support, or share their own personal stories of God's guidance through difficult situations. Know that we love and appreciate you, and lift you up in our prayers, as well.
October 11, 2011
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Our family recently sent out a "Special Update" via mail and email sharing some of our current challenges, both in our ministry transition and financial support-raising, and how you can help.
The text of our letter is below:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I started working at The Boston Project, I made $200 a month and slept in a closet. And I loved it! Believe it or not, this was also when I asked Sarah for her lovely hand in marriage, and she said yes - you know she wasn't in it for the money.
At that time back in 2002, we had no idea how God would mature our ministry here with The Boston Project. We got married, had 3 amazing unstoppable little boys, and lived in one apartment the entire time (after the closet). We have led over 100 mission trips to Boston, and helped to host thousands of volunteers in our neighborhood. And God has blessed our home with a ministry of hospitality with dozens of young adult staff and neighbors.
In this season of our lives, we face a difficult challenge that is two-fold, and we want to ask for your prayers and your help. First, we are transitioning our role in ministry, and we are earnestly seeking God for definition around what is next for us. At the same time, we are facing a significant financial gap in our missionary support.
Our Ministry Transition
As you may know, I am stepping out of the role of overseeing overnight Mission Trips after 10 years. It has been a joy to serve the ministry and God's kingdom in this way for so long - back when I was a single guy fresh out of college, I pictured myself doing this for a year or two! We are blessed and humbled to have been used by God in the lives of so many people. Over the coming months, our plan is to hire a Mission Trip Director who will take what we have developed and run with it for years to come.
While we feel a sense of peace about stepping out of this role, we are still not sure exactly what God has us stepping into. We expected that God may have provided direction as we bought a house, however that has not become a reality. So we are currently in a season of very intentional prayer, study, fasting, and seeking God for what is next (including a 5-day conference related to our work later this month). For now, we ask for your earnest prayers for us.
Our Financial Need
Even in the uncertainty of our new role, we are facing an unanticipated gap in our financial support. As a missionary family, we are responsible for raising over 90% of our salary. This year, we increased our goal from $30,000 to $38,000 in order to free up money to hire a new Mission Trip Director. However, donations have not kept pace and even declined, as several individuals and churches that have been regular supporters are no longer able to give.
We are currently $8,000 behind where we should be at this time of year, and $17,000 behind where we need to reach by year's end. This fall, our family has had to delay several recent paychecks and may miss future ones, even as we had the unexpected expense of replacing our minivan. The Boston Project also faces the prospect of delaying the hire of the Mission Trip Director.
The Riddle Family's Support-Raising, 2006-2011
Would you consider a special gift this year-end to sustain our work with The Boston Project Ministries? And as we head into 2012, please pray about becoming a new or increased monthly supporter. To all those who have supported our ministry with regular or special gifts over the years, we want to express our deep gratitude. We are one body with many parts and we need each other.
You can give online at www.tbpm.org/giving or make a check payable and mail to: The Boston Project Ministries, 670 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124. Thank you for your prayers and for allowing God to work through you to make this possible.
With much love and thanksgiving,
Keith & Sarah Riddle
The Boston Project Ministries
P.S. - You can pray for us at the Christian Community Development Association conference on October 12-16 in Indianapolis, IN. Ask God for safe travel (driving 16 hours each way) and for Him to continue to speak to us while we're there.
September 12, 2011
I have to share this story - God just gave us an incredible opportunity to celebrate with our family how He answers prayer in real ways.
So we've known for about a month now that we'll need a new minivan. It needs a lot of work, and it's not worth it to repair. However, for the past few weeks it seems that every time we drive it, something else goes wrong - the vents turn high and low by themselves, dashboard lights come on and off, etc.
Friday night, we were at the mall for our family's favorite cheap dinner - Regina Pizza - and as we were leaving, our headlights wouldn't work. Our high beams worked, but then the battery light came on (not the first time). We left for home, and as we were sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the expressway, the ABS brake light came on the dash, as well. Since this was the first time we had seen this light, at this point Sarah and I are looking at each other with a "hmmm, that's interesting" look.
To avoid traffic, we decided to get off an exit early, and as we did, all of the interior dash lights dimmed, then went black. So now we're getting more concerned - Sarah and I frantically start shutting off everything else electronic - the stereo, vents, etc. At least the headlights and engine were still working, but we were starting to think we might need a tow to make it all the way home.
At this point, Sarah asked Joseph if he would like to pray, and ask God to get us home safely tonight. Joseph prayed a simple prayer for our safe arrival home, and said "Amen."
From there, we drove pretty uneventfully for the final 2 miles or so, until we got about 100 yards from our house. At that point, the engine started making some interesting noises. Thinking that when we junk the van we'll have to have it towed, I decided to back into the driveway.
As I pulled forward to get into position, everything electric in our car shut off - the gauges, lights, everything - but the engine was still running. So I put it in reverse, and backed into the driveway. As I applied the brake to stop, the engine shut off completely, and all of us let out a collective sigh - we were home!
