This past week, we headed down to Brooklyn again to run another vacation Bible School. The theme was being a superhero for Jesus! We had three moms and their kids from a Bible Study group in Berlin, Maryland, join us for part of the week! We couldn't have done it without them!
The children learned simple truths like Make Right Choices, Stay Away From Wrongs and Be Kind to Others!

Superhero Melissa and Superhero Cheez-it lead us in our theme song every day!
There's not a lot to say, except I know our lives were impacted by the kids we met! I was talking with Allison and realized that I enjoy coming to Brooklyn because they are hungry! Not physically, but spiritually. Things are desperate in their environment. Most of the kids come from not just broken homes, but seriously dysfunctional homes. The atmosphere is oppressive. There are gangs on every block. (Devon witnessed a stand off with two gangs right in front of The Post. They were both had guns in their pockets.) Brooklyn is the largest domestic sex trafficking area on the East Coast. Poverty is the norm. Roaches and mice are the norm. These kids are desperate for love and Truth. It's so easy to "feed" people who are starving.
We saw God do a few miracles. One day, we had a couple new kids and we were short two booklets. I went through every box and bag to find two. When it came time to sit down with the kids, I realized I really needed three. I began to pass out the booklets, meanwhile praying for God to do something...and He did. There were three new booklets in the pile.
That may be a little miracle, but God met us there in Brooklyn and paid attention to even the tiniest detail!

We've decided to start a Kid's Night in Brooklyn. We will be running those the last Saturday of every month starting in August. We are hoping to run a parenting class at the same time. We are looking for volunteers to get involved! Please contact us if you are interested!

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated this site! I apologize! I have been spending tons of time here and also some time here.

This has been a really good and really busy year for us! Last fall we started a YWAM Mission Bridge School here in Baltimore. We had 4 different churches represented and we held the classes at St. Luke's on Harford Rd. We had a team of 24! We met for three and a half months preparing our hearts to serve in a missional way. We were originally planning on going to Mexico. But, midway, God redirected our steps to Brooklyn, Baltimore. So, the day after Christmas, our team went and served in Brooklyn at Gospel Assembly Church for 5 days. We ran a vacation Bible school for the local kids, we cleaned up the church, renovated the pastor's bathroom, scrubbed, painted and more! We realized almost immediately, that were were sent there to refresh Pastor Vernon and his wife Brenda and encourage them!! They are on the front lines every day!

Since we were there, one of the young men who brought 3 kids every day, has started going to the church and is building relationship with Pastor Vernon and his family. The church also received a donation of all new hot water pipes! They now have hot water!
The Post (Community House of Prayer) is still partially standing. We tore down half of it last year and this Saturday will be tearing down the rest of it. Our vision is to build a large garage on the front that will act as the Community House of Prayer, and a two bedroom house on the back where missionaries who have a heart for this vision will move in and facilitate full time. We are taking it one step at a time. And to be honest, it has been a very frustrating walk. You can read a bit here. But, we are committed to walking it out. We could really use prayer in this area for wisdom, break through and finances.

We are planning another VBS in Brooklyn this summer. One of the ladies in our house church, purchased a curriculum on the Holy Spirit. We are very excited to get started! We have also been contacted by a group in Berlin, MD who want to come and serve that week! This is a huge answer to prayer and a number of this team teach in a Montessori school...so their talents will definitely be used!

Our house church has spent this year really knitting together and living out community! It has been a beautiful thing to be a part of! We love this family! We have also done a lot of outreach with them! We've been serving monthly at Ridge...lovin' on the skaters there. Word on the street is, the skatepark is going to be torn down by the county. We're not sure what will happen with all those boys! There is a huge need in Parkville for a place for them to skate! Not too long ago, two of those boys came to house church and we asked them, "What does church look like to you? If it could look any way, what would it look like?" They answered, "A skatepark!" Ahh...we are praying about this! How amazing would it be to be able to build a skatepark where church happened?! Didn't Jesus always meet people on their turf? Anyway, more things we have committed to prayer!

Personally...
Devon's business, Ripristino Remodeling, is growing and thriving! Last year was tough. Let's put it this way, the government paid us to have a business! But, God was so faithful! We never missed a mortgage payment and we always had food on the table. We also watched our Father miraculously pour in generous provision in the month of December!! We stood in awe of how He met our needs above and beyond all we had asked or imagined!
Devon has also hired a friend, who is a missionary in Baltimore city. It's been great fellowship! He just landed a big job we've been praying for for over a year! Devon's excited and a bit nervous! But, it's good! He also is waiting for his MHIC license to come any day now! Devon has also been asked to go with our friend Noe to Rwanda in June. He will be going for 7-10 days to serve alongside Noe in the work he is doing their with Africa For Jesus. This is also partially a scouting trip to see what it would be like to take a team there next year.

Kristin's company, LoveFeast Life is gearing up for a breakout year! Her blog that she co-writes with bff Chris Ann, has been a great, creative outlet and has been well received in the blogging community. They are learning tons about social media and are excited about where it will take them! Keep an eye on the blog for fun new adventures! She was also elected to the Board of Directors at the kids school. She will be serving a second term next year. She is also agreed to be Vice President for Safe House of Hope. This is an organization that has been started to help victims of sex trafficking be healed and restored back into their community. Kristin spends the rest of her days being the Transporter!

Kaya is wrapping up his sophomore year! It has been a much better year for him! He will be 16 in June and is eagerly looking forward to getting his driver's license and working this summer to save some money. He has been going to a youth group this year and is now one of their student leaders. This has been an incredible experience for him and we've really seen him blossom!

Nahum is still a straight A student. He keeps us on all task! Right now he is on an Outward Bound excursion with his class. He has been camping, serving and exploring in and around his city! He has also been taking drum lessons and is loving it! He really has a gift with music we hope he continues to explore!

Zeb is also a straight A student. He has matured so much this year and grown tall! He is about to pass Kristin just like the other two boys have done (not that it's hard to do!) He broke his arm this year and missed travel team, baseball try outs. About a week into the season, we got a call from the coach. A kid on the team broke a bone and he wanted to know if Zeb would step in. It turns out the kid played Zeb's positions! So, he's back in action!


Tavi is still working out 9 hours a week with her team. But, she broke her ankle a week after Zeb got his cast off. It was a stress fracture. She got her boot off a week before her States Meet. She did really well considering she was not fully conditioned! We are so proud of her hard work and determination! She is also on a dance team at her school and loving it!

Corban keeps us entertained, daily!! He is sharp and witty...too witty for a three year old which keeps us laughing! He tries hard to be one of the big kids and yet knows when it's beneficial to be the youngest! He loves playing in the new tree house the kids built with Devon and riding his bike!

Thank you all for standing with us and being a part of our lives!! We know we don't talk or see some of you often enough, but we love you! We love the stories and memories we have shared and look forward to new ones!

Our prayer needs right now:
*Wisdom for how to rebuild the house of prayer
*Favor with the office of permits
*Finances for house of prayer to be built.
*That God would direct the planning of the VBS this summer and unify team.
*Devon's trip to Rwanda would be laid out by God and all the steps ordained.
*Finances for Rwanda trip to come through. $2,500.
*Jesus would continue to knit together our house church and give us direction with skaters.

We love you all and thank you!!
In His Service,
Devon and Kristin and Tribe

The Post: Community House of Prayer

We know it's been a while since we updated our blog and we apologize! As most of you know, Chris Ann and I (Kristin) have started a business, Love Feast, that features a blog, http://www.lovefeasttable.com/, and it has taken over a lot of my time. It has been fun and a great creative outlet! But, for today, I wanted to take time to share a bit more personally.

Since the last time we posted, the House of Prayer in Brooklyn, MD caught on fire. We had a time of praying in and around the property and God released many words and visions. A number of people had the verse, "Beauty out of ashes..." and felt there was a wealth of fruit under the soil of the property. Kaya had a name given to him for the property, The Post. He said, "Because a post is a place where messages go in and come out. A post was a safe house in times of war. And a post is driven securely in the ground and does not move." We have adopted this name for the community house of prayer (CHOP).

We had a number of words and leads for putting up a pre fab house in place of the burned down one. Our vision is for a two bedroom house in the back with a large garage on the front that can be opened as a CHOP. Devon walked through the doors calling banks, investors, builders, you name it. Because of the economy, there are no rehab or new construction loans available...at all. We feel at this point, as far as obtaining financing ourselves, the doors are closed.

In our own skin, we began to think maybe we should just sell the property, as is...and in all honesty, we're not sure what to do now. Two thirds of the burned property is torn down. It will cost close to $2,000 to tear the rest down. Which we don't have. Do we begin to pray in the part that's left? Move into the area spiritually and see what God does? Do we sell it as is and take the money and roll it into a property closer to our neighborhood? We are really in a time of seeking God for His direction. We know He sees the bigger picture and that His ways are not our ways. We know He can take the heap out of ashes and restore it into something beautiful...but, it has to be Him! Would you pray with us and for us to make a wise decision. Not based on what makes sense, but on what Jesus wants. Thank you!

Our missional community, Safe House, is coming into a new season as well. As we look back at the past four years, we have seen God's hand of direction moving, changing and shaping us. Last year we began to go out into the community more. This year, we are seeing a greater multiplication of that! We were just recently asked to get involved with the elementary school in our area. We are still preparing and sharing meals once a month with women in our neighborhood. We will start back up this month (now that it's getting warmer) throwing down dinner for the skaters up the road. We have also learned of new house churches popping up in our community and are praying for God to knit us together with them as a way of networking and encouraging one another. We are also making plans to begin teaching Mission Bridge courses(missions training through Youth With a Mission) this year. We have a family leaving us in July to become full time missionaries in Tanzania, Africa http://azali.org/. We are so excited about what God is doing with them! His hand is upon their family and we know He has prepared a place for them in Africa! We are also in the process of filing for non profit status with the state.

We are excited about all that God is doing in our community! He is bringing people together and sending people out!!

We will try and stay in touch a bit more often! Thank you for your prayers and support!

These photos are from The Post. Please share with us any words or pictures that God may give you! We have our hearts and ears open!!

God's grabbing our hearts...

Just this past Sunday, we had a time of sharing stories about what God has been doing in and among our community, Safe House, over the holidays. Once again, God wove a story that only He could do!! We shared how we purchased the property in Baltimore two days before Christmas. We described the property and how it has two houses on it...one for a house of prayer and the other for urban missionaries to move in! We told the story about when Devon went down there to meet the existing tenants. Devon walked into a sex trafficking operation. There were no less than 5 girls and one boss man. (On a side note, God has been moving our group into this type of ministry in the past few months.) So, to walk into this...in the house that God wants to redeem as a house of prayer...of all houses in Baltimore....well, we saw the hand of Jesus! We shared how we felt we should let this man live there for a couple of months while we do renovations. We believe God will give us a door into that community.


Then D shared about a phone call she received from a couple of grad students. They wanted to help her obtain grants for any project she saw need for with regard to the sex trafficking industry. She said, "I want to open transitional housing for girls who need a way out." The students said, "No problem!" Within a couple of weeks a large grant document was written, a free office obtained and four additional volunteers found! The name of this ministry? Safe House of Hope.


Then Irene, who just arrived here from Holland, shared about a word God gave her in prayer back in October...before we even met her. He said, "I will establish a house of prayer in Baltimore City." There was more she shared that confirmed what God had laid on our hearts to do!


Fast forward two days...just last night we met with two young men who have spent time in training at IHOP (International House of Prayer). One went with the intent to come back and open a house of prayer in Baltimore. They both had committed their lives to living in the city, building community with their neighbors and being missional in every aspect of their lives. We shared our vision for the house...they shared theirs...not totally sure where this all will take us...but confident there is a spiritual convergence happening!


So, we continue our journey! It really is fun to hop out of the boat, not sure if you will walk or drown, but time and again, Jesus is the hand that holds us up!!


On January 25, from 3-5, we will have a time of intercession at our home specifically for the Baltimore house of prayer and Safe House. If you have a heart for this, or know someone who does, please join us!! Our prayer is that God will unite brothers and sisters all over Baltimore to fall on their faces for our city.


If you have any questions, please feel free to call 410-262-5785.

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

2008 Wrap Up

As I sit and think back to this past year and all the suprises and gifts it brought, I am humbled.

It brought us a funny and animated Corban! He has the vocabulary of a three year old! It is so wild to have a glimpse into a one year old's mind through his words. Just the other day I told him it was time to take a nap. He rolled his eyes at me and said, "Gimme a bwreak!" We find it hard to not laugh...he is so adorable!

Tavi has found her passion...gymnastics. Or as she told me the other day, "I think I'm addicted to gymnastics!" She has taken rec gymnastics for two years, but was wanting to stay at the gym longer and longer. She tried out with a new gym and the coach placed her in level four and said she'd be ready for competition within the year. She has three days of practice a week, at three hours a pop! She is loving it and very dedicated!

Zeb has found his place at his new school. (Tavi and Nahum also go here.) He has been a junior coach, assisting all classes during lunch in organized recess games. He was also chosen to be on a junior engineering team, designing a roller coaster out of recycled materials. He is thriving at this school! He is counting down the days until travel baseball tryouts!

Nahum has also fallen in love with his school. He thanks us almost daily for finding this school. He is on the National Academic league and his team is undefeated! He loves his history teacher, Mr. Ruby, who has made scoping the globe interesting and fun! He loves writing and it shows in the imagination that comes through his stories! He is still aspiring to follow in Devon's footsteps and be a chef!

