Words from the Emcee: Being Everything

Monday evening, I had the pleasure of attending New Salem's block party. It was a fun time to try out my Spanish, something I am trying to not forget. It was also a great time to talk to some of the kids who were bouncing back and forth from the inflatables and the sno-cone machine.

Two conversations that really stuck out to me. One was with Reuben, Pastor Vidal's grandson. As you probably know from other entries, Sioux Falls is putting on a soccer camp for New Salem's neighborhood, so my question to all the kids was, "Are you going to do the soccer camp this year?" If they said yes, I would ask if they did it last year and what they liked about it. In perfect simplicity, Reuben replied, "Everything."

I also ended up talking to Anthony, a kid from the neighborhood who had not been a part of BUMP before. "I'm so excited," he said. "I've never been before, but I can't wait for it to start!" Upon hearing that, I assumed Anthony, about nine years old, was maybe an avid soccer player. "I play a little," he told me, "but not a lot. This just seems really fun, so I want to come back. I'm just really enjoying everything."

Everything.

I think as BUMPers, it's easy to forget the impact we have on the kids. We feel awkward at times. We feel like we can't relate. We try desperately to strike up conversations with the kids at our sites, and sometimes it feels like we just aren't getting through. Yet, somehow, I think our presence in the community does a lot of the work for us -- and we don't even realize it.

Anthony

I don't know Anthony's living situation, but I do know many of these children we minister to come from broken homes with no one to look up to. They come from sub-par living conditions with stories that can break the most calloused of hearts. But for one week, a bunch of nervous teenagers in blue and gray shirts get let loose in the neighborhood and invite all to come to a week of fun and games. A break in what could be a hard life for many of these kids.

I think the coolest part about Anthony's story and his excitement was that he lives a few blocks from the church, but didn't really know about it. He saw a flyer for the block party -- passed out by our BUMP staff in 120-degree weather (not an exaggeration).

Through the hard work of our teams, no matter what the weather conditions or fatigue, we can truly be everything to these kids for one week. What's better is we can point them to a God who is everything to us, and desperately wants to be everything to them. That's our mission -- through awkwardness and all.

So proud of you guys! Keep up the amazing work!
--Luke "L-Dub" Widbin