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New Experiences in the wings

This past Thanksgiving break my wife and I took a few of our Freedom Fire "sons" on an excursion to Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge. Now, my wife and I had been there a few times, always trying to catch the right weekend when tens of thousands of snow geese gather on their migratory flights. If you hit the right day, it's breathtaking, watching up to a hundred thousand geese all take flight at the same time. Wow. Witnessing a scene like that isn't soon forgotten, and we wanted our boys to feel the same awe at God's creation. But you never know. You might miss the right time entirely.We nailed it.The best part wasn't watching the geese this time. It was watching the boys. We saw them loving God's world, filled with wonder at it. For lots of our Freedom Fire kids, exposure to the outdoors just doesn't happen, so they grow up fearful of it, afraid of ANYTHING new. Compare that with my own kids, who went on countless adventures exploring creeks, climbing trees and jumping into rivers, riding bikes through the woods, swimming in lakes and ponds, you name it. They don't get afraid of new experiences, they relish them.Not so the kids from the 'hood. Fear characterizes their upbringing, and exploring nature is just another thing to fear. But this day as we watched a great blue heron, bald eagles, ducks galore, and of course a billion geese take flight, it was a big step forward for them. They loved it, and are hungry for more.

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13 years and counting....

13 years ago Sarah made the mistake as a college student of stepping foot into a Friday Night Outreach, and letting God touch her heart for one of the forgotten kids of the City.  De’Quan was one of those kids. He found a home in her heart and never left… De'Quan was the first Freedom Fire kid that I (Sarah) have distinct memories of, beginning back in 2003.  He wove his way into my heart in ways simply authentically himself.  After my husband and I were married in 2010, he was a regular in our home in weekends and over summer breaks.  In a way that can only be written as God's divine appointment, in 2014 he became a permanent part of our family.   At 16 he is an incredible young man, full of potential and joy.  He is compassionate, creative, talented artist, determined, honor roll student, full of love and a treasured member of our family.  God is astounding in the masterful way He weaves our stories, I look at life and realize there is no way other than this - together as a family, seeking the heart of God.  Thank you Sarah and Jon, for letting the Father display his love to one those dearest to Him.

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Thursdays with Manda

Amanda is hanging around Freedom Fire about 7 days a week.  She's addicted, ruined, completely pouring her life into the precious young ladies of 12th street.  On Thursdays, she brings 4 young lovelies to her house for schoolwork, then fun and games. Cookies, baking, sewing, board games, making a memory every week.  Ask those girls if they ever want to miss a day at Manda’s house and they answer in two words: NO WAY.  Hey Manda, aren’t you missing out on your tv shows? What about shopping? A boyfriend?  Manda’s not listening. She’s out the door on her way to tutor a kindergartener, or lead a Bible Club, or attend an outreach.  Like Paul, a life poured out like a drink offering.  Is there a better way to live?

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Dave and the boys

Dave began mentoring a few boys almost 3 years ago. A few boys have moved away, but Shannon has stayed a part of the group, and Khaliq has joined this year. Both are 5th graders at the local grade school. Along with some hoops and plenty of food, they talk about character and faith. Last year, Shannon was accepted into an excellent charter school, but because he spent the summer out of town with his father, he missed the cut off date for the school. This year, he is signed up again, and along with his mother we are praying that he gets in! If he does, Dave’s encouragement, tutoring and accountability will be even more important.

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Brock's Homies

Brock has been leading a Mentoring Group for the last year here at Freedom Fire. With names like Abdi, Abdul, Ismael, Hussein, and Ali you can see their families have origins in far away places.But what they have in common with every young man is that they are hungry, and not just for food. They are hungry, starving in fact for the attention of an older man. Enter Brock. Their weekly discussions cover school, family, the future, character, and of course, God. They love Brock! He doesn't need a course in cross-cultural ministry, he just shows up. They grab a burger and sit down to talk. No one else is doing that with them, and so they listen. Please join Brock in praying for these boys, that they would follow Brock, as he follows Christ. 

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Keyshawn and Ryan

For 3 years now Ryan has been tutoring Keyshawn, now a 4th grader at Kansas City Christian School. You won't find anyone sweeter or more sensitive than Keyshawn. And for the most part, he is an eager learner. But boy, does he need help staying organized. So tutoring becomes more than academics, it usually spills over to life skills. A volunteer may start out as a tutor, then as the relationship builds they discover the child needs more than help in math and reading. They need all the loving support we can muster. I heard recently that kids need on the average 5 loving adults around them in order to navigate their way through life. And elsewhere I read that the best 'therapy' for kids who have experienced trauma is caring adults around them. So Ryan - and others - are essential if wonderful kids like Keyshawn are to make it. Way to go Ryan. The investment is eternal.

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Making a Memory

Pauline has been tutoring 3rd grade Shanaira now for a few years, and they have developed a wonderful friendship that goes beyond the after school hours. Pauline invited Shanaira over for a fun Christmas evening last month. Here's how Shanaira described it:What did I do over Christmas?I got to go to Pauline’s house. I made a ginger bread house. It had candy on it like candy canes, gum drops, M&Ms, and icing to keep the house straight. I also played with Pauline’s dogs, cats and watched movies. Next, I went in the hot tub! When I got hot I went to the trampoline and then went right in the hot tub. Then I went to Pauline’s room. She had a beautiful room with a balcony. Pauline let me wear some of her clothes and that’s very helpful, thank you Pauline!The EndOne afternoon doesn't change someone's life.  But making memories are part of building a strong relationship, and it models for our kids how the Christian life should look. Little ones naturally look up to older ones, and if don’t step in to fill that need then other less desirable role models will.

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It Pays to Stick Around

You just never know how a kid is going to turn out. You can pour your heart and soul into them and sometimes they stomp on it and walk away. Other times you can't tell if you are making an impact or not. And sometimes, it's years later that you see all that God was doing in a boy's heart while you tutored, prayed, taught and toiled over his life.We met Demonta when he was a youngster in grade school and he joined one of our Bible Clubs. Summer camp followed, then tutoring, then a scholarship to a Christian School, and finally college. When Demonta dropped in the other day and we talked about his life, good decisions he is making, being discipled at his church, his desire to live only for Christ and to make an impact on youth - I couldn't help but be SO PROUD OF HIM!Keep going, man. The sky is the limit, and we can't wait to see what you become.
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Loving Means Doing

Most of us probably know the greatest commandment, which Jesus tells us is, simply put, Love God.  If it’s the greatest, you would expect Jesus to talk more about it.  But he doesn’t, not hardly a whisper; instead he just does it.  And the way he does it is by following the 2nd commandment:  Love people.  He spends his days walking from village to town, loving the people around him.After spending lots of time with our kids in the hood over the last several years, I think I get it.  Yes, they need to hear the gospel, but what they really need is to see it.  So we love God by loving the people around us.  Spending meaningful time with kids is loving God, and in doing so we live the gospel in front of them.  They see it, and learn to love Him too.The latest example around Freedom Fire is Megan McGregor. She spent some time with a few girls learning a new craft, and learning what it means to Love God too.
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This is a collection of pics around the ministry, in which every pic has people of different races or ethnic groups in it. It isn't hard to find that around Freedom Fire - a mix of lots of wonderful colors!

[youtube]http://youtu.be/AEL97lkv7XI[/youtube]

NOTE: The video is really only 4:17 long - there is a stretch of black at the end for some reason!

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