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Youth Choir Tour Letters!
Please be sure to check back each day for new letters as we receive them!
Day 1
Dear Church Family,
What an awesome team we have, and what an awesome God we serve! We all made it to Chicago with absolutely
no problems and are established in our temporary home for the next nine days. The mission donations are
stacked up in the hallways of Chicago Christian High and we have plenty of room to organize and stage the
next day's supplies. Several of our counselors have said they can feel the power of prayer surrounding
our every activity and protecting us as we travel. Other than almost having a cardiac arrest when we
paid the first gas bill for eight vehicles, all is well. Tomorrow we serve at the homeless shelter.
We will sing in worship for about 35 minutes of the two hour service and then serve food to everyone.
We are a little giddy at the prospect of being able to hand out so many personal care kits, Gospels of
John, and Beanie Babies! Thank you so much for your support and your prayers. We will keep you updated
as we serve together.
In Christ,
Rochelle and the Freedom Tour gang
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Day 2
Dear SunRise Family,
It's hard to describe today. The kids served at the large homeless shelter church in the city and it
was the ride of their life! We were supposed to set up worship in the street, but we had terrible
storms this morning that prevented that. The skies did clear up enough to let us play with kids in
the yard after the service and a few brave souls did double-Dutch jump-roping in the street. I will
try to give you a taste of what this day was like with a few quotes.
"Mom! Jesus is NOT going to take the wheel!"
"Ya'll were NOT was we were expecting!"
"I never expected to hear those songs! And from white people!"
"Preach it! That's right! Bring the message! Praise God! Hallelujah!"
"I think we all feel like we genuinely worshipped the Almighty Living God of the Universe today!"
"For some strange reason, my eyes were leaking all during the service...."
"Honey, those children have SOUL!!!!!"
"Do you guys have a cd?"
"I think those homeless kids were, well, more polite than most of us are..."
"Everyone was so thankful."
"A young man was carrying around his report card and showing me his grades. We went and got him a
Mountain Dew and told him it was for his report card. He said 'thanks' and that he hadn't had a
Mountain Dew in five years."
We take so much for granted. Tonight our kids served in the lowliest of places with the most blessed
of people. They truly were leaders of worship in God's house. It was awesome to be a part of that.
Please be praying for the families at this shelter and the caring staff that have dedicated their lives
to transforming individuals and families with the power and love of God.
In other more humorous news.....The war between Maynard and Curtis is escalating.....Apparently there
is some payback for youth retreat??? I just walk through the hallways claiming "plausible deniability."
I am ashamed to say that the school principal is becoming an accessory to the crimes and I have made them
all promise not to be so naughty that we get kicked out. Maynard keeps telling me that "Pastor Jim signed
my tour covenant!"
I do want to share with you all that we have an absolutely AWESOME team of counselors! They amaze me every
day with their sense of humor, their love for our youth, and their resourceful preparation. They really are
a Dream Team! It's hysterical that a couple of them can tell me what their counselor's walkie-talkie handle
is, but not their true name! ("She's the "Good Samaritan" but I don't really know what her other name is...")
Tomorrow we'll check in again and let you know how the adventure is continuing. Thank you for all your prayers
and support.
Blessings!
Rochelle and the gang in Chicago
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Day 3
Dear SunRise Family,
Day 3 was a little rough waking up for some of the kids, but they worked like real missionaries today!
Some of them were a little nervous about having to take our spare tires into the building to prevent
them from being stolen today, but once they stepped into that amazing sanctuary called "The Agape Center"
they fell in love with the 90 children that mobbed them with hugs, dances, basketballs, and questions.
Every day they serve they find a little bit more within themselves that they didn't know they had. They
find a little more energy, a little more groove, a little more eye contact.....just a little more Holy
Spirit.....ok, a LOT more! Sometimes the counselors are standing in the back or on the side and it just
takes their breath away to see such beauty in action. Today they had their first gig with a truly demanding
audience.....ONLY KIDS!! That's the toughest thing in the world because you have to grab their attention,
keep it, and even then they can spot a fake a mile away!
After the concert, the kids had three solid rotations of distributing and learning about their bible,
making their own bible cover and scripture frisbee and then games, dance and balloons/face painting in the
gym. It made perfect sense when Stephen said, "I'm all basketballed OUT!!" They worked unbelievably hard
and every minute God opened their eyes to the fact that most other children in the world do not live the way
they do. There are so many who have so much less and still show such trust and faith in God. Here are some
of the eye-opening "Quotes Of The Day."
"How can I 'Honk for Jesus' when I don't own a car?"
"I think I want a giraffe balloon animal because it has long neck and it can be closer to God."