Kaya is finding the balance between the rigorous requirements at his school and extra curricular activities. He has a long day, 8-4. Half of his day is spent in acting classes and the other half, in academic classes. He loves his school more than he thought he would! He just wrapped up the show, Les Miserables, with CPM and a traveling show of Pocket Full of Rhymes at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This year has brought much change in his life, between going to high school and meeting his biological dad, Bart and half sister, Taylor for the first time. He has handled it with grace and strength. Bart is quickly becoming a part of the family and we stand in awe of how God has worked things out for His glory.

Devon's business, Ripristino Remodeling is thriving and growing! He had to hire numerous people this year just to keep up! (We're so glad Marc made his way up from GA a couple of times, just to help out!) He loves what he is doing! Last week he just settled on our first investment property in Brooklyn, MD. It has two houses on it. One we will renovate and rent out and the other, we have dedicated to God as a house of prayer for Baltimore. We are not sure how God will fill it and use it, but we step out in faith knowing that He has a plan!

I started a business with my friend Chris Ann this year. We are in the middle of writing a cookbook memoir based on meals we have shared over the years (using Devon's recipes of course!) We also started a blog http://www.lovefeasttable.com/ to begin to journal our thoughts on love feast. I am so excited to have this outlet and to be walking this road with Chris Ann! We have had a lot of fun and laughs already. Who knows where it will take us. As we say, "We're big in our own minds!"

Safe House, the missional community we are a part of, has transformed this year! God has taken us on many adventures that are outside of the walls. We have thrown down love feasts for skateboarders, for ladies in the neighborhood and given out Thanksgiving dinners. He is teaching us about unity, love and service. We are blessed to have such a diverse and creative group to do life with!

It has been quite a year! Really too much to share in a single letter. Hopefully this gives you a glimpse!

I was reading this morning and was struck by a passage in Ephesians 5:2 "...live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

That's our goal as we enter into this New Year, to live a life of love.

May Jesus pour out His love and fragrance to you and your family this year!!

In love,

Devon, Kristin, Kaya, Nahum, Zeb, Tavi and Corban

Thanksgiving 2008

Golden beets, red beets, turnips and parsnips roasted to perfection! Sweet potatoes married with fennel and baked. A big plump turkey, steaming hot and sparkling ruby red. Sausage, sage, sundried tomato stuffing finished with the perfect crunch of walnuts. Garlicky mashed potatoes. Did I mention a nice glass of red wine? Family. Friends. New aquantances. This made up our Thanksgiving! It was a wonderful evening! But, as we washed the dishes at the end of the night and sliced a piece of apple pie, I couldn't help but think back to the morning. At 8am on Thanksgiving morning, about 50 people came together at a local church. Some had made turkey and others had baked muffins! We had enough food to make 200 dinners. It was amazing! The group that came together, represented 4 different churches! We heated turkey together, mashed potatoes together, plated food and washed dishes together. We circled up for a time of prayer and in unison, recited the Our Father. About 6 teams went out that day. We spilled out all over the city. Some groups didn't have enough food to give out. Others had to hunt in back alleys and unknown places to serve a meal. It was the body of Christ, representing the Thanksgiving table in a tangible way. I met new people that morning. I met Ira who reminded me that there is always something to be grateful for. I met a grandmom who wanted extra plates to share with her friends that were shut ins. I met a lady...who was just talking with a friend and wondering how they would get food that morning.

This Thanksgiving, my table grew a few feet and my "thank you" list, grew a little longer.

just for a moment...

Just for a moment...she was a normal woman, hanging out with friends...eating homemade chicken noodle soup and chicken curry salad on a roll. Just for a moment she engaged in conversations about living, eating, kids... Just for a moment, her stomach was satisfied and her story was heard. For a moment, she was warm. For a moment, she mattered.

We threw down a different type of love feast last week. It was a ladies luncheon. There was only five of us. A homeschool mom. A hair salon owner. A momma with three adopted children from Africa (with foil in her hair...she took a break to eat while the color was setting up!). A neighbor and her daughter. A single mom who is head of the local PTA. And a woman who is a victim of the sex trafficing industry. We set the table, like we would in our own home. We used the china and brewed the coffee. D brought homemade chicken noodle soup and I made homemade apple caramel cake. We sat together. We talked. We laughed and we cried. We knew the Holy Spirit had joined us.
I can't even begin to explain what unfolded. To the outsider looking in, it was just another ladies luncheon. For us, we felt a touch from our heavenly Father. It was a moment. A moment of knowing He had laid this feast out for the five of us. A moment where we knew we mattered.