Jill invited friend BB to the Mercy Street Fundraising Luncheon, and friend BB invited the Living Stones, and eight of us traveled to West Dallas to hear what God is doing in the neighborhood.
Back story – Jill was a recipient of the scholarship at Texas A & M that honors BB’s daughter Heather. Then Jill moved to Dallas to teach, and got reacquainted with BB and her husband Sherman. Jill lived with BB for a short while, and we all got to know and love Jill. She loves the Lord, has a servant’s heart, and loves working with inner city children.
In her invitation to BB, this is what she wrote:
Did you know… the Lord has doubled the number of girls in my middle school girl’s bible study this year? There was one girl at camp with whom I had A LOT of discipline issues and the last 36 hours at camp we spent in total isolation together… this is the VERY girl that hasn’t missed one bible study and tells the other girls to be quiet when I am trying to talk!
He is up to something good… I now have 90 adult women who have chosen to invest and mentor in the life of a middle school girl in West Dallas. Middle school girls are craving to date Godly teenage men and some are choosing to wait until that type of man comes along.
I still have to pinch myself… I feel like I am in my dream job and loooooove it and it doesn’t feel like work at all!
Who wouldn’t want to go and find out what all the excitement is about? My inquiring mind wanted to know.
Along the walkway and in the welcome displays were wonderful pictures of the children of Mercy Street.. As we walked along, Jill could tell us stories about the accomplishments of so many of the children. Look at this picture. This is West Dallas. It doesn’t look bad or scary.
The Mercy Street Fundraising Luncheon was held on their “Field of Dreams”. The City of Dallas provided land for the athletic fields. The Texas Rangers built them a ball field, and there was a large tent for the luncheon on the other field. This was a huge event (about 500 people attended).
Trey Hill, Mercy Street Executive Director, insists on having the luncheon in West Dallas rather than a fancy place in Dallas. He wants people to see what is happening for Christ here.
The theme for the luncheon was “the tandem trek” with the idea that together we can make a difference and give hope to West Dallas.
This was a perfect theme for the luncheon because one thing the children can learn at Mercy Street is bicycle repair. There were wheels hung from the ceiling of the tent. How cool is that?
Table decorations were sunflowers – my favorite.
I especially liked the bark wrapped vases. I got to bring one of these home. (Sorry, but I have to mention how much we liked the color of the tablecloths.) It is hard to write about decorations and food after hearing about the needs of West Dallas.
Bubba’s provided the meal of fried chicken and the fixin’s – mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and delicious rolls (wish I had one right now). Yummy! Oh yes. I can’t forget the banana pudding. I liked it. I loved it.
This was most important. All of the speakers had to be people involved in the life of Mercy Street. It was wonderful, and it was good to hear from people who really walk the talk.
Derrick Spurlock, Principal of Thomas Edison Middle School, (Mercy Street staff consider him an answer to prayers), gave the neighborhood testimony. He realizes what a difference Mercy Street and mentoring can make in the community.
Donovan Campbell is a war hero, author (“Joker One”), and most importantly a mentor at Mercy Street. I wish I could adequately communicate his encouragement to all of us. When asked what we can do for the soldiers fighting in Iraq (greet at the airport? send packages? etc.), he said that it is up to us to do our part to make this a country worth fighting and dying for. (My memory). Sweet Mother of Pearl! That really spoke to me. I had never thought of it that way. West Dallas is where people can make a difference and give hope.
The statistics in this area are alarming. Only 1% of students scored college ready on the SAT/ACT. There is a 3X greater teen birth rate than in the city of Dallas. 36.5% of the residents of this area are female head of households with children.
What do they need?
Mentors, mentors, and more mentors.
Money, money, and more money
Meals for the Mercy Street Mission (on Sunday and Tuesday’s nights)
Bicycles that can be repaired in their bicycle repair learning shop
Bibles – Jill is going to let us know exactly what kind she needs.
We visited and toured Mercy Street and I will share those pictures on another day.
Today was a blessing,
Blessings to you and yours,
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