"What is a Beanie Baby?"
"When I'm 30, I'm gonna sing to God like that!"
"You don't have to wait until you're 30! Start now!"
"You guys are treating me like a superstar!"
"That lady in the bible rotation is AWESOME! Can she just come work here all summer?"
That's all for now. Everyone is full of Chicago style pizza and is winding down from a long day. Thanks
again for your prayers. The kids said to tell you "We love you!"
Blessings,
Rochelle and the gang in Chicago
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Day 4
Dear Sunrise Family,
This has been an indescribeable last two days. The team has been working so hard that this is the first
chance I have had to send news. Yesterday we served at the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago - specifically,
the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center. At first we were disappointed that plans had changed and they had
chosen not to invite any of the other centers nearby. After the first hour, we could see that God had a
plan for that day and that it was to give an overflow of individual attention to every child there. We had
so many incredible comments. Here are a few......
"This is the best work day EVER! God loves you and we do too!"
"If this balloon hat pops on your head you can bite me." (Ok, understand that this was meant in a loving
way in that the child intended to say-'If I hurt you, you can be upset with me..")
"Usually these kids are asking 'When can i go home?' Today I haven't heard a one of them ask to leave."
"God bless you for what you're doing. I'm trying to find a way to get my kids involved in something like
this, but there isn't anything, with all the gangs and violence around here. It's so hard to find someone
that you can trust with your kids."
We learned that at that particular center, the recreation coordinator and a local police officer who visited
had both grown up at that center and credit it for keeping them out of the gangs and they had both dedicated
their adult life to helping the center so other kids could find that same safe haven.
You would have been so proud of our kids. Before the concert, they sat down to have lunch with the kids.
Our kids had big Jimmy John's sandwiches, giant cookies, and chips. The center kids had a piece of wheat
roll, a little salad and a carton of milk. In a about twenty seconds, you couldn't tell who was eating what
lunch. There were chips everywhere and I'm pretty sure no one actually ate their own entire meal. Even our
counselors were cutting up their lunches when they saw two of the staff who had nothing to eat for lunch.
One of our most powerful testimonies of the day was when the rec supervisor was sharing his story and asked
Maynard if he knew which of our girls had told him she would love to meet Michael Jordan. He had left the
room and went to get an NBA team shirt that he had been saving for two years. Knowing that we didn't have
enough shirts to give him one in his size, he had gone and gotten a stack of shirts to give our kids.
Maynard asked if he could literally give the shirt off his back to JJ; I was so proud to tell him he could.
When we about to leave, I admit I getting a little irritated that I couldn't find a group of the kids. As
I stepped into the gym to be "firm with them", I saw the most beautiful sight. A group of them were waiting
with children who had to wait on the bleachers for parents to pick them up. The little children began to drag
them to me to introduce their "new sister" or "new best friend." One person commented that they had never seen
children so starved for attention in their life. It was an awesome day.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we serve. God is nurturing the spirit of compassion in our
kids in such an incredible and mighty way.
Blessings,
Rochelle
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Day 5
Dear SunRise Family,
Well it's day 5 and we have so much to tell. We did forget to mention that we caused quite a stir in the
neighborhood when we came to eat dinner at Tastee Freez last night. There were several command performances
both outside and in the restaurant, and the owner had set up tables and chairs for us outdoors for everyone
to eat in the sunshine. We followed that one up with a shopping trip to WalMart for everyone to repenish
supplies, and we just had to sing for everyone. The kids did great and no one was too shocked. We actually
got one of our most powerful testimonies from the cashier at the check out! It just goes to show you that
you never know why God has placed you in a certain place at a certain time, but that there is always a reason.
Today was by far the most difficult work day. We served at the Marcy Center, an inner city low-income community
center formed by the Methodist Church. We were told by Mr. Love, the volunteer coordinator, to "turn up the
music and let the neighborhood know we were here." The fire station down the street came and hooked up Maynard's
water curtain for him and the center managed to get a giant jumper thing set up in the street. Massive quanities
of food were consumed and the mission / food / and party crews worked double overtime!
Mr. Love tells us that this community had been full of gangs and violence, but that the Marcy Center is known as
"The Peace Zone" Right across the street, there was an ominous group of characters parked on the steps of a
building. We were told that those were former gang members who were sitting there to make sure that all the
children remained safe and that the Marcy Center remained in the "peace zone." What was so beautiful was that
the whole time, the message of the love and hope of Jesus Christ was practically shouting across the whole
neighborhood. Black, white, brown, and every color in between was singing, dancing, drumming, face painting,
hula hooping and jump roping in perfect harmony.
Tonight we would ask you to pray for our kids and their continued witness. They are a dangerous weapon in God's
army. You won't recognize them when they come home. They have so many stories to tell you.
We also ask you to pray for a young person on a bicycle who was hit by a car just as we were leaving. This is
the second time that an accident has happened on a choir tour just as we were leaving a site. On both occasions
we were completed stocked with nurses and EMT's who were first on the scene. Things were under control when we
left, but I don't yet have a report on the details. Just please pray that the person that was hit will heal well
and quickly.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers. We feel the Holy Spirit active in our lives this week and we are
grateful for our church family. Tomorrow we will go to the foster care "child city."
Blessings,
Rochelle and the gang in Chicago
Day 6
Dear SunRise Family,
Greetings from the worn out, sweaty, spiritually filled but physically dragging youth choir crew. I know
in my heart that very soon they are all going to get their second wind and start downing energy drinks and
playing basketball, but they have worked so very hard today.
Today's mission outing was quite a contrast in many ways from yesterday. We served at the Mooseheart
Child City in Aurora. It was interesting that the explanation we received of how kids are there differs
somewhat from the explanation that the kids living there have. Basically it is a foster care setting,
but since only a portion of the kids there are placed by the legal system to protect them, they prefer
not to think of it as foster care. Some of them are eligible to be placed there if they live in a
dangerous inner city environment and their grades are good enough for them to qualify. They still give
up living with their families and stay at the campus. Many of them are there because they have lost a
parent or both parents, or if they are living with someone who is unable to take care of them.
Unfortunately, there are some cases of family simply not wishing to take care of them. Here are a few
quotes of the day from several of the Mooseheart children.
"Our aunt said we were going to summer camp and dropped us off here. That was two and a
half years ago."
"I was sent here from St. Louis to go to school, but my mom hasn't written, called or visited
since I came here."
One little preschool girl with helium balloons tied to here wrist told one of our kids while
waiting in line for a snow cone, "I want to fly away.....I want to see Jesus."
Mooseheart is a beautiful, spacious campus where kids don't lack for any basic needs. They work
and learn and are taught responsibility. Middle school and high school kids who don't have a
summer job work on ETF, or "Environmental Task Force." That means that for a certain number of
hours a day, they work on the grounds cutting grass, pulling weeds, planting, raking or even
working in the barns and with animals. One girl was afraid that she was going to have to miss
the concert because she had been assigned an animal that she had to take care of in the barns
and she wanted the leaders to know that she was prepared to leave early to go do that. The
pastor and ETF director made sure that she had permission to go hear the concert too.
As wonderful a place as Mooseheart is, it is difficult to maintain staff in the group homes.
House parents on the average last only 18 months, hardly enough time to establish any kind of
permanency for the kids. They become yet another adult who has left them. The training is
rigorous and continuing education is required, but the pastor told us that for many people they
simply don't wish to invest time in the continuing ed required to meet the needs of the kids.
It is a difficult situation for them.
I wish you could have seen our kids today. There were far more children their own age and it
didn't take long for them to be completely involved in some kind of soccer or football game.
Many of the kids in devotions remarked that the age similarity made today extra special. It
helped them to see that these kids are "just like us." Jump ropes broke out and everyone became
united in the grand purpose of eating barbecue!!! Our food prep team didn't know how to act!
Poor Kristy Daugherty came to the serving line with a plate in her own hand and didn't have to
hand it to anyone! She said she just didn't know if she remembered how to do this...and after
that she just had to ask me if I wanted her to serve me some potato salad! The center had told
us that for this event, they wanted our entire focus to be on interacting with the kids. They
didn't want anyone to have to worry about preparing food. An actual truck arrived at the picnic
pavilion and a whole crew of people in white chef jackets piled out with racks and racks of food
and drink. It was the most beautiful sight!
Tonight we ask that you pray for our team's witness at the Navy Pier tomorrow. It will be a
complete change of environment. The kids need a day to blow off steam and enjoy some sight-seeing
and shopping and just general fun, but it will be a culture shock of commercialism in contrast to
where they have been. We've encouraged them to understand that their witness there will passing
tourists will be just as important as diving into the poor neighborhoods, but it will definitely
feel different.
More importantly, we ask you to pray for the children and leaders at Mooseheart. Pray for strength and endurance for the houseparents and encouragement for the wonderful pastor of The Church Of God. Please pray for the tender hearts of the children placed at Mooseheart. They have experienced so many losses and are hungry for permanency in their lives. Pray especially for two little children that one of our counselors met. They are a brother and sister about her children's age. The little boy formed a special bond with Ryan, Kristy's son. They share a birthday month and spent a good part of the day playing together. Later they found out that the children were there because their mother had died. Our hearts were squeezed extra hard today and we are trusting that God will wrap them in His loving arms and continue to care and provide for them.
