Thankfulness

I get to do a Wyldlife ministry at middle school in Raleigh named Ligon Middle School. I love it. For 5 really sweet months, the school was extremely open with our presence in the school, during school getting to know kids. Today, we have been told we are no longer allowed on the campus of the school because of parents not wanting Christian influence in their school. Its hard. Because we love the kids who go to Ligon Middle and we want to be with them. Emmanuel, a very wise Christian also ministering at Ligon challenged us to write down what we are thankful for the lord doing at Ligon. Here it is.

Jesus-
I am thankful that you died for kids at Ligon. Im thankful that you have loved them and known them for all time and have done everything that they may reign with you forever. I am thankful that you gave us favor with the staff and let us know them and grow to love them. I am thankful that for 5 months there was a Wyldlife leader there almost every single day even though our team has only had 3-4 people. I am so thankful for giving us the chance to do homework with kids in after school programs. I am thankful that you let us speak at a PTA meeting. Thank you for allowing 8 wonderful kids to go to weekend camp with us. Thank you for the core families who are supporting Wyldlife and opening their homes up and making this ministry possible outside of school. Thank you for letting over 50 ligon kids come to Wyldlife club. Thanks for lunches lord. What sweet time it was to sit at their tables and make new friends and ask how their day or week was going. Thank you for the teachers lord. Thank you for the administrators. Thank you for just letting us in God, that was your work that we would ever be there in the first place. Thank you for the campaigners where we had a group of 8th grade girls that did not want to stop talking about God and what they wanted prayer for. Thank you for the kids who have invited their friends to wyldlife. Thank you for the kids that we know really well that have never or would never come to Wyldlife but who you love just as they are and we love them for who they are. Thank you for just the joy it gave us to be at that school. Thank you for teaching me about what it looks like to invest your heart in a place. God thank you for showing me how powerful you are through this ministry. Thank you for letting us chaperone dances and hang out in teachers classrooms and do so much more than makes any sense at all with a public school. Thank you for making us people who don't make any sense at all as we joyfully, willingly give our life away to middle schoolers. Thank you for parents lord. Ligon parents are so special. Thank you for their support. Thank you for giving them hearts interested in Wyldlife. Thank you for the stamina to never get tired of it. To love it more and more even though its hard. Thank you for the bit of persecution we're in now with no longer being there, because persecution can be such a good thing, such a grower for your kingdom. Thanks lord for being sovereign in this. For not being stopped by any human limitations. Just for your love, lord. Your support. Your deep care for us in this. Your nearness to us. For your deep, deep love for every single one of these kids. You have been and continue to be so good. Its in your hands.