Aim Right Ministries 1013 N. 13th St. Phoenix, AZ 85006 (602) 462-1987 info@aimright.org

Newsletter - Winter 2001 Contents: Making A Difference Fall Festival Boys Club and Lessons I've Learned What's New Making a Difference By Being There Want to Help? Making A Difference Rachel still remembers with striking clarity the day about 3 years ago when she was outside playing baseball with her younger brother. Her cousins came by and asked if she wanted to come to the church for a movie and popcorn. Accepting the offer, Rachel trudged down the street to the church, Crossroads Christian Fellowship. Movie and popcorn happened to be part of a weekly girl's club directed at that time by Aim Right Intern Debra Beck. Introducing herself to Rachel, Debra invited her to rec center, a community outreach open 3 afternoons a week. Looking for something to do, Rachel soon showed up at rec center. Discovering that she was 13, Debra invited her to teen night held every Friday night. Rachel decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. All the kids seemed to get along, and soon she was attending regularly. With increasing contact, Debra began to reach out and build a relationship with Rachel, culminating in an invitation to Sunday church. Rachel once again accepted, despite constant criticism from her family. Leaving Phoenix for a time, Debra continued to keep in touch with Rachel. In one letter Rachel informed Debra that since she had left, she was no longer attending church. Never being one to mince words Debra quickly responded, encouraging Rachel to go back to church. It worked, and Rachel has been a reliable presence at Crossroads ever since. What was it that kept Rachel coming back for more? Attention...fun..a cool place to hang...all of those played a part, but the real reason is simple, a hug. When Debra reached out one day and spontaneously hugged Rachel, it was the first one she could remember. Only 5 months old when her father was sent to prison for murder, Rachel has only seen him twice in her life. Since being transferred to a closer prison, traveling to see him on a regular basis would be a viable option. Unfortunately, Rachel is the reason she and her two sisters were denied permission to visit the last time they applied. Two years ago Rachel started ditching school on a regular basis. With an outstanding warrant for her arrest due to truancy, the 3 sisters were denied visitation. Rachel ponders the thought of turning herself in, which seems a little ridiculous since she has been attending school regularly ever since. She knows that without Aim Right she would have dropped out of school long ago. Everyone in her family has thus far, in fact, Rachel was the first person in her generation to graduate from the 8th grade. When asked how life would be different without Aim Right Rachel responded, "I think I would be a bad little girl. Now I think about the consequences of dropping out of school and smoking weed. In the back of my mind I'm always thinking if I do this, it's bad; this isn't what Christians do. I know for a fact that I would be part of a gang. If it wasn't for Aim Right, I wouldn't have anything to do. I'd be hanging with friends, partying, ditching school all the time. My best friend, who is also involved at Aim Right, already dropped out of school and she is always telling me not to do it. But it's so hard, most of my friends have already dropped out and they always want me to come to the movies or hang with them. Since I ride a city bus to school, it's easy to do. I wish my mom would drop me off at the front doors of the school. I need someone pushing me, but I don't get that at home." Although Rachel's mom agrees that Aim Right keeps her daughter out of trouble, she rarely gets involved. She admits that Rachel's attitude has changed considerably, and she is definitely different from her other children. "Rachel is good, she stays out of trouble," responds her mom. Considering the fact that her eldest son is in prison accused of murder, her eldest daughter has been hospitalized 3 times for overdosing on drugs, her other daughter was pregnant by 16, and her youngest son at 14 has already quit attending school, Rachel is the least of her mother's concerns. Rachel has seen what her siblings have gone through and desperately wants more for her life. "I want to graduate from high school and go into the air force so I can travel around the world. I need the discipline the military can offer. I also want to move out of Phoenix, somewhere in the country; the city is too much for little kids to handle." But the fears keep stacking up in the back of her mind threatening to overcome her resolve. "What if I can't finish high school? What do I call my dad when I see him again? The last time I saw him I was 11 years old and the only thing I remember is not knowing how to get his attention. I would just sit there waiting for him to look at me before speaking, because I simply didn't know what to call him. How do you call someone you barely know dad? I'll be 31 years old when he comes up for parole. How am I going to react?" At 16 years of age you shouldn't have to worry about those things. This is Rachel's story, a story mirrored in the faces of many of the youth we work with at Aim Right. With God's help we've managed to make a difference in her life. What are your stories? Whose life have you invested time and energy in, attempting to make a difference? You don't have to live in central Phoenix to find hurting people, they may live right next door.         -written by Kim Hartzler,         current intern at Aim Right back to top Fall Festival... On November 3, 2001 Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church hosted a community fall festival from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Approximately 250 people from the neighborhood took part in the festivities. Children were delighted to discover games, 2 giant moonwalks, clowns, balloons, face painting, and of course tons of candy. Many of them were also intrigