MTW & Operation Exodus Mission Teams

Our blog has moved!

2011-10-27T16:53:00.001-04:00

Hi All,
We have changed the hosting company of the MTW and Operation Exodus blog.

Please now follow us at www.mtwandoe.wordpress.com

Thank you,
Bobbi Jo
Mission to the World
Project Administrator

New York Operation Exodus Video

2011-10-17T16:08:00.008-04:00

Let us know if you are interested in serving in New York City in the coming year!

Contact Bobbi Jo Brooks (bobbi.jo.brooks@mtw.org) for more information.

Summer has begun in NYC!

2011-07-08T00:16:00.002-04:00

It is getting rather late and I can't seem to get images to upload to the blog fast enough, but wanted to at least post one image to say that teams have arrived and summer program has begun at Operation Exodus! So far the kids are having a blast! Tomorrow students at our Inwood site are going on a field trip with the volunteers (mission teams) to Governs Island!

Spring Break 2011

2011-03-26T19:06:00.003-04:00

Graystone Pres came to NYC March 5-11 and served with Operation Exodus but also a few days at Infinity Church NYC in the Bronx. Here is a short snap shot into their week. Disclaimer regarding this video there are images from our downtime either on the subway or in the evening they by no means represent the work the team was doing but rather showing the fun the team had bonding together on subway rides, waiting for the subway or after program was complete.

MTW - Disaster Response in Japan

2011-03-18T23:55:00.002-04:00

I know this blog is about MTW & Operation Exodus in NYC, but I think this is important to to share.

MTW has produced this video for churches to use to communicate the needs in Japan and the efforts that are being made to relieve the misery and loss. Churches can download the video from Vimeo to show during their worship and/or time of offering as well as embed it on their website. Please share!

MTW - Disaster Response in Japan

MTW - Disaster Response in Japan from Go Global on Vimeo.

MTW - Disaster Response in Japan

Ruminations on Exodus

2011-02-24T12:41:00.003-05:00

***Note that though you'll read something about a limousine, you will probably not have this same experience. It just so happened that a limo was able to take them to the hostel for the same price as a taxi.**** :)

First Presbyterian Church, Stanley became interested in New York City immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Just like the rest of the country, our hearts were broken for the people of NYC and we wondered what we could do to minister to them. A call to MTW Atlanta put us on the trail of Operation Exodus and in the summer of 2003 we took our first trip to Manhattan. We took a limo from the airport to the Youth Hostel on 103rd and Amsterdam – one of the largest youth hostel in the US. Everyone just stared at us as we emerged from the limo… picture the Beverly Hillbillies riding into Beverly Hills! ha-ha

Wildness ensued!! The early years of working with OE were both challenging and exhausting – I’m originally from Tennessee, work in an NC town of 3,500 people, love the mountains, and only speak hick-English. Arriving in Manhattan was a culture shock to say the least!

During our first summer experience we lived in a youth hostel, did OE in Riverbank State Park, and basically just survived. We were in over our heads and sinking fast. We brought crafts with glue but there was no place to wash your hands… we planned some drama skits but the kids were spread out between the basketball court, pool, water fountain, and soccer/track… we planned groups games but the kids would rather jump rope…. Our entire group was stretched beyond our capability. But God upheld and sustained us and we managed to finish the week. Whew!!

When I returned home, I slept for 3 straight days. My wife thought I had some strange virus. She is a former InterVarsity campus minister who has lead Global Mission Trips in Africa and Europe. I have lead at least 12 mission trips myself, so we’re no rookies. But that first year of OE was the hardest mission trip I’ve ever taken. So why am I telling you all this?!

Because after two weeks of being “dog tired,” I wanted to go back! And go back we did for 4 straight years. God grew in us a love for the students and tutors at OE that could not be thwarted by physical, mental, or emotional hardship. All our team could think of was those faces/names/people we had ministered to (and who had ministered to us). So from 2003-2006 we left the country for the city and followed the call of our great and awesome God to serve NYC and Operation Exodus.

Things obviously changed from 2003-2006 – OE found a ‘home’ to host their program, tweaks occurred that made the relationships between OE and churches thrive all the more, and the OE kids became more open to the “veterans.”

Then from 2007-2010 we took a break from Manhattan and served in rural MS. But the adults and youth of the church couldn’t get the kids of OE off our hearts/minds. So after a several year hiatus, God has called us back to OE and we look forward to re-establishing old friendships, making new ones, and being transformed by God’s renewing grace. God helping us, we hope to love and serve the kids/tutors of OE and be stretched beyond our limits again so that we can see and experience His mighty hand at work in us and through us – for His glory and our good. Hope to see you there!

Scott Deneen, Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Stanley, NC

Reverse Culture Shock

2011-02-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

It may sound like I am starting with the end when we should be thinking about the beginning, but is important to think now about what will happen after. We talked about in the last post about debriefing on the field but also once home. It is also important to begin thinking about Culture Shock, yes even though you are still going to a city in the US, your team will experience culture shock in one way or another.

Many people are surprised at how well their cross-cultural adjustment goes on the field. In fact, some find it harder to readjust once they return home. They experience Reverse Culture Shock. The individual has had a wonderful, hopefully life-changing experience, which causes him to view the world, the church, himself, and life in general from a new perspective. Yet friends and family to whom he returns have not had such an experience and do not share the same perspective. Prepare your participants to expect the following when they return home:

• Being out of sync.
• Conflict in values: change in perspective concerning American
values/lifestyle
• Disinterest in mission experience from others: encourage your team to have an open and accepting attitude towards family and friends who do not share the same experience.
• Individualism vs. Team: seeking God and doing ministry at home typically as an individual as opposed to being a part of a community.

Encourage team members experiencing reverse culture shock. The following ideas/responses might help your team cope with reentry.

• Encourage team members to remain a “team” at church and involve the community of believers in ministry.
• If someone boasts, "This project has made me more Christ-like," explain that your life should reflect the difference Christ is making and that this kind of comment may invalidate itself.
• Encourage team members to listen to what family and friends experienced while the team was on the mission field. Don't forget your responsibility to spend time with your spouse, children, roommates, parents, and siblings. Do not ignore the needs of those closest to you as you readjust and they readjust to your being home.
• Make sure your team integrates peers left behind. How do you avoid being cliquish? How do you exert a positive influence without coming across as spiritually superior?

On Field Debrief & Follow up

2011-02-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

This post is direct towards Team Leaders.
It is also important from the beginning to think about how will debrief your team.

How will you debrief?
1) Structured debrief
• nightly team meetings
• scheduled small group/one-on-one time
• questions for reflections (Devotional material)

2) Unstructured debrief
• seize the "teachable" moments
• set up one-on-one relationships

For additional resources on debriefing, I recommend reading Seth Barne's blog sessions on debriefing, to read click here.

Follow-up debrief

On the mission field, Christ becomes the all-consuming passion. Being in an environment where we are dependent on our powerful Lord will cause some participants to realize how passive and limiting their relationships are with Christ. This will powerfully inspire them to seek the Lord’s goodness and abundant blessings in their own lives. Upon returning home, encourage team members to apply the ministry mindset at home to expand the Lord’s kingdom wherever their daily influence might be.

Reverse Culture Shock

Many people are surprised at how well their cross-cultural adjustment goes on the field. In fact, some find it harder to readjust once they return home. They experience Reverse Culture Shock. The individual has had a wonderful, hopefully life-changing experience, which causes him to view the world, the church, himself, and life in general from a new perspective. Yet friends and family to whom he returns have not had such an experience and do not share the same perspective. Prepare your participants to expect the following when they return home:

• Being out of sync.
• Conflict in values: change in perspective concerning American
values/lifestyle
• Disinterest in mission experience from others: encourage your team to have an open and accepting attitude towards family and friends who do not share the same experience.
• Individualism vs. Team: seeking God and doing ministry at home typically as an individual as opposed to being a part of a community.

Encourage team members experiencing reverse culture shock. The following ideas/responses might help your team cope with reentry.

• Encourage team members to remain a “team” at church and involve the community of believers in ministry.
• If someone boasts, "This project has made me more Christ-like," explain that your life should reflect the difference Christ is making and that this kind of comment may invalidate itself.
• Encourage team members to listen to what family and friends experienced while the team was on the mission field. Don't forget your responsibility to spend time with your spouse, children, roommates, parents, and siblings. Do not ignore the needs of those closest to you as you readjust and they readjust to your being home.
• Make sure your team integrates peers left behind. How do you avoid being cliquish? How do you exert a positive influence without coming across as spiritually superior?

