New Beginnings at Adventures Ahead

Amid what has been a tumultuous week for our neighborhood, it is a joy to report that Adventures Ahead has launched it's fall tutoring program. Today was the first day of the middle school math class, where Lauren is using a fun new curriculum that leads students on a quest to find pirate treasure -- treasure that can only be unearthed by multiplying and dividing negative numbers! Tomorrow begins Week #2 of the reading and homework-assistance classes for elementary school students. God has already brought together a group of 29 students and 15 one-on-one reading buddies to work with students who are reading below a third-grade level. The students who read at a higher level are excited to begin reading a novel in small groups.

As a newcomer to this neighborhood, I am struck by the consistency of Adventures Ahead -- Lauren's leadership, committed volunteers, and some students who have attended for a number of years allow this to be a program that families can count on to begin its classes every fall. In the midst of budget cuts and even violence and death, Jesus is bringing new life to the corner of Normandie and Jefferson, breaking generational chains of poverty with education and opportunity. What a testimony of God's faithfulness and steady presence with us!

Would you join us in interceding for this powerful work? Please pray for

• the logistics to work out to hold a parent meeting sometime soon
• children to come every day, on time, and ready to learn
• new teachers as they plan, prep, and get comfortable with their classes
• a few more college students or church members to serve as volunteers