Summer Project Update #1

From Day 4 of the Project:

Wow, we're off to an amazing start! God is already doing huge things in and through the lives of the college students here.

We have;

• Three African-American students.
• Five Hispanic students.
• One Filipino student.
• Three White students.

Five students are from out of state (Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina), all the rest are locals with six from Emmanuel Reformed Church (our church!) who has adopted Compton for the next 40 years. These students are here as part of that strategy.

Sunday, we attended Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church and the students were blown away. We spent the Sunday School hour with the Pastor, Rafer Owens and his staff hearing his amazing vision for Compton and all of what his church is doing. Then we went into service. Most of the students have never had the opportunity to experience worship in an African-American church before. One of the team leaders came up to me about mid-way through th worship and asked, "Is this ALWAYS this way?" with a huge smile on her face. I smiled back and said , "Yeah, it is".

After the sermon, Pastor Owens called Tonya and I up to talk about the project and what the students were doing here in Compton. We had a few moments to share the vision for the project and what we all are working towards in Compton. Then he had all the students also come up to the platform and told them the church had been praying for them for 10 years to come and help them! It was a huge vision-casting moment for the students as well as the congregation showing both sides that God is doing something big and it's definitely bigger than any one church or group.

Pastor Owens called the group his "Angels". And that he was so touched and energized that they would give up their summer time and come serve in Compton.

The students still have not stopped talking about that, and I don't think they will!

Yesterday, the three teams started their ministry sites. They're doing very well!

Please continue to pray that we will love Compton well, serve our ministry partners and learn more of God's heart as how to reach Compton in the long-term.

-more to come!