Setting the Foundation

2011-02-16T11:53:00.003-05:00

Prepare your team. Ninety-five percent of what happens on a mission trip has been pre-determined before you leave home. The degree to which you prepare your team will be the degree to which you will be able to process, understand, and respond to what you experience.

Plan ahead. While preparing for all the elements of the project you may find yourself overwhelmed, and forgetting the ultimate goal, may quickly forfeit potential spiritual growth.

Identify assumptions. The assumptions and expectations you have about what you think God will do in and through your team will largely set the tone for the project. We encourage team leaders to view short-term projects as a blessing from the Lord as He uses you to expand His kingdom and sanctify your hearts. Our powerful Lord is capable of producing much change on a short-term trip. First, we need to be open to the change the Lord is making in our hearts. Then, we will be ready to process this change.

Preparing for debrief
Definition of debrief. Debrief is the process whereby the team discusses and reflects on experiences - sharing insights, blessings and personal application. This time helps team members process change in their hearts and look at implications for the future. If you plan debrief at the beginning, you can carefully gauge team interactions so that specific goals are accomplished.

There are two assumptions we are making regarding debrief:
• The short-term experience is a catalyst for growth and ongoing involvement in missions.
• If the short-term experience produces a heart change, then that participant will in some way be out of sync with the world. This is referred to as reversed culture shock and will discussed later.

Identify goals. Set goals as you debrief so your time is constructive. Goals should help participants apply experiences to their personal lives, building a ministry mindset at home with a clear understanding of kingdom growth. Also, discuss re-entry adjustments and practical applications.

Potential goals for your team:

Spiritual (Discipleship & Worship)
• Understanding of Christ
• Understanding of Scripture
• Understanding of my role in the Lord’s Kingdom Ministry (Servant-hood)
• What does a servant’s heart resemble?
• How can I develop a servant's heart?
• How can I continue genuine ministry at home?

Relational (Fellowship)
• What do we want our team to relate?
• How can this experience change how I relate to people?

Let us pray for a strong foundation for our teams serving at Operation Exodus in 2011

"Debrief during and after a project is more directly responsible for reaching your goals than the project itself." - Dan Faber, Missions Pastor

Two New Weeks Open for June

2011-02-04T16:11:00.003-05:00

Hi friends,
We now have two weeks in June that we need mission teams to come serve at Operation Exodus!

June 18-25 - We need to team to lead our after school program so that we can having training and planning for our summer program staff.
June 25-July 2 - The new start date for Summer Program at our Inwood site (Heights will start a week later)

Please contact Bobbi Jo at bobbi.jo.brooks@mtw.org or 678-823-0020 ext. 2131 for more details!

Will you pray with us that the Lord will provide teams for these weeks?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Team leaders do not forget that your Project Orientation Trip rsvp forms are due by 2/15

High school trip to Texas!

2011-01-28T11:03:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone!

That's right, Exodus' high school students are going to Texas this summer! This year, we've really expanded the high school program: as you know, we now have our own room (yay!) and we've focused our purpose for the group even more. The goal of the high school program at Exodus is to help our students graduate from high school and to get into and succeed throughout college. We offer SAT prep, college trips, cultural projects, community projects, and homework help. As part of our summer program, I will be taking the kids to Texas for a week.

So...why Texas??? In August, I (Leah) started working at Exodus as an Americorps Vista volunteer, with the goal of helping to develop the high school curriculum. I'm a born and raised Texan, transplanted in New York City. For the past five years I've worked and volunteered with Extreme Youth Leadership Training Camp, a camp I attended as a high school student. The staff facilitates young people in developing a plan of action targeting the problems that they face in their community. The camp brings together hundreds of youth who are passionate about changing their world. Every student who attends EYL camp is treated like a rockstar. Because there is such a positive environment at the camp, we often have probation officers bring in their youth. This is the perfect opportunity for our high school students to get out of the Heights, and into a new environment, surrounded by teens making healthy decisions.

After camp, I am taking the students to my hometown to visit my family's ranch. Dilley, Texas is a tiny town about an hour south of San Antonio and an hour north of the Mexico border. At the ranch, the kids can ride horses, look for arrow heads, and watch the deer walk up to the back porch. None of them have ever been to Texas, and many of them haven't been out of the city. This is an awesome opportunity for them to see what life is like outside of Washington Heights.

We are currently fundraising to get the money for our trip. I want all of our 15 students to be able to come, which means we have a lot of money to raise (about $650 per student). In hopes of finding sponsorship for the group, I made this video to allow people to get to know a few of my students.

If you feel moved to support us financially, checks can be made out to Operation Exodus and sent to us at 21 Wadsworth Avenue, New York, NY 10033. Otherwise, we would greatly appreciate your prayer support.

I can't wait to meet yall this summer! See ya soon!

Leah Foster

Operation Exodus Video

2011-01-07T11:15:00.002-05:00

Friends of Exodus, check out this video! Please pray about coming to New York this summer to serve. We'd love to talk with you about opportunities for you and/or your church.

2010-11-05T11:32:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone! Read up on what God is doing in New York City and contact us if you'd be interested in taking a team to Operation Exodus... or if you simply want to go by yourself! We still have openings for the summer, but let us know as soon as you can... the weeks will fill up quickly!!

Explaining colors to a blind person....

2010-10-15T15:10:00.003-04:00

‎Today, I had a great debriefing call with a team leader who lead a team to Thailand this summer. During this call, Ellen made a statement that captured my attention!

"Every believer should go on a short term mission trip at least once because explaining missions to someone who has never gone is like trying to explain colors to a blind person." -Ellen

Have you ever tried explaining colors to a blind person? What about sound to a deaf person? Yes, you can explain it but is it the same as experiencing it? As Ellen stated, it is the same with missions, you can understand on some levels without going, but to see taste and touch the mission field is like seeing colors for the first time.

What is holding members of your church back from sending short term mission teams? Are members of your church gifted in ESL? Youth Ministry? Theological Education? Construction? Praying for others? Community Development? If so, there are needs in all these areas and others across the globe.

Are you interested? Let's chat.

Go.Connect.Engage

High School Program has own room!!

2010-10-05T08:55:00.000-04:00

Great news! As of October 4 our H.S. program has their own room! The students were SO excited and are already decorating. :)

Fact 7

2010-09-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

Since 1983, over 10 million Americans have reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. Over 20 million have reached their senior year unable to do basic math. Almost 25 million have reached 12th grade not knowing the essentials of U.S. history.

Debriefing?

2010-09-22T15:34:00.003-04:00

MTW is working to create a set of resources that teams may use to get ideas about debriefing during a mission week and after the team returns home.

Would you share your ideas and methods of debriefing by answering the following questions? Your ideas do not need to be specific to New York. If you have led teams on other missions and use different methods for different places, please share those as well. The ideas we compile will be available for all 1-2 week teams both domestic and international.

PREPARATION FOR THE MISSION WEEK(s)
#1 How do you prepare the team ahead of time to expect debriefing during the week?

DEBRIEFING DURING THE MISSION WEEK(s)
#1: How do you encourage the team members to talk about their days experiences? What are some games or methods you use?

#2 In what ways do you engage do you engage (debrief) your church back home during the week?

DEBRIEFING AFTER THE MISSION
#1 How soon after your mission do you conduct the post-trip debrief?

#2 Do you have more than 1 post-trip debrief? If so, at what intervals do you have them?

#3 Do you use a list of "leading" questions for each team member to complete? If so, what questions do you ask?

#4 What is the benefit of debriefing? Please share any examples you may have relating to the importance of debriefing.

You can leave an answer to one or all these questions by commenting or you can email me at bobbi.jo.brooks@mtw.org

Disciples or Consumers?

2010-09-16T13:27:00.005-04:00

While reading Grace Pres, Chelsea PCA's website, we came across this quote:

"The mission of the church is about “otherness." This is the very essence of worship, exalting someone else. The church does not exist for itself and what it can get out of it. The church is sent on a mission by Jesus to continue the work that he started. The church is sent by God empowered by the presence of Christ to extend and build the Kingdom of God equipped by the Holy Spirit to transform the world. Our goal is to make disciples of Jesus Christ not consumers of church programs."

What are your thoughts on this?

Highlights from One Volunteer

2010-09-13T13:07:00.003-04:00

"When I signed up for this mission trip, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew that I would be working with kids in the city, which was really exciting for me. Other than that, I really didn't know what to expect.

I am from Bel Air, Maryland, which is near Baltimore. I chose NYC because there was a need for people there, and because I have a great love for the city.