We miss you and love you all. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Rochelle and the gang in Chicago
Day 7
Dear SunRise Family,
Today's schedule introduction read, "Ministry is hard work, but even Jesus rested." Today the kids were allowed what we called the "semi-free day." We had a blessed few extra minutes to sleep, our counselor staff made a hot breakfast for the kids and the staff of the high school, and all 76 of us hit Chicago's Navy Pier in our bright green tie dye shirts! What an awesome witness! The kids noticed all day that people were staring at their shirts. Kids and counselors alike got pulled over and asked what that "Freedom Tour stuff was all about." They shopped, strolled, stared out over Lake Michigan, and rode the most spectacular Ferris wheel. We didn't even lose any of them!
By the time we were supposed to perform, the whole crew gathered at perhaps the smallest stage they have ever sang on, with probably the best music equipment they will ever use. There were a lot of tourists passing by, but as they warmed up, more people began to gather. I was not allowed to open in prayer or really convey any spoken message other than the music, but that message of the saving love of Jesus was loud and clear. We had had to stay inside for a good part of the early afternoon because it started pouring rain after we got there, but the skies had cleared a while before we sang. As the kids sang, more and more people gathered. Then came the fateful moment when we actually said "The J Word" in a song. At the name of Jesus, several tables of people politely got up and left. What we noticed afterward was a mixture of more and more enthusiasm, just a few episodes of mocking, and lots of compliments afterwards. It was a little funny that when we sang, "open up the heavens, let the river of Your love come down, washing over me," the skies began to sprinkle just a bit. The thunder rolled just a little (and of course, a large seagull pooped on someone's head...), but by the end of the song the rain had stopped again. The kids and counselors began to notice people getting out their cameras and camcorders and filming them! What followed after the last song was an awesome encouragement from the crowd. Here are just a few of their comments;
"Thank you! God bless you for what you're doing. Anytime you can praise God and let the whole world know WHO you are praising, you're doing the right thing. Keep doin' that!"
"Way to go! Keep sharing your faith!"
"They don't sing normal church music! This stuff is pretty good!"
As we left the Navy Pier, the sky began to sprinkle and the skies got darker. In all the crowd of travelers that day, I don't think there was anyone who looked happier than our tie-dyed 76! As we drove towards Palos Heights, up in the sky was the most amazing sight. In front of us was a huge double rainbow. What a great gift from God!
I want to share with you several comments about tonight's devotions. I read to the kids the email that the prayer team had sent them, and it occured to me that if anyone wanted to send a message for their last night here, that would be great! Just send it to soulexchange@charter.net, and when I check my email tomorrow I will print it out. The kids were so thankful to the message, but they got a big laugh from another email. It said the following...(We had them substitue "powerful men" for "powerful women" for the guys...)
"For all the powerful women in my life. Live your life so that when your feet touch the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, 'Oh crap.....she's awake!'"
Today, the evil one not only knew we were awake, but we were properly armed with the prayers of our family and the full armour of the Holy Spirit. It was awesome! On the personal battle front, the all believed that the war between the senior boys and Maynard had finally reached a peak when they agreed to come forward to have an assortment of pre-purchased groceries (mixed in soda and pancake syrup...) pour on their heads in the parking lot in retribution for what they had done to Maynard at the youth retreat. Then an odd thing happened. One by one, kids began to come to Maynard to either remove the blame from one of the other boys, or to confess that they had been a party to the attack. Some of the confessions were a real surprise. One of the other boys even said he would willingly take his shower of syrup punishment out at the fire hydrant with the other boys. At devotions, Maynard dragged Curtis forward and pulled out the groceries that he was going to pour on their heads one by one. When he had pulled the last bottle of soda out, he described what the other kids had came to him to confess and told the whole group he was going to donate all the food to a homeless shelter instead of pour it on them. All the confusion about the topic of "grace" that the kids had during devotions earlier this week was cleared up. It's strange....our eyes have been leaking all week!
Well, goodnight and God bless you all. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers. Tomorrow we serve at The Center For Enriched Living. We will serve with an entirely different audience and then celebrate our Testimony, Awards and Holy Communion Service. This is usually the most meaningful and emotional time of tour.
Much love to everyone,
Rochelle and the gang in Chicago
P.S. It might be helpful to pray for me too. It's 11pm and we just fed the kids the leftover ice cream........oh boy........
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