Peggy: Halfway Through!

It feels like just yesterday I wrote my last blog entry! Has a week really gone by?

Highlights of the Week
* jogging around Lake Merrit with one of the guys from the program
* tutoring in the Learning Center
* celebrating Justin's birthday with a pinata and a huge cake baked by the guys from the program
* learning about saving the environment
* African-American Museum and Library
* getting Justin, John and one of the guys from the program to eat BALUT! (if you're Filipino, you'll know what that is)
* really great conversations with the men in the program
* playing sports at the park with one of the guys' church

Some Thoughts
I'm constantly amazed at how God is at work here at CityTeam. We've really gotten to know the men in the program more and more. I have to admit that I had all these preconceived notions of what they'd be like -- really old and trying to recover from drugs and alcohol, with no energy.

But each of the men here have their own story of how they got to where they're at. Each man has someone at home waiting, praying, missing them. For example, Sam (not his real name) bought a bike for his daughter so that he could go bike riding with her when he gets time away from CityTeam. Noah (not his real name) visits his son every Sunday when the men have 4-hour pass to go wherever they want.

I love hearing stories about their daughters, sons, moms and dads. I love having meals with them and playing Dominoes with them. I love finding ridiculous ways to memorize vocabulary words in order to help them in the Learning Center.

So many of the guys have really started to open up to us and let us into their lives. I feel more and more at home here at CityTeam each day, especially knowing that they're also growing more and more comfortable with us being there.

Prayer Requests
* Pray for our team -- we're trying to stay healthy and not get sick, but several of us feel our throats getting tickly and not good!
* Pray for the men in the program: several of them are trying to pass their GED, some of them are having conflicts with men in other programs, some of them haven't been around as much as others.
* Pray for the CityTeam staff -- I haven't been able to interact with them as much as I hope to, but I know they've been really busy. They do a lot to keep this ministry going, so please keep praying for CityTeam staff.
* Pray for me: I'm falling more and more in love with urban ministry. The more I see God's heart for justice in the inner-city, the more I'm confused about what to do once I leave BAyUP and once my work with InterVarsity is done! Please pray that God reveals to me my next steps. I'm having a hard time getting ready to leave CityTeam in a few weeks. I'm enjoying it here a lot, but I definitely miss everybody back home!

I feel like a blog entry is just not sufficient enough to express the great experience I'm having and how much I'm loving Oakland. I can't wait to tell people more stuff in person!

Blessings,
Peggy