Soccer Nights and Fourth of July in Boston

13 Jul Soccer Nights and Fourth of July in Boston

As a team, we have now been in Boston for almost a full three weeks! We have had incredible opportunities to serve the city alongside our brothers and sisters at Redemption Hill Church. The Lord has truly blessed our time here, and we are grateful for His grace. Check out the update below from one of our team members, Bradley Moore.

“If I had to describe Boston in just a few short words, well, I?d have some serious issues because that seems next to impossible! Boston is extremely unique as it?s a hub for individuals from so many different religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds. If you?re ever looking for the nations that we are commanded to make disciples of by Christ, you?ll find representatives from each here in ?The Hub of the Universe?, one of Boston?s extremely appropriate nicknames.

So, what have we been up to since our last update? Read closely, we?ve got a lot of ground to cover!

One of the most exciting things we have been able to do was spend the Fourth of July in Boston, where it all started! If you haven?t been in Beantown on the Fourth, then you haven?t really experienced the Fourth of July; I don?t care how American you claim to be! We had an awesome day full of Fenway Park and fireworks!

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go into Harvard Square in Cambridge alongside some people who are involved with a ministry at a local church, Hope Fellowship. When we arrived at Hope we were expecting to head into Cambridge and hand out meals to the homeless; something they had been doing in the past. However, Alex, one of their staff members informed us that we would in fact not be handing out food, or anything for that matter. You see food is easy to come by, but people genuinely wanting to love and build relationships with you are not as accessible. The homeless of big cities like Boston are not in need of food; they?re in need of the Gospel.

It was awesome to see how many of those at Hope have been building relationships with the homeless that live in and around Cambridge. I was able to spend over an hour talking to a younger guy named Matt. He grew up in the area in a Jewish/Christian family who eventually kicked him out once he told them that he was a homosexual; he hasn?t talked to them since. Because of his experience he is an atheist and while he isn?t bitter or angry with Christians, he doesn?t see his need for a savior, a need for redemption found only in Christ. Please be praying for Matt and those at Hope Fellowship who continue to build a relationship with him!

Another awesome opportunity we had was Soccer Nights! Redemption Hill Church has been the host of Soccer Nights in Medford for a while, so we were heavily involved in all the different parts of putting on a free soccer camp and we all had the opportunity to serve in different capacities. There were over two-hundred kids who came out to the free camp and got to learn some basic soccer skills as well as the four different themes for the week: Sportsmanship, Perspective, Perseverance, and Teamwork. Also, there were well over one hundred volunteers many that had no connection to RHC but simply wanted to give back to their town! It was so awesome to be a part of this opportunity to serve the community and make connections with the lost of Medford during Soccer Nights! Seeing a few of our friends from Soccer Nights at church the next Sunday was humbling!

This coming week we will be putting on kid?s camps at a few of the local Government Housing Developments where we have already been involved this summer! Be praying that this will be an opportunity to further the influence of RHC in the community!”

As always, we appreciate your prayers for our team as we continue to seek the Lord, serve the community, and proclaim the goodness of Christ.

Here are some specific ways you can continue to pray:

Pray for our team:?that the Lord would renew our strength and energy. We are all feeling the effects of a long but exciting week of Soccer Nights.

Pray for our ministry:?that the Lord would bring forth fruit from the work we invested at Soccer Nights. We are praying that the Lord uses that event to draw people to Redemption Hill Church. Also, pray for us as we connect with the kid’s at Willis Ave. (a subsidized housing development). We want to show love, compassion, and mercy to these kids and their families–many of whom were displaced by the devastating earthquake in Haiti during 2010.