It seems like such a ridiculous thing, but I was just amazed at how God answered Joseph's prayer so exactly that night - we were able to celebrate that with him and Timothy, and they really saw His hand at work. We couldn't have made it to the stop sign at the end of our street if we wanted - God gave us exactly what we needed. He got us home safely, and no further. Praise God for such an awesome opportunity to see Him at work, and celebrate with our whole family how he answers prayers!
PS. And on a further note of answered prayers, later that night as I continued my search for a newer van, I saw a new listing come online, which I called about the next day, then bought. It's a newer van with less miles than ones we were looking at (and AWD), but we likely wouldn't have bought the van yet without breaking down on Friday night. God's timing on our breakdown got us a great deal!
September 6, 2011
- A Routine! We are looking forward to regaining a sense of "normal," after a fast-paced summer when nothing was routine. Pray especially for our relationship as a couple reconnecting with each other. During the summer, we're used to being the "captains of our own ships" (as Sarah says) - Keith directs his staff, and Sarah directs the home. As a result, many times it's an adjustment to simply come back together when we're both used to having our own way :).
- Hiring a Mission Trip Director. Pray that we find the person with the unique mix of passions, gifts, and skills to oversee our overnight trips. Also pray for consistent funding for this position. A large summer program helped us get on good financial ground, but the fall and winter tend to be our more difficult months financially for the mission trip programs.
- New Minivan. We just discovered that to pass inspection, our van needs about $6K of work (we only paid $4K for it), so we are looking for a new(er) reliable van, probably '04-'06 models.
**UPDATE 9/14** We drove home our new minivan last night!! Praise God for an AWESOME deal on a newer van - it's even All Wheel Drive! It definitely stresses me (Keith) out to spend so much money, but I am happy that the van we got was a good deal and should last a long time (my goal is to drive Aaron to college in it).
- Financial Support for our Family. This year, we increased our support-raising goal by $8,000, but we are not keeping pace with where we need to be - we're about $6,000 behind our goal right now. Please pray for new opportunities for people and churches to partner with us.
August 29, 2011
Whew! What a summer! Thank you for praying us through this summer - it was very different than we expected it to be, and truthfully we were anxious coming into it. We had planned for a scaled back summer led by a newly hired Mission Trip Director, but instead we had the largest Summer Missions Program ever. To top it off, we postponed this new hire, so this was Keith's first summer without a co-director in 6 years. (see why we were anxious? :)
Yet with these challenges, this summer was great! Some highlights from our ministry and family life:
- Celebration Dinners. On the last meal of each mission week, we invited neighbors whose homes/churches/ministries we worked at to join us for fellowship and sharing. This was one of my greatest blessings to witness youth and neighbors ministering to each other in such powerful ways.
- Increased Outreach. The larger program allowed us to do so much! 275 Teenagers gave over 8,000 hours of service to more than 50 neighbors, churches, schools, and ministries.
- Family Time. We visited family in New Jersey and South Carolina. It was a special blessing to spend extra time with Keith's brother's family - Doug, Heike, and cousin Samuel!
God truly gave us joy in the midst of a non-stop summer! We give credit to God working through your prayers - thank you!
March 3, 2011
This blog entry is directed to the youth leaders who are bringing teams to serve with The Boston Project through our Summer Missions Program (SMP), a one-week service and missions trip to Boston. These youth are involved with our long-term outreach efforts, and also challenged to learn more about themselves, the city, and God. I thought I would post this to give some insight into one of the programs that I lead.
This month, our ministry staff has been studying and reflecting on the biblical concept of "making disciples." In Scripture, discipleship is central to Jesus' plan - not only in his command (the "Great Commission"), but even in how he spent so much time with just 12 men. He could have been running around the country using every spare moment to meet real and meaningful needs. Yet he poured much of his time into his followers. Paul continued this pattern, writing to Timothy, "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Tim. 2:2)
Specifically, our staff has asked, "What does it mean to make disciples in our context at The Boston Project?" Because our ministry is multi-faceted, there are probably several answers to this question. For one of our staff, it may mean intentionally reaching out to a 17-year-old young man, playing basketball, involving him in a teenage Bible study, spending 1-on-1 time together, and getting to know his family.
But when it comes to the Summer Missions Program, how do we see ourselves in the "disciple-making" process? How are we helping to "make disciples" when we see teenagers for a week, and then they're gone? Here are a few of my thoughts on this question (I am also open to hearing your thoughts - please share):
1. Our staff disciple your youth. It is our sincere hope that our staff are able to enter into meaningful relationships with your teenagers that result in real and lasting transformation in their lives. The only way this happens is through prayer, and I have seen it enough to know that God can do amazing things. Even in the context of a few days, God can use our staff to love, guide, challenge, and inspire teenagers. That's why we have about 1 staff for every 5 youth. We want to be more than directors of your week - our staff love your youth even before they arrive, and are committed to walking with them as they take steps on their journey with Christ. Let me also say that you and your adult leaders are crucial to supporting our staff and helping them to understand your youth.
