We started out the day with another amazing breakfast followed by an inspirational message from Kaity Badowski. Kaity used the book of Habakkuk, from an Old Testament prophet who cried out to God for all of the injustice suffered by the Israelites.  Kaity connected that with the injustices that we are witnessing in the OKC community; that, similar to Habakkuk’s petitions to the Lord, we raise to Him with expectation to see Kingdom changes in “our” timing.  Kaity closed with a neat story about a woman who prayed fervently, however having a feeling that her prayers were “falling flat”.  That night, she had a dream of her prayers floating gently up into the air, then when hitting a certain point in the sky, shot up quickly to Heaven.  It was a good word-picture for all of us to be faithful in prayer, even when we feel like they are floating aimlessly.  Because they are not.  God hears all of our prayers immediately.  We need to be faithful in how and when He responds.

Our first mission assignment today was at a school called Positive Tomorrows, a school that serves (only) homeless children and their families.  Upon our arrival, we were treated to an excellent overview of the school and the scope of its services by Cameron, one of their many impressive staff members.  What most impressed us was the wholistic approach to education that the school takes, which goes far beyond feeding and educating the children.  The scope of services addresses all needs of the family, including food insecurities, medical, transportation, and housing, among many others.  The intent is to get the family on solid footing so that the children’s immediate needs are not met without long term healthy and sustainability of the family.  Our whole team was blown away by the school’s bright, joyous facilities and staff.  It was a “breath of fresh air” to see such a light in the midst of so much darkness and negativity that plagues so much of OKC’s education system.

Our team got the chance to be “recess buddies” with the kids for a couple of hours.  From start to finish, we had fun and tender moments with the kids.  From sidewalk chalk, to Gaga ball, soccer, football, and just sitting and talking with them, we soaked in the sunshine and joy that these kids exuded.  Many team members shared specific stories during the debrief that had us laughing and crying, remembering where these kids were coming from.  It was inspirational to all of us that so many of them exuded so much hope and joy given their circumstances.

After a quick stop back at the City Center for lunch, we listened to Pastor Rob from Life Church, a mission partner with the center, describe the network of ministries that their partnership employs.  The model, which they have been refining for nearly a decade now, is to come alongside and empower existing ministries who are already meeting needs in the community well.  We traveled to two of those ministry partners today to learn about their operations.

Our first stop was Tulakes, a food pantry in the middle of OKCs largest low-income apartment communities.  Tulakes staff described a number of services besides the food pantry, including mental health and church services.  They also had an impressive vision for growth that included a facility across the street which is currently a day care.  On our way out, we stopped and prayed over the facility for God to grow his kingdom through the Tulakes ministry.  Our second stop was to Branch15, a ministry to reunite women caught in addictions and transitioning from prison with their children.  We toured their facility and met some of the staff and residents.  It was a blessing to see incredible examples of mission partners fulling critical needs in the community.

We finished up the day with dinner and a talk from a local school principal and longtime friend of the City Centers, about the struggles of the OKC education system.  As we did with all of the places and people that we visited today, we were able to pray over her. We can’t wait to see what awesome adventures good has in store for us tomorrow! 

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