Monday

Our First work day!

The Salts (Jeff, Caitlin and Drew and some people from Maryland) spent the day at US Bank Boys’ and Girls’ Club.

When the group first got there they played games with the kids like pool and Ping Pong.  After a while they went with the cadet group (6-8 year old kids) and watched some TV shows – after all, the weekly theme at the Boy’s and Girls’ club was TV!! Caitlin said there were about 25 cadets.  So far, this doesn’t sound like too much work!!

After the TV the group played a spelling game with the cadet kids until lunch. During lunch, they ate lunch with the kids at the club. After lunch was gym time, where they participated in relay races and basketball. Caitlin and Drew’s long hair was very popular with the girls at the club. They had as many as five girls at once braiding and playing with their hair! When they weren’t playing with their hair they were giving the kids piggyback rides. Both Caitlin and Drew said that some of the kids were heavy! The Salts will be going back every day this week.

While the Salts were at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the Ones (Nancy, Josh, Nathan, TJ, Jessica, Alex and Louie) went to the Price Hill Community Center. We split up at first, Nancy, Louie, TJ, and Josh spent the morning weeding part of their vegetable garden. It was very hot! The kids did a really great and thorough job of pulling up weeds (by their roots!) While they were weeding, Jessica, Alex and Nathan organized a big walk-in supply closet for the day camp program. They organized games and art supplies and a lot of things. They finished a little bit before lunch so they went outside and helped the other group finish up an area of weeding for about 20 minutes. After lunch we all got to help out with the day camp program. These kids were 5-12 years old. We did some art projects with them and went outside and played with them until it was time for their lunch at 2:00. We had a little time left before showers so we cleaned up the kitchen area in the community center before we took showers at 3:00.  Tomorrow the Ones will be going to a new place…. Stay tuned!

I think we all had a pretty good day of service. Right now, the kids are enjoying some free time: some playing cards with kids from another church, and some learning a new game (though the Salts have dinner prep tonight….) After dinner tonight we will be travelling to the Purple People Bridge to hang out. It should be fun. Our kids are already making friends with kids from other churches!

Your support is so much appreciated. These youth are already growing in Christ, making new friends and serving  the community of Cincinnati. We appreciate your continued prayers.