2. Our staff give you the opportunity to disciple your youth. We know that as a leader in your youth group, you probably get overwhelmed at times with details, schedules, emergencies, and those times when everyone is asking you "So what are we doing nooowwwww?" That's why we take care of the details - from organizing cleaning times to leading discussions, from setting up activities to helping with waking up a dozen teenage boys. We want you to take advantage of the valuable time that you have with your teenagers that you may not have during your "normal" life. Hopefully, this is a chance to reconnect to why you do youth ministry in the first place - to invest in the lives of your teenagers.
3. Your youth may disciple people here in Boston. There may be opportunities for your youth to spend time with a local resident, a homeless family, a senior citizen, or a teenager in our neighborhood. Although it may only be for a few minutes or a few hours, we trust that God can use those encounters to move people closer to himself. Maybe disciple isn't the best word for this, but can there be spiritual impact? No doubt.
4. People here in Boston may disciple your youth. In what may be a twist, your youth may grow closer to God through their experience with someone they meet in Boston. Many times, we can think of a missions trip as a time to "give," but often it's more about what you "receive." For an example, a youth team works at a senior couple's home to do some much-needed weeding, cleaning, and around-the-house projects. While there, the senior couple sits down with them and shares their rich spiritual history of how they came to know Jesus Christ, and have been walking with him for the past 65 years. Who has given, and who has received? Who has really been discipled? After all, Jesus did say we would meet him in the "least of these."
5. We are all being discipled in the sense that we are entering into a "guided experience" with someone we trust while seeking God together through prayer and study of His Word.
There are probably several more ways that "discipleship" happens in the context of the Summer Missions Program. And while a one-week experience may not match up exactly with how Jesus discipled the 12, we trust that 1) it fits into where long-term discipleship is happening already (both in your group and in Boston), and 2) God can use short-term experiences to create long-term transformation (just look at Zaccheus).
So those are my thoughts on discipleship and the SMP - I would love to hear yours, as well!
January 28, 2011
Maultaschen is my sister-in-love's favorite German specialty, and literally translated means "mouth pockets." (Thanks for introducing it to us, Heike!) The dish is basically a beef and spinach dumpling soup, but with a lot of love mixed in. It comes out best when you can flatten the dough with a pasta roller, but a rolling pin can work okay, too. Don't be shy, give it a try - it's delicious!
The filling:
½ onion diced
1 lb spinach: chopped and steamed
1 lb ground beef, raw
2 tbsp melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cracker crumbs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
Mix all ingredients until incorporated, using your hands is the best.
The dough:
3 ½ cp flour
6 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
The dough can be made either by hand or with an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the flour mix and add the eggs. Incorporate by kneading or with the mixer. Knead until the dough is smooth. (a.k.a. bicep workout for the day)
Run small sections of the dough through a pasta roller. Starting with the widest setting, and stopping at 4.5. If you don't have a pasta maker you can roll it out with a rolling pin until it is VERY thin. It is best to work on a well-floured surface. Cut the dough into four inch squares (approximate). Place a round tablespoon full in the center of each pasta square. Brush the edges with a beaten egg. Fold over one half of the pasta square to make a small rectangle. Pinch the edges closed tightly and set aside on a floured cookie sheet.
While you are rolling out and stuffing the Maultaschen, start boiling the broth. You will need 6 cups of beef broth then add 1 tbsp parsley, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp paprika, 1.2 tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp dried thyme.
When the broth is boiling, add the Maultaschen. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Serve Maultaschen in steaming broth. This recipe makes about 40 Maultaschen or 8-10 servings.
January 7, 2011
After being in the market for a home for more than two years now (Sarah and I started looking in 2008), I feel like my eyes have been opened to a new world which even most homeowners have not seen - the world of urban real estate - and it kind of makes me sick.
I'm a big picture thinker, and so to me, I see several parallel realities: 1) Poor, hardworking people trying to make ends meet in an expensive city; 2) Homeownership being one major way for people to improve their financial situation and neighborhood, 3) Already high rents rising even more due to foreclosures, 4) Investors buying up most of the low-cost homes in decent condition that low-income homebuyers would actually be able to afford and improve, 5) Those same investors reselling houses at a price out of reach for people in our neighborhood, and 6) Still more investors who buy these renovated homes to make rental income off of poor, hardworking people.
The sad thing to me is that first-time homebuyers are looking for the exact same homes as these investors - low-cost homes that don't need a lot of work - but they are at a severe disadvantage because many (maybe most) investors can pay cash. And what homeowner or bank would prefer to wait three months when they can just have a check for the full amount right up front. This scenario played out for me and Sarah more than once (I believe in 3 of our 6 offers). In one case, we had a verbal acceptance from a bank, but in the week it took them to draw up the paperwork, a cash offer for less came in and they took it instead. How many times does this happen to homebuyers just like us?
I guess I want to just share this perspective because I'm not sure if most people are aware of the way the system literally shuts people out and pushes people down (oppresses?). And as I've wrestled with what it means to really care for the poor and oppressed, I want to invite you to help me understand how to respond to what I believe is an injustice. Most of the time, it seems that without money, I have no power to change anything, but I know that's not how our Kingdom works. So feel free to share your thoughts - I welcome them.
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