Clear 2012 - Week 4

Week 4 - Chicago, IL

Well, this is week 2 in good ole Chicago.  So far it’s been a mostly enjoyable experience.  This weekend we had the opportunity to go and spend some time in Millennium Park, right in downtown Chicago.  During this time, some of the team were playing a game we have yet name.  Anyway, it was really cool to watch a random game being played by our staff and have some locals come join in.  Afterwards we had the opportunity to talk with them about the Clear ministry and what we are doing in the city.  

Once Monday hit we were all excited to meet the kids we would be working with for the next two weeks.  Most of these kids attend school were we are working.  It’s a privately run organization that is backed by one of the churches in the Chicago area.  

Now as a Clear staff, we are used to doing things a certain way.  Working with this school has been a challenge for us all.  It feels more like a summer school than a summer camp.  The teachers or counselors act like regular school teachers with their method of doing things.  Our role as a staff is to work alongside them and maybe help equip them with some of the things Clear does.  

Now as challenging as this has been for us, we have experienced and seen God working in what we are doing.  We feel that the first week we have been here doing manual labor has helped us build some credibility with the school staff.  It has been tough for all, but we are taking Paul’s words from Ephesians 6:5-8 seriously. 

Here Paul says...

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

So we are doing our best to serve wholeheartedly.  As we are serving the Lord in everything we do, not man. And slowly, we have begun to see effects of our work.  Kids have begun to open up to us during the day.  Through conversations with the adult leaders we have learned that they are impressed with what we do as a ministry. We have even had conversations with some of the younger workers here at the school about how they could possibly be involved with Clear next summer.  

Personally, God has reminded me that I am a leader.  People are watching me from every angle.  And as a leader, I have to be careful about how I react in situations.  This week I hadn’t had the best of reactions every time, but I’ve decided to learn from those mistakes and make tomorrow better than today.  

David