St. Francis of Assisi was known to believe that nature itself, all parts of it, was the mirror of God.  He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and even preached to the birds. For this reason, many churches, including OPCC, offer a celebration of all of God’s creatures, a time to bless the animals in our lives, close to Francis’ birthday.  We are discovering more and more the benefits of pets in our lives and society, so blessing them at church is not just a fun thing to do; it is acknowledging their importance both to us and to God.  Join us on Sunday, October 7, at 2:00pm in the OPCC main courtyard to bless whatever animals you would like to bring! All are welcome - wherever you come from, whoever you are, whatever kind of animal you have, we will bless them! Even if they've been blessed before, and they may need another. Come find out about "My Dog Jesus" and so much more! (Please make sure all animals are either on leashes or in appropriate carriers.)

Our final work day was spent at Lydia's House this morning followed by some time at Good Life Growing. The kids are tired after this week of new experiences and the leaders are wiped! 

Lydia's House is a transitional living program for women and children affected by domestic abuse. They provide housing in two different locations with a total of about 50 housing units in total. We were at their administrative building today helping them complete some work as they renovate the space. I don't believe Kansas City has a program like this unique option here in St. Louis. Women and their children can be live in this transitional housing up to two years as they rebuild their lives. 

We packed our lunches this morning and drove back to Forest Park to eat lunch. The weather was beautiful for our picnic lunch! 

In our final mission project, we helped an organization called Good Life Growing, developed in the urban neighborhood near the church. This organization is a grass-roots group that is seeking to empower local communities to revitalize the neighborhood and combat urban decay. They use aquaponic, hydroponic, aeroponic, as well as other organic farming methods. Here at Good Life Growing, we picked weeds. Lots and lots of weeds! We were at least blessed with some cooler weather. That is, until the clouds dissipated and made way for the sun!

The kids are cooking dinner now. I believe they are making stir fry. I really try to let them do it all on their own but I did step in once when I heard, "How much rice do I put in?" They hadn't measured the water and were just going to pour some unknown rice in. That could have been interesting!

It's been a great week! We will clean up tomorrow, pack up, and head out to spend the day at Six Flags where we'll stay until the kids are done and then head home!

Today was both exhausting and thought provoking. We started the day by going out to Washington Cemetery located near the airport and helping with ongoing clean up of the cemetery. It has been overgrown with brush for years and years. Here is an recent article I found about the cemetery to give you some perspective: 
www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/volunteers-make-cemetery-holy-again/article_532dba4b-bad6-5bea-9c6d-ef206b261e84.html

The kids did an amazing job this morning cutting back twigs, small trees, and brush plus moving a brush pile to a burn pile. It was hot work, it was sweaty work, and it was satisfying work. We met people looking for their relative's graves and they are so thankful for the help in uncovering the area. The man leading the transformation has been working on the cemetery for 4 years so far. Such a huge task. 

After coming back to the church to shower and eat lunch, we headed out to the History Museum in Forest Park where we were led on a tour to learn about black history. We were challenged and inspired to understand a dark part of history here in the US. More than one time I teared up from the stories we heard and the blatant inhumane ways people have been treated. 

The kids were then challenged in a discussion about justice. I know it impacted the kids because they continued to talk about it in the van on the way to the grocery store. I anticipate some deep discussion tonight in our devotion time. 

The kids are preparing dinner as I type. I am super impressed with their ability to work together and their willingness to do so. So parents, I want you to know that your children are fully capable of planning a meal, shopping for the needed supplies, AND preparing the meal. They are even cleaning up!!! DO NOT let them fool you! 

Enjoy the pictures from our day. (None from the museum.)

It's late and I'm pretty exhausted so this might be a brief post but I couldn't let this day go by without reflecting on it a little. First, let me say these kids are amazing. They are eager to serve and truly want to share kindness wherever they go. (That's not to say they aren't normal teens too that forget to listen, are super loud, and push the limits with the 'lights out' time every night!)

This morning we helped at Angels Boutique Resale Shop. This store is run completely with one full time staff member and one part time. These two people have to keep the store organized, place products on the floor, help customers, accept donations, and organize those donations. They have some help with volunteers over the summer but in a couple weeks their volunteers will pretty much be gone and they will be on their own again. We were able to help organize their donations in the storage room so they can be found more easily and clean up the area in general. These kids are great organizers! (Don't let them fool you mom and dad!)

After lunch at the church we were pushed out of our comfort zones but a man from the Republic of the Congo. He was absolutely amazing. He taught us two songs in which we were able to play percussion instruments and sing his native language. We also were led through some dancing with his native music. We might not be able to move our hips like he could but we had a lot of fun trying! 

We followed this up with a trip downtown to the arch and dinner at a local restaurant, Caleco's. After a devotional time, the kids are finishing the evening with some games and hopefully sleep soon! 

The kids had great reflections from the day: serving others adds joy to their lives and brings them fulfillment they don't find in other ways AND they had great appreciation of learning from a man from another culture and they felt blessed by his presence. 

A great day of gifts given and gifts received. 

 This morning we spent time at and around the Euclid Salvation Army facility which is just a couple miles from the church. At the SA we met Eric who took us around the neighborhood sharing information about their Vacation Bible School next week as well as giving out water and fresh pears to anyone who wanted one. 

Unfortunately, it was pretty hot out already and we didn't encounter many people out at the parks or neighborhoods we visited so then we went to a fast food parking lot and shared there. 

Upon our return to the SA we met Miss Cynthia who taught us more about what they do to help the community and to share the gospel with others. These are truly some remarkable people who love God and work hard every day to make a difference in the world around them. Keep dropping money in the kettles during the Christmas season because this organization does good things in the world! 

This afternoon we walked around the neighborhood and witnessed the Delmar Divide for ourselves. Delmar is a street just a few feet from UACC which is well known for being the racial dividing line in St. Louis. There is a distinct difference north (more affluent and predominantly white) of Delmar vs south (less affluent and predominantly black). 

After our very hot walk around the neighborhood, we returned to the church and watched a video about the Delmar Divide. You can watch the video below. 

We had great discussions about the racial separation that continues today all across the United States with some thoughtful insights from the kids. 

This evening we went to Forest Park and played their favorite game frisbee and by we I really mean they played while I sat and watched the sunset!