When I was participating with Operation Exodus, I helped teach Kindergarten. There was one boy in pre-school in our class, and during reading time I read with him because he was not as far advanced in reading as the other kids in the class. At the beginning of the week, he struggled with even simple words and I had to help him a lot.

By Thursday, he had shown a huge difference in his abilities. On Friday, I told him that he was doing awesome and how excited I was for him. He looked at me and said, "I can read better because you helped me." This was just amazing for me to hear, and I will always remember that as a highlight of my trip.

Another favorite memory of my trip was with a youth group I roomed with from South Carolina, Cornerstone. It was about the fourth night we were there, and the whole team met on the terrace of the hostel. That night was our night of encouragement, and as we sat and ate delicious pastries, everyone had something encouraging to say. It was awesome to see how much they all cared about each other (and me), and how they were willing to take the time and compliment everyone. This time with them really helped me to connect with the team and see God's love pouring out from others.

The challenging thing about this ministry, for me, was becoming so close to the kids in my class and then having to say goodbye to them. I became very close to a few of them, and I think about and pray for them often.

I definitely came home from this trip feeling closer to God. I learned on this trip the power of prayer, how important it is for us to do, and how God can really answer. The final, but very important thing that I learned, was how important it is for me to have a selfless attitude when serving others. It may seem obvious when you think about it, but acting it out is very crucial.
Summing it up, I had an absolutely wonderful week in New York City at Operation Exodus, and I would greatly enjoy serving there again if the opportunity arose. "

***If you have stories like this you'd like to share, please email them to Bobbi.Jo.Brooks@mtw.org or Stephanie.Hughes@mtw.org We'd love to hear from you!***

A Remarkable Impression

2010-09-10T11:08:00.003-04:00

*Note* For the security of the people mentioned in this blog, the student has been named "M" and and the volunteer, "D".

“M was so moved by the volunteer, D, who came last week,” said M's mom about her 7th grade son. “D gave M his personal Bible - who does that?” she continued, noting that she was very pleased with the program. “I am a single mom so when someone is in your child’s path to influence him in the right way, there are no words. I am just blessed.”

M's mom said D gave her son his phone number to keep in touch. Friday was the last day for the volunteers from Briarwood Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and M's mom says it was particularly hard for M to say good-bye. “M stayed past the time he was supposed to stay at Exodus. That day he didn’t even want to eat. When he came home, he cried.”

This year is M’s first experience with Exodus’ Summer Achievement Program. He attended Exodus’ After-School tutoring for two years in a row – taking a year off in 2009. “I thought my son didn’t need the program, because he does well academically, but he does,” said his mom. “Last year, he would come home late after school because he liked to hang out with kids I don’t know. I was worried sick.”

“What I do know is that M can easily follow the wrong crowd; not because he is a bad kid, but because he wants to please,” his mom explained. “Please sign him up for next year. I don’t have any money, but I know you can help.”

Why Cities Matter - By Tim Keller

2010-09-08T12:36:00.000-04:00

This sermon answers perfectly the question of why minister in cities. If you are asking yourself why you should bring a team to serve in NYC, watch this sermon by Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, he answers the question very well!

Tim Keller Feb'09: The City from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Tearing Down the Walls

2010-09-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

July 8, 2010 by Ashley Gonzalez

Have you ever noticed that when you pray to God in the morning and allow peace to completely settle within you, your day goes much smoother?

When I woke up this morning I had a little chit chat with daddy God and let him know my desire for today and my complete trust in His power to make everything happen.

Maybe it was just us, or because it is the end of the week, but for the most part today went a lot smoother. They cooperated a lot more with the activities we planned and with the tutors and us, the volunteers. There is a girl who has become really close to me and was crying a bit on and off today because she said she was “triste”, or sad that we were leaving. She has come to love us and respect us and does not want us to leave. After that a few of the other kids asked why she was crying and when I explained to them we we’re leaving quite a few of them had these looks of surprise and confusion on their faces.

While most of them speak English fluently as a second language, the rest speak Spanish whenever possible as a comfortable habit, leaving 2 new girls who just came from the Dominican Republic to struggle in the English world. But in the realistic news that in two days we would be back at home as they were getting ready for bed seemed to crush all of them. Despite language barriers, they all understood of our departure.

It is so awesome to see happiness light up their faces and pride of their good work pump up their day. Yes, there is a tiring amount of reprimanding, scolding, teaching, and rebuilding being done, but there are more than a handful of joyful moments in all of the chaos that we are reminded why we are here.

Today one of the team and I were leading praise time for the middle school kids. After a ridiculous amount of time spent on hushing everyone and trying to gain some control my teammate closed the bible, and got up, and with what I mistook as giving up, actually turned around and shared his story of his faith. His past, his lack of direction and purpose, and the hope he had found. He openly and loudly preached his story, which is now God’s glorious story. I was fighting back hot tears at the courage and leadership shining through him. But not everything comes with a fantasy ending.

The kids were disruptive still and loud and rude and disrespectful to what he was saying. They acted as if they could care less. Which caused the both of us to fight back some serious tears and control all the emotions raging inside of us. Their parents came to pick them up and as we gained control over ourselves we stayed silent. I gave him the biggest hug I could because my brother, my brother in Christ, showed so much love and compassion in his actions that my heart couldn’t help but break and then swell with joy and pride for him. As we chatted not too long after, we both agreed that maybe we planted seeds and even if we didn’t see it we hoped that his decision to be open with them would help some day, in some way.

And it was in that moment I felt the strongest bond in this place and for these people. My heart reached out as we walked across the streets and wove through a community so undeniably rich. Not in money or clothing, but the soil here is so rich, ready for righteousness and goodness, faith, joy, and life to be planted. We may not be here to see it grow, yet I trust that we are doing our part in Gods plan for this place and these people. And that He will have them rise in His name.

Fact 6

2010-09-05T12:29:00.000-04:00

"Youth who participate in mentoring relationships experience a number of positive benefits: better school attendance, a better chance of going to college, lower risk of substance abuse, positive social attitudes and relationships, and better communication with their parents." -- from a study published by Child Trends.

*If you live in New York City, get involved with Operation Exodus weekly Saturday mentoring program! First day is Sept. 18!*

We Went to China

2010-09-04T14:36:00.000-04:00

July 7, 2010 by Ashley Gonzalez

No, no, no we did not go to China, as in the country, but we did head our way to China Town. All 140 of us.

Just imagine taking all the kids on a train that we had to transfer about 4 times just on the way there due to service issues. And for any of you with doubts, the answer is no. We did not leave not one, single kid behind at all today. When we finally reached our destination we split into two groups. One was going to eat at the Chinese restaurant first and the other the park and then we switched. It was hectic and chaotic. But delicious.

As the kids passed fish markets, baskets of odd produce and an Asian community completely unbeknown to them, they walked and stumbled in amazement at a culture completely not their own. Surprisingly, these kids have lived in New York all of their lives, but rarely stepped out of the borders of their own neighborhoods. To them, everyone was Chinese and lived by the laws of a monk. Bowing, always peaceful, and full of old age wisdom.

But whether to their disappointment or pleasure they were greeted by a culture similar to their own. Food markets, loud yelling, another language other than English, and adults who sat in their doorways and bargained over fruit.

The park was diversified and they had a blast getting wet in a fountain, jumping all over the playgrounds, shooting some hoops, and kicking the ball around.

At the restaurant I could not help but stay silent in thought watching these kids. Their restaurant manners for their age could use help. Afraid of sesame seed chicken and fried rice they loudly criticized the food and one or two even flat out said, “i’m not eating that!” So used to their culture, their world, they already show signs of being offended of others not of their same kind. After awhile they struggled to learn how to eat with chopsticks and eventually were licking their bowls and taking leftovers back with us.

At the end of the day I had the pure pleasure of watching one of the kids in my class get ready to take her and her 6 year old sister home. They walk home alone, or rather the little on is carried on a hip. All the kids in my class, more so the boys, cooed and ahhed over her and made every attempt to be her best friend. They were so kind and sweet that I was blessed with seeing a beauty I’m sure they would not even recognize.

Fact 5

2010-09-04T12:09:00.000-04:00

"Working mothers report that 3 -6 p.m is the time of day when they most worry about their children's safety."

Fact 4

2010-09-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

"As many as 15 million kids have no place to go after school." -- U.S Census

Looking Beyond a Face

2010-09-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

July 6, 2010 by Ashley Gonzalez

The day just finished, or part of it at least, and looking at the clock I realize many of you will be worshipping, learning, and praising God tonight at Waters Edge. At this same time were all in the Heights exhausted from rounding up the last of the children and sending them home before it gets dark or handing them over to equally exhausted parents.

Day 2 with the kids was a lot better than yesterday and I must say we headed off to a great start. Yesterday night in our private, team meeting we discussed what could have gone better and how we could try various approaches in the different parts of the day to engage our groups and interact with them. To be honest, after only three days of being in New York the last thing I wanted to do this morning was get out of the bed. Simply because I was sore; and not just physically.

I woke up with aches and pains in my emotions and my Spirit that I had not really had the bittersweet pleasure of dealing with before. I may have been stubborn, ignorant, and maybe even a little heart broken now and again, but nothing, and I mean nothing, could top this. After only one day with these kids I walked away, as I’m sure everyone did, with such a deep and sincere love for these kids. A respect for how far most of them have gotten and their dreams.

So today I said, “God, please, please, let me do this in YOUR name. Let me show them to you, through me. Allow me to connect with them.”

I remembered that throughout the day in the classroom, the whole 2 hours were watching over one-hundred children in an inner city park full with strangers, as we did the activities and big ideas the team worked so long on and still keep advancing on every moment. These kids are so mature in more ways than they should be and their personalities are so strong, that as Deidrick mentioned in the Exodus devotional this morning, they are being torn in a Spiritual battle. And they do not even know it.

They fight, they argue, and boy do they have some mouths, they have these thick walls barricading any slip of emotion other than anger and annoyance and a forcefield around their minds. Or so they think. They are so strong, sometimes I think too strong because they are trying so hard at only 6-13 years old to be in complete control of their lives.

But we see the Hope and Innocence in them. We see it in their moments of laughter when they forget about other responsibilities and the fear they have when they actually voluntarily open up. They cast looks around the room as if challenging someone to criticize or oppose them when in reality they are all wondering the same things.

It was when I was sitting talking with my group of 6th grade children, putting all activities aside and delving into a conversation God prompted me into. There was one girl who talked about her home life and how she felt alone and pretty much not loved. Another talked about a girl in his class who he tries to stand up for, but often ends up on the other side joining in on the abuse, criticisms, and jokes about her. And they all started with the same phrase: “How do you expect us to…..(basically stand up and away from the crowd and stand up for the cause of righteousness)”.

I just stared at them with a smile and told them that I cared for them, and shared stories of my youth explaining the truth of their reality and how they have more than enough moments in the day to choose right and wrong. And right before we started that talk it occurred to me that I have heard so many times in the last two days do not do this/do that, that is wrong/right…but never have I heard the reasons explained to them or seen them move forward in understanding. They are stuck.

I made it a point to explain, not just demand. Their personalities, as I mentioned, are fiery and its a pleasure to be with a youth who are so passionate. They just need a direction and some help along the way.

Please pray over these kids. They are difficult at times.

Frustrating.

Argumentive.

But so extremely loving in their own way.

Expressive.

Beautiful.

And above all, they have a Hope in themselves that they try so hard not to believe in because they have been not just told, but shown, that they are to be like everyone else, when it is so clear they are called by God to change their world. Not just the Heights, but themselves, their families, and anywhere they shine their light on.

Fact 3

2010-09-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

"Educational researcher Reginald Clark has documented that economically disadvantaged children who participate from 20-35 hours per week in constructive learning activities during their free time get better grades in school than their more passive peers." -- The Children's Aid Society

Fact 2

2010-09-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

"Non-school hours represent the single largest block of time in the lives of American youth. Youth spend about 32% of their waking hours in school. By contrast, about 40% of young people's waking hours are discretionary - not committed to other activities such as school, homework, meals, chores or working for pay." -- The Children's Aid Society

We Can Handle This…Wait…Did I Sign Up for This?

2010-09-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

July 5, 2010
By: Ashley Gonzalez

It is the first day at Exodus, the organization we’re working with. Some of you may be wondering, “So what exactly is my daughter/son, loved one, friend, etc doing over there?”

Well we’re working with the children of the organization ranging from grades K-8 in the summer day care program. The majority of the children know each other and the tutors from the after school program held during the school year. So we have the sweetness of seeing everyone befriending someone, but the headache of finding and stepping into our roles here.

This place is like a family where everyone works together and everything is done for the primary goal of being a light and helping hand to the kids. When the kids get here we join in Assembly, basically attendance, separate into classes, the tutors teach on different topics, lunch, two hours in the park, come back to Exodus, all the kids have a snack, which is a small portion of an actual meal, and then creative time and praise time which is where all of our planning comes into play. We all drop in exhaustion, have a meeting with Ashley, our go-to gal, eat, clean, make our way back to the Hostel, have a team meeting, and then disperse for the night. By then its getting pretty dark and all we want is a shower.
It is tiring work and even though the schedule is repetitive, the experiences most definitely aren’t. When we went to go meet at the park, we were recruited in a detour to make almost 150 ham and cheese sandwiches for the Exodus branches in Washington Heights and in Endwood. And packed ours to take to the park. Its been a hot day and extremely stressful.

None of us really know what we expected, if anything, but nothing prepared us for the next generation filled with sass, pomp, and a defensive nature. We did our best and the day was in no way a waste, but we all agreed we need to revamp ourselves and our mission and try some new techniques.

These children threw us off compared to the kids we deal with back home or on other mission trips some of the team have been on. But with disciplined Spirits and pure hearts we are going to sleep to wake up to new opportunities tomorrow.

Fact 1

2010-08-31T12:10:00.001-04:00

"Violent juvenile crime triples between after-school hours 3:00 - 6:00pm. After-school programs help to reduce youth crime and other at-risk behavior." -- The Children's Aid Society

Interested in sharing your NYC story?

2010-08-30T17:37:00.004-04:00

If you have served with us in NYC this past summer or even in years past and would like to post share a story from your time with us? Share a special photo or video clip? or what about telling us your story in video? Please email Bobbi Jo - bobbi.jo.brooks@mtw.org.

Skyscrapers & Gucci

2010-08-30T17:20:00.005-04:00

The next few post are going to be by Ashley Gonzalez, from 12Stone Church. This was 12Stones first year serving with us in NYC, they served July 3-10. These blog post are a great perspective into a week serving in NYC!

July 4, 2010

"After sitting for so many hours between carpooling, waiting for our terminal to be called, just watching for Jonathan to be one of the million people checked by airport security, and almost a 2 hour flight later we arrived safely to New York City.

Upon arrival we were less than fanatic about city life than we were about showering, orientation, and sleep.

We took a bus, the first time for most of us, across the city to Manhattan which is where our Hostel and Bobbi Jo were waiting for us. Strangers had no shame staring us down with our obvious fascination of graffiti, local garage shops and homeless men smiling and feeling completely comfortable in their disparity.

Erin's loud amazement of every, single gas station we passed only drew more stares as if in Atlanta we rode around in horses and buggies.

There are drunk, homeless men, broken bottles and trash on streets. Loud conversations, immodest dress, and daring looks of opposition on many sides. There is a fear, and a spiritual poverty over this place. Sure the building are bright and shiny and tall. People walk around with Dolce, Gucci, Prada, Coogi, and the latest sneakers and fashion. Some spend carelessly, while others haggle desperately.
As much fun as we as a team have and dedication to this trip before this weekend, I believe the precise moment of this mission began at orientation. Sitting on a balcony eating New York pizza and learning of four other young women who were joining the team here allowed the purpose to set in. In silence we all reflected on why we were here and just how great this could be for us.

We raised questions, concerns, curiosity and then, like the children you know us to be, scampered all over the Hostel and across roof tops. There were a few ambulance sirens, a questionable SUV at the corner street, people sitting in their doorways, and helicopters above in the sky. But even with those elements like we see in the movies and hear about from New Yorkers nothing could explain the peace felt just laying on the rooftops and watching the city.

We cruised through Time Square, shopped and dined in China Town, and took the wrong train towards Brooklyn, instead of Manhattan. We ended up almost in Queens. Ooops, did I just tell you that? It was an adventure.

Tired, full, and anxious we all forced ourselves to rest and sleep. Despite our preparations we do not know what to expect on Monday. And as great as surprises are, sometimes just not knowing can drive you crazy.

With prayers and thanksgiving to God we have released all power and Glory to Him. We just focused on flexibility and openness to whatever may come."

Sign up now for 2011 Mission Trips!

2010-08-26T15:00:00.002-04:00

Yes, it is still August of 2010, but 2011 will be here before we know it! It is never to early to start planning for 2011 mission trip opportunities. MTW has opportunities for your church or college group to serve both in New York City with Operation Exodus and around the globe!

Curious what opportunities there are? Let's chat! CONTACT US!

MTW Go Global

2010-08-26T14:07:00.004-04:00

Gen-Y is coming on strong and leaning into missions - on mission trips, as interns, 2-year missionaries, or serving as office staff. We believe God is calling us to reach, equip, and mobilize this new missions force. Check out our new site Go Global

Follow us on Twitter

Ciera shares of her time at Operation Exodus

2010-08-25T11:35:00.001-04:00

I’m Ciera and I was part of my church’s mission team who worked with Operation Exodus the last week in July.

I worked with the kindergarten class at Washington Heights all week. Our theme for the week was forgiveness, so with everything we did with the kids we tried to somehow relate it to forgiving others as Christ as forgiven us. One of the ways we did this was at creative time every day. While we were making our crafts we used the time to talk to the kids and to really get them thinking about who they needed to forgive. Some of the kids would tell me stories of how friends and family members had hurt them, but now they knew they needed to forgive them.

Praise time was probably my favorite part of every day, though. We talked about the story of Joseph and his brothers and how that related to forgiveness. I think the kids really enjoyed watching the skits our team acted out, and it gave them a practical example of what forgiveness looks like. Also, on Friday I had the opportunity to kind of wrap up what we had learned about forgiveness all week and show how the story of Joseph ultimately points to Jesus.

Overall it was an incredible week, but very exhausting and filled with mixed emotions. But as Christians, we live by faith, not by feelings.

I’m so thankful for the time I had to hang out with “my kids,” as I call them, and to get to know them. It’s been a week now since my last day at Exodus, and not a day has went by that they haven’t crossed my mind. I’m still missing them.

Zion Pres & Centralia Pres Visit the Brooklyn Bridge

2010-08-06T16:16:00.003-04:00

Last night, we took a evening off and walked the Brooklyn Bridge - what a beautiful site at night!

NYC Super Heros!

2010-08-06T13:58:00.002-04:00

From Portraits on the Roof with B-Wood & Cstone! More to come soon!

Reflections from Julie Burke, a volunteer from North Carolina

2010-08-06T12:27:00.003-04:00

"My name is Julie Burke and my church just returned from NYC where we were working with Operation Exodus for the last week of July.

I have been a teacher for the last 20 years and I am the mother of 3, so I felt pretty confident that I would be able to handle whatever I needed to do on this mission trip. God sent me here to humble me into dependence on Him. Our pastor described the first couple of days like trying to take a sip from a fire hose. Learning names, walking kids across busy city streets and learning the schedule and procedures were very difficult. At the end of Monday and Tuesday I felt inadequate and discouraged.

Each night when we returned to the hostel our group would meet and talk about the day. Our focus those first two nights was on the fruits of the spirit. I prayed and asked God for peace. God showed up for me Wednesday morning through Ashley - the director. She gave me a quick word of encouragement before our field trip that day, and God's peace came over me. I realized that my adequacy was not what mattered here. God was at work despite my sense of failure, and He is more than adequate. I was able to do my job the rest of the week and leave the results to Him.

I left the week feeling tired, "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." I was able to understand that verse in a new, much more real way in NYC. We really do "have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

A few Awesome Effort Students

2010-08-04T22:14:00.002-04:00

Each week, a student is awarded Awesome Effort from each classroom, here are only a few of our kids who have worked hard to earn Awesome Effort this summer!

Day Two: LOVE video from second week at Heights by Cornerstone Pres

2010-08-04T22:10:00.000-04:00

Day 2: Love by Cornerstone Pres from Bobbi Jo Brooks on Vimeo.

Coming to an End

2010-08-04T10:56:00.002-04:00

Bobbi Jo will have time to post more pictures from the summer once she is back in Atlanta, but for now, I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has helped to make this summer go so well. For all of the supporters, prayer teams at home, volunteers, associate staff, churches, youth groups, and more.... thank you for being so willing to serve.
We pray that your time in New York brought glory to God. We pray that you learned so much. We pray that seeds were planted or harvested. We pray that you experienced the kingdom of God like never before. And we pray you come again!

Currently, we've got Centralia Pres and Zion Pres at OE. They will be there until Saturday.. pray for them as they finish out their week and return home!

If you have stories you'd like to share about your time in NYC, we'd love to know! You can email any stories to stephanie.heaney@mtw.org.

Also.... check out the new MTW website for generation "y" http://goglobal.mtw.org You can also submit stories there as well.

Week 2 Theme: LOVE

2010-07-21T16:41:00.003-04:00

Last week, we had two groups here serving with us from Briarwood Pres from Birmingham AL and Cornerstone Pres in Columbia, SC and it was our biggest group of volunteer mission teams EVER! We had a total of 68 people between the two groups and individuals who joined us! The Lord was faithful to us in many ways last week, including seeing a few kids come to know Christ, I hope to post these stories as soon as I can get the team members to write them up for me! Praise the Lord with me for those who came to know the Lord and also be praying for them as they grow in their faith!

The theme for last week was LOVE! Each groups teaching surrounding the topic of love and both did a great job! Thank you all for pouring your lives into our kids! I wanted to share with you the videos Cornerstone made. They introduced each day with a slideshow of images from the day, fun music and then also introduced the Praise time topic via a video. I will start with only posting day one's video. I will post the others in the coming days!

Day One Love by Cornerstone Pres from Bobbi Jo Brooks on Vimeo.

A few images from the first week of Summer Program

2010-07-20T23:29:00.003-04:00

Jumping for joy :-) Summer program is back!

--

More to come!

New Post coming soon I promise

2010-07-19T18:53:00.002-04:00

Hi All,
I have been a bit behind on anything related to a computer since I arrived in NYC, so I promise an update with photos coming very soon!

Bobbi Jo

Global Missions Conference

2010-05-18T14:01:00.003-04:00

The PCA Global Missions Conference is coming up and we would LOVE for you to join us!

Here's a blurb about it:
Join fellow believers from across the PCA in Chattanooga this November in a joyous celebration of hope hosted together by Mission to the World and Covenant College. Hear about the work of Christ in church planting, mercy ministry, medical outreach, student internships, arts in missions, and much more. Personally connect with others in the PCA as well as in the global church. Learn more about partnerships. Be challenged by ministry updates. Prayerfully explore your role and that of your church. Encourage others. Most of all, join in the worship of Christ—The Hope of Nations!

To sign up and get other helpful information regarding speakers, musicians, schedules, etc., you can go here https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=GLOB59E&OID=50

Hope to see you there!!!!

Update from Exodus!

2010-05-14T16:05:00.002-04:00

Here are a few excerpts from Operation Exodus' latest prayer letter:

"It has been an exciting school year at Exodus - Washington Heights and Inwood. Our amazing God has blessed us in ways we did not expect.
Wonderfully qualified teachers and other professionals, looking for a bit of a financial cushion, have joined our staff and their expertise has influenced our students and staff for the best.
Mentors are consistently coming every Saturday to give children the Good News and students are emotionally more stable and are reading the Bible.
One third grader read the whole Bible in one weekend and is already a little preacher to her family. “The stories are amazing,” she says.
Parents are more engaged. We shared with them that we did not have as much funding for the summer program as in the past (with the implication that we’d have to raise parent fees) and the news mobilized them to find ways to help raise money. They came up with the idea to do a raffle, provided the prize, sold the tickets and this past Friday, one of their friends won a dinner for four at Carmines to celebrate Mother’s Day. Exodus received $2,200 - that is a lot of money coming from the families we serve.
We are encouraged. On May 20, Exodus is hosting a fund-raising event at Dillon Gallery in Chelsea from 7-9pm. The idea is that Exodus friends will connect with our ministry and desire to help us bring down God’s kingdom in Washington Heights and Inwood through quality afterschool tutoring, mentoring and summer achievement programs."

"Please join us in prayer that Exodus after-school tutoring, mentoring and summer achievement programs will continue to support families like Eulalia’s. We are asking the Lord for $100,000 and we hope to get it at the event on May 20."

Please pray with us as we ask the Lord to provide in such an amazing way, and that Exodus will continue to grow and tell many of His wonderous love.

Bring in the Culture

2010-05-07T12:02:00.003-04:00

I came across this great article titled, "Uptown in the Carribean". The article is a few years old so some parts of it may be a bit outdated, and it focuses mostly on the culture of food and entertainment, but I do recommend reading it. It paints a wonderful picture of the place you will be immersed in for a week from the smells of food to the domino games on the sidewalks! I was captivated by the imageries and descriptions and I could see the colors, smell the food, hear the rhythms of the musicians....

"When you emerge from the train, you'll find some big changes from wherever you got on: domino games dot the sidewalks; car stereos demonstrate the Doppler effect with reggaetón and bachata music; the price of plantains nose dives. And everything seems to be done a bit louder (and with a little more laughter)."

Read it!!!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/travel/28weekend.html?ex=1194408000&en=fe73ee9e5c5e9930&ei=5070&emc=eta1

THE SHOCK!

2010-04-27T11:12:00.004-04:00

Your team will not be leaving the country this summer during their trip to New York, but that doesn't mean they won't experience culture shock. Many teams may not be used to "Big City" life, different smells, different people and personalities, being away from home, eating food that strays from their usual diet, etc. In order to give you the heads up on how to deal with the situation if it occurs on your team, please read the below information and read some from the suggested reading list from your Project Orientation Manual!

What are the typical phases of going through culture shock?

•Honeymoon: Everything is great, nothing is wrong, you’re having a wonderful time.
•Shock: There are so many differences that you don’t know how to deal with them. You didn’t think things would be like this.
•Negotiation: You learn to deal with the problems set before you and try to integrate them with your own opinions.
•Acceptance: You are able to live well in the environment with the differences you are experiencing.

What are some symptoms of culture shock?

1.Feeling very angry over minor inconveniences
2.Irritability
3.Withdrawal from people who are different from you
4.Extreme homesickness
5.Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to own culture
6.Overeating or loss of appetite
7.Boredom
8.A need for excessive sleep
9.Headaches
10.Upset stomach
11.Depression
12.Loss of ability to work effectively
13.Unexplainable crying
14.Relationship stress
15.Feeling sick much of the time

You will most likely not experience many of these symptoms in just a week's time. But be aware of these things. The stress of being away from home and in an unfamiliar place can open the door for conflict in the team (an article on conflict resolution can be found in the post from April 20, 2010).

There is a lot you can do to prepare your team for culture shock. Reading books and articles, watching films, documentaries, and movies, as well as keeping up with the local news will help you learn more about the people and culture you will be interacting with.

Remember to PRAY without ceasing!!! Pray for your team before you go, while you are there, and even in the days and weeks after your return. Team members may also deal with culture shock once they return home. There will be a debrief time while in New York to talk about the week, but you may wish to have a final debrief once home. A good idea to help the team process what happened is to have a time for them to share with others about their experience whether it is in Sunday school, church, youth group, or just with a small gathering of friends. This allows for the team to process, as well as a way to get more people interested for next year!

A Story

2010-04-20T13:34:00.003-04:00

Exodus at Inwood had a Short Story Contest, and two of the kids wrote this captivating story!!!

"When I Accidentally Shrunk my Mom!"

It was a Sunday morning when I was doing laundry for my mom. At the laundry my mom told me to make sure all the clothes were in the washer. After making sure I went to sit down because it takes 45 minutes for clothes to wash. Later that day I went down with my mom to the basement to check on the clothes to put them in the dryer to dry. When my mom went to check in the washer to see if there were no more clothes my sister Nathalie who is 7 years old accidentally pushed the door behind my mom and shrinking her into a Barbie size doll. My little sister picked her up and started shaking her like a worm I was so nervous I called the shrinking company. They came 48 hours later telling us that she will be back to normal in 24 hours, but when I woke up the next day she was not average size she was 32 feet tall. Then I prayed so she can come back to normal. When I finished praying she tapped me on my arm and gave me a hug I was surprised she was back to her regular size. Two weeks later my uncle came over from Texas. He went to the basement to do his laundry and the same thing happened to him, oh no not again.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

Conflict Resolution

2010-04-20T11:20:00.003-04:00

Even Christians can fall prey to the work of the enemy! He loves to use every means possible to get to us, eat at us, tempt us, create conflict between us. If he can get just the tip of his finger on our efforts to expand the kingdom, he's doing what he loves - creating mayhem. Conflict among teams can cause damage unimaginable.

Please be advised that your team is not necessarily sheltered from conflict by the mere fact they are Christians. Conflict creeps in sometimes when we least expect it. Team Leader, you should always first try to help resolve the conflict as soon as you are aware of it.

A few ways of responding to conflict are:

(from "Guiding People Through Conflict" by Peacemaker ministries)

Overlook the offense- Many disputes can be resolved by quietly overlooking the offense and forgiving the offender. (Prov 12:16).

Reconciliation- Wrongs that are too serious to overlook should be resolved through loving confrontation or confession, which allows for reconciliation and forgiveness.

Mediation- When it is impossible to resolve a conflict one-on-one, bring a third party in (Matt. 18:16) and allow for a mediator to help. (If it is unable to be resolved, the team leader should talk with the MTW administrator on the field and figure out the best course of action).

Remember that we are all sinners, and in need of God's grace. Having been given grace by God, we should in turn give grace to others. Each day give him the glory, take the log out of your own eye first, seek restoration in conflict, pursue genuine peace and reconciliation. Seek to be a good steward of your time, and maintain a Christ-like love for those you may not completely get along with - for our Lord has loved us when we've least deserved it!

Even if conflict arises, God can use it for his great purposes! If resolved, it can allow for a witness of the church, restoration, team building and strength, the witness of God's power and love and forgiveness, and a way for non-believers to see the Gospel played out in a concrete way!

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13

One website that is extremely helpful in this area is http://www.peacemaker.net/. There, you can sign up to receive a free publication on biblical peacemaking.

Also, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis provides wonderful insight from Lewis about the ways the enemy likes to create conflict. There are excerpts from the book here: http://bama.ua.edu/~casey006/216/screwtape.html

Don't Know What to do on Your Day "Off"?

2010-03-29T12:45:00.003-04:00

We will be posting resources along the way to help you plan for your day off as well as ideas for your time at Exodus, resolving conflict, how to cope with culture shock, local life in NYC, and more! Keep checking back for more inspiration, updates, guidelines, and helpful articles, links, and posts on ways to help prepare your teams for what they will experience in The Big Apple!

Check out these cool sites for ideas on what to do for your day off! Consult your Leader's manual, too for more ideas in addition to these!

Tenament Museum: One time an apartment building for 7000 immigrants, this building has been turned into a museum to take you back to 1863 and help you experience what it was like to live in an unfamiliar place and face the challenges that many feared. Each year 30,000 students visit the museum to learn about the city and immigration through the years. (Students $15, Adults $20) http://www.tenement.org/about.html

Times Square: There's always something going on in Times Square! This website will stay updated as the time of your team's arrival gets closer. Keep checking back to see what will be happening while you are in NYC! http://www.timessquare.com/

Botanical Gardens: Here's the link for New York's botanical gardens. Just beautiful! For groups of 15 or more, there are special discounts for adults! http://www.nybg.org/

Also, it doesn't hurt do some internet searching for coupons for discounts at popular attractions!

We'll be posting more as the months progress.

As always, contact us of you have ANY questions!!!!

Update on Spring Break Teams

2010-03-19T13:02:00.008-04:00

The teams had a wonderful time in New York City visiting Operation Exodus! Here are a few great pictures from RUF @ Middle Tennessee University that they have shared with us! Looks like they really enjoyed their time at OE!

Teams are in NYC!

2010-03-11T09:35:00.002-05:00

We are so excited that RUF @ MTSU and Graystone Pres are in NYC!!! So far it's been a good week for everyone. The two teams have been at both locations, Washington Heights and Inwood this week. We pray that their time there has been beneficial to the kids and Exodus!

Praying for safe travels for both groups as they go home. MTSU leaves Friday morning at 6 am!!! Graystone leaves Saturday.

Want to learn more about Exodus? Visit their website http://www.operationexodus.org/

You can now become a fan of MTW and Operation Exodus on Facebook!

Making Memories

2010-02-25T10:46:00.003-05:00

Recently, Exodus took the kids to Central Park to go ice-skating! The kids had a blast and did exceptionally well, despite the adults being worried of the worst things that could happen. It was described as possibly one of the most fun events of the year!

If you have a fun memory from Exodus or story to tell, please let us know! We'd love to hear what the Lord has done in your life through Exodus or how your time there changed your perspective on ministry.

From someone that went in Summer 2007:

“I really had no expectations for this trip. The only thing I ask of the Lord to use me. I was open to what ever he chose for me to do. I never expected to be a volunteer for a tutor… The first few days I felt almost useless because I didn’t know the plan for the class and didn’t know to what extent I should participate in class…Today during craft time I spontaneously started sharing what God had done for me and gave them [the children] words of encouragement and comfort...My prayer is that they will take what little I shared with them and continue to build on it…I see their faces now and I pray I never forget what they look like. They will always be in my heart.”

Getting Ready!

2010-02-18T13:42:00.002-05:00

Spring break teams will be in NYC in just over 2 weeks! We are so excited to see how the Lord will use these teams in the kids' lives and we pray they will be a blessing to the Exodus team! We can't wait to share news from the week on the blog!

While you are getting ready...

For both Spring and Summer teams, here are a few things you may want to include in your suitcase:

Bible
Notebook
Shoes you are comfortable walking in
Warmer clothes incase it gets cold at night or in the hostel (for Spring teams: pack for varying temperatures!)
Rain jacket
Ear plugs
Hand sanitizer
Camera
Flip-flops for the showers

These are just a few things to think about. More detailed lists are avaliable in the NYCOE Team Leader's manual. If you are going to the POT, you will receive a copy of the Team Leader's Manual there!

Transitions

2010-02-10T09:06:00.003-05:00

Did you know...

...In NYC, middle school students must complete a high school application and some must take a high school placement test?

...The City of New York is closing 16 high schools in exchange for opening 13 smaller high schools?

Making the transition for any kid from middle school to high school is a huge step in growing up! But imagine if you had to face an application, a test, open houses, and school fairs before you ever even got there! Getting in to high school in NYC can sometimes be as rigorus as applying for college!

As Exodus prepares their middle schoolers for this big event, there is a huge need for prayer around the students. Grades at this point in their school careers will hugely impact their time in high school. Please pray that the tutors will know how to best help these students in preparing, and that the students will have the will, courage, and excitement to learn...Especially with decreasing the number of schools, and increasing the number of students in each school, this time is going to be tough.

Praise the Lord for...

...A comment on one student's report card said, "Has shown extraordinary improvement in her overall grades for second semester."
...One student at Inwood had two quizzes this week and acheived grades of 100 on both!
... One first grader has an extremely unstable home life and no adult leadership. His last report card was very heart breaking, but in class he is making small improvements every day and they are starting to add up! His addition skills are growing every day and his vocabulary is increasing also!

Tips for Preparing. Stories from Exodus.

2010-02-03T13:39:00.005-05:00

You've been asked to lead a team to NYC for this summer! And you wonder where to start. You want details, answers, prayer, and... people! You have to stay on track with paperwork, support raising, meetings... the list goes on!

Here are a few tips on getting things started:

1.) Advertise the project: This could be through flyers, emails, phone calls, meetings, Facebook, etc.

2.) Get a core group of interested believers together. Share the details and pray about it.

3.) Once you get commitments, spend time getting to know your team! Have regular team meetings where you talk about details, and make a team Covenant. (You might also want to do some team building time outside your meetings where you get to know each other a little better and can share some great memories).

4.) Send out support letters. If you need ideas for what to write in your letters, we will be glad to give you some samples!

5.) Do some culture study. Check out these links:

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15070
http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/part2/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/in-the-heights-chasing-broadway-dreams/preview-of-in-the-heights-chasing-broadway-dreams/761/

6.) Contact us if you have ANY questions. We are glad to help!

In Other News!

Heights

After School started at the heights on November 12th and everything got into place immediately. Most students re-enrolled immediately, a testimony to great communication between thearent coordinator and the parents. One change is the number of classes – the After School is running 10 classes, not 11. The 11th classroom is being used for HS students, as well as special events like the “readers’ café” and “awesome effort” prizes.

Ashley’s focus this year has been tutor quality, and she has put great training, systems, and evaluation into place. Two tutors have had to leave the Heights this year, but Ashley filled their places quickly, and the new tutors have stepped in prepared and able to deliver.

Inwood

A big praise for OE at Inwood is that one 5th grader has begun thriving after a long time of struggling in school with his teacher. He was struggling to learn his times tables and other areas. He wasn't doing his homework, or writing down assignments, but with the help of Chris and Jacelyn at OE, he is getting back on track! He is now completing homework and turning assignments in on time! His teacher is very impressed (although she never really gave him much of a chance before) and has sent his parent a letter praising him for his turnaround! Please pray for the heart of the teacher- that she would be kind and thoughtful and see that this child and his education are just as important as the other students.

Interesting Happenings at Operation Exodus!

2010-01-26T14:32:00.003-05:00

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At both sites this winter, the students have been experiencing college from the eyes of the adults they see every day. Tuesdays and Thursdays a staff member presents information, memories, and other exciting information about the universities they attended! The hope is that the kids will see what it really looks like to go away to college and get them excited about working towards furthering education!
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This past fall, all of our students participated in a story contest. For the national event, Lights on AfterSchool, we had a local story teller, Joe Ricci, a previous mentor for Operation Exodus, come and tell a story. For the next month, students worked on their own creative stories after homework time and we had a contest. The winners of the writing contest had their stories read and acted out at the Christmas Party and a panel of judges picked a Top Winner! The kids were extremely creative and everyone had so much fun!
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The park has been something of the past this January, but the past week has been warming up a little and the kids have gotten to experience the outdoors once again!
The Heights:
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Creative classes are also going well at the Heights site! Kids can pick between original classes like pantomime, praise dance, magic tricks, and Around the World! Around the World is a mix between geography and art, the other classes are primarily art. Right now the students in Around the World are learning about China!
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The Heights site is beginning their Homework Bucks program on Thursday. Students have already been accumulating bucks, but the store opens up this Thursday.
Inwood:
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With a new site, everything at Exodus Inwood is exciting! One thing the tutors have really taken ownership of is the creative class time on Fridays. The students can pick from a variety of arts including: jewelry making, interior design, baking, and drawing. In interior design we have a student designing a WWE themed miniature wrestling ring! And the baking class filled the site with the sweet aroma of brownies this past Friday. It made the staff very hungry!
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Early homework is now an official part of the Exodus Inwood site for kids struggling in different subjects or just struggling to focus during class time. It is giving the students extra time to get work done and it is also helping the distracted kids get done more quickly so they have time to read steps during homework time!
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The Inwood site is beginning Academic Olympics on February 12th and it will close on February 19th with a day of physical events! The classes will each have a color and the color will represent a country. The classes will learn about countries and they will also have trivia games every day at the level that the students are at. The medals will be awarded based on scores from those in class games.

‘Ah-Ha!’ Educational Moments at OE
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At the Heights site, four more students reached the 100 step mark for the 100 Book Challenge last week!
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Tutors had a training on math strategies and learned fun games that help kids work on place value, multiplication, and other math concepts. The kids are really enjoying them!
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A Kindergartener at the Inwood site is beginning to read on his own outloud!
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One fifth grader at the Inwood site, has made giant strides in his academic success. He was a student on the verge of failing and is now striving for straight A’s. It is so evident that his teacher noticed and sent a letter to Operation Exodus.
Seeds of Change at OE
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The three older boys in Brenda’s class have also matured greatly. It is small steps, but they are taking responsibility in class work and being more responsive to authority.
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At Inwood, community students have adapted well to the structure of Exodus and students we expected to see have behavior issues have had no issues and are doing better in their academics.

Greetings from Bobbi Jo

2010-01-25T18:31:00.005-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for stopping by the Mission to the World (MTW) /Operation Exodus (OE) Mission team blog! It is our prayer that you will find this to be a resource to assist in preparing for serving with us in New York City. Be sure to check back weekly, as we are gearing up to post regular updates for you.

This year we have mostly all new teams schedule to serve at Exodus, therefore I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself to you so you know who the person is on the other end of the phone or the email you receive.

My name is Bobbi Jo Brooks and I am the Project Administrator for MTW's short term trips to New York City, but also for Asia and Europe! I will also be your host while you are serving in New York City.

I grew up in Western, PA at a mission minded church and it was there the Lord began calling me to serve in missions. After graduating high school I spent a summer serving as an intern with MTW in Miami, FL. Then went on to college in Grand Rapids, MI where I studied Bible and Social Work. After I graduated from Kuyper College, I moved to Europe to serve as a missionary to youth in Sighisoara, Romania. After serving in Romania, the Lord brought me Atlanta to serve with MTW and have been here for just over five years!

In my "free" time, I love spending hanging out with friends, cooking for others, traveling and photographing weddings and portraits. Feel free to check out my photography blog at www.blog.bobbijobrooksphotography.com

I look forward to the opportunity to know you and to see how the Lord will work in and through your teams this year!

Delighting in the Lord's Faithfulness,

Bobbi Jo

http://twitter.com/bobbijobrooks

www.facebook.com/bobbijobrooks

New Project Assistant!

2010-01-25T16:15:00.004-05:00

Hi All!

My name is Stephanie, the new project assistant for New York City, Europe and Asia! I work with Bobbi Jo at MTW and I'm so excited to see where the Lord will take us in the coming year! He is sure to move greatly through our efforts at Exodus this coming spring and summer!

I am newly engaged to an awesome man! We have set a date for this year and are looking forward to many years together with our cat, Auldi, and the dog we hope to have one day!

When I have a free minute I love crafting, browsing etsy.com...and planning our wedding! But usually you can find me in the office, or playing drums in my band.

I am eager to see how the Lord will use me at MTW, and I'm so blessed He has placed me here to serve all of you for the glory of Christ :)

Stephanie

Mark your calendars!!

2010-01-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

PCA Global Missions Conference

WHAT: MTW partnering with Covenant College to host
the 2010 PCA Global Missions Conference

WHEN: November 5-7, 2010

WHERE: Chattanooga Convention Center -- Chattanooga, TN

A group discount will be available for six or more participants.
Check back with www.mtw.org in January to register online and learn more details.

Update from Exodus

2009-11-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
We have wonderful news! As you know, Exodus started running our afterschool program at an Inwood site this year, in addition to our Heights site. Then we had to install a fire alarm system and make some building repairs. So while under construction, we’ve transported our students to the Inwood site. Well, now the Heights site is ready, and we welcomed the students to the newly renovated program on Thursday! Students and parents alike could not be happier.

Felicita, Moises’ mom, stopped by on her way to work at noon to say how thankful she is to God for hearing her family prayers: “Moises asked us to pray every Thursday for the program, so every Thursday we prayed,” she said. Moises was one of our students who rode with us to Exodus Inwood at the beginning of the school year. Both of his parents work and don’t have family support and don’t speak English, so when we told them we had to close our Washington Heights doors to install a new fire alarm system, they had no other alternative but to send him to our program in Inwood.

“Another program would have said, ‘We are sorry, we have to close temporarily, look for help elsewhere.’ The need for afterschool education is big, so you wouldn’t have to worry about finding new people. But you didn’t do that,” Felicita remarked. “You went above and beyond to help us. You paid for transportation; you cared for our son and he is doing well. You care. You care. Thank you.”

The students who waited for us to be back were full of joy to see their old friends. “She didn’t say good bye. I no longer exist for Ayleen,” said Maria about her daughter, a second grader. “She is all giggles talking to her friends.” Jeritzel, a seven grader took a more dramatic approach: “Hello, Exodus walls; hello, Exodus Welcoming table; hello, desks,” In a Dianne Wiest – deep and slow voice tone - sort of way in “Bullets Over Broadway,” but as soon as she saw her friend Avian, also a seven grader, she jumped up and down and wouldn’t let him go from her long embrace. They both go to the same school. “You don’t understand,” she said. “We are not in the same class. We don’t see each other. We had fun here.” Avian replied proudly: “You should have gone with me to Exodus Inwood. I got all As and Bs in my report card.” He was very proud about that. It was then that Leonardo, a third grader, walked in the door, like he usually does in his tornado sort of way. “I didn’t think I was going to miss signing in at the door, but I did.” They like routine, said Maria, “Ayleen doesn’t want to do homework at home - only at the program.” Since Ayleen is only seven, Maria didn’t want her to travel with us to Inwood. While we were closed, she periodically stopped by to see how we were doing. “At home, Ayleen just wants to watch TV. When she was here, I didn’t have to tell her to read. She loved to read to me. She was doing great. Now, I don’t think she is going to get a good report card. You never know what you have until you lose it.”
Still, many students enjoyed the Inwood site, and made new friends there. There was sadness on Thursday at both the Inwood site and the Heights site. We hope that having all students to the Heights site on Saturdays provides a great opportunity to continue building those friendships.

Please dear friends continue to pray for our programs. It is an honor to serve the LORD and see His amazing hand at work.
In Him
Matt and Tatiana Mahoney

Come Serve With Us in 2010!

2009-10-20T15:21:00.002-04:00

2009-07-31T13:11:00.000-04:00

2009-07-31T12:59:00.000-04:00

2009-07-31T12:50:00.000-04:00

2009-07-31T12:47:00.000-04:00

2009-03-17T20:57:00.001-04:00

2009-03-17T20:57:00.000-04:00

2009-03-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

Spring Break @ OE with VCU

2009-03-17T20:55:00.000-04:00

From Jason, youth director at Christ Kingom Church in Orland, FL

2009-03-02T11:12:00.003-05:00

"Serving at Operation Exodus was a great experience for our high school youth! Students not only experienced another part of our country that they had not been to before, but also had to step out of their comfort zones to care for the kids in Washington Heights. They had the opportunity to see what our Savior means to these children and learn about another culture.

Our students returned home with leadership experience and a better sense of how to relate to others. They also learned that sharing the Gospel is not simply reciting verses to people - the Gospel is reflected in how you live out your life.

Mission to the World did a great job preparing us for our time in New York, and did an even better job taking care of us during our week. Our Project Director was very relational with the staff and kids at Exodus, and served as a great role model for each of us.

All of our students said they would definitely consider returning to serve at Operation Exodus."

Part 1 - A week serving at Operation Exodus

2009-02-25T14:40:00.001-05:00

Part 2

2009-02-25T14:36:00.000-05:00

A message from Matt, the director of Operation Exodus

2009-02-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

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2009-02-25T14:30:00.001-05:00

2009-02-25T14:29:00.001-05:00

2009-02-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Update on cost per person

2009-02-05T17:21:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,
Since I wrote the last post, cost of things have increased which I wish was not the case, but it is reality therefore I have had to increase the cost per person is going to be based upon group size and gender breakdown, but in the ball park of $600-625 per person.

Come serve with Operation Exodus in 2009!!

2008-10-14T17:08:00.002-04:00

2009 is quickly approaching and we need teams to come serve with Operation Exodus. Will your group join us? We hope so.

Here is a bit of information on the opportunity for those who do not know about it.

Project Description: Operation Exodus Inner City's mission is to promote spiritual growth, higher educational achievement, and leadership for undeserved children with an emphasis on the Latino community in Washington Heights. Through quality after-school education, caring mentoring relationships, school placements, and parent workshops, the transforming power and values of Jesus Christ are demonstrated.

Ministry Description: Summer 2009 short term teams will take the Gospel into Washington Heights by ministering to the school-aged children of Operation Exodus. Through tutoring, arts and crafts, creative activities, and sports, participants will help students develop the necessary tools needed to complete high school. In addition to meeting academic needs, teams will lead daily worship and share the good news that can transform lives. For more information or to see pictures and blog post on this blog.

Dates we need teams: After School Program: May 23-30, May 30-June 6, June 6-13, June 13-20

Summer Achievement Program: July 4-11, July 11-18, July 18-25, July 25-Aug 1, Aug 1-8, Aug 8-15, Aug 15-22

Also open to Spring Break trips, depending upon the dates of your spring break

Project Orientation Trip Dates: April 20-22

Housing: Housing will be in an international youth hostels

Transportation: Teams will be responsible for their own transportation to and from New York City. Travel in and around New York is by subway. The subway cost is included in the project cost.

Project Cost for one week: $550-585

Age Group Focus: This project is great for senior high youth, college students and adult teams. The maximum number on a single team is 35 people.

2008-08-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

2008-08-01T13:48:00.000-04:00

Park Time

2008-08-01T13:35:00.000-04:00

Park Time

2008-08-01T11:39:00.000-04:00

Praise Time

2008-08-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

Kelly, Jessie, and Laura leading praise time

Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-28T16:49:00.000-04:00

Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-28T16:48:00.000-04:00

2008-07-24T15:24:00.000-04:00

Silly faces

2008-07-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

2008-07-24T15:02:00.000-04:00

2008-07-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

Pictures from Photo Scavenger Hunt

2008-07-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

Those who have been helping host Exodus mission teams

2008-07-22T18:56:00.000-04:00

In addition to the staff at Operation Exodus, I have had a great team of people helping me assist the summer mission teams who have come to serve at Exodus this summer! I could not have done this without each of you! Even though we still have a few weeks to go, many of the people below are on their way out for the summer. Thank you all for your service and dedication this summer.

Adam

Christopher

Cory

Me & Melissa

Thanks guys,
Bobbi Jo

2008-07-11T15:02:00.000-04:00

Fun on the beach

2008-07-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

Beach Trip

2008-07-11T13:14:00.000-04:00

Pictures from the beach

2008-07-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

Waiting for our train back

2008-07-11T13:10:00.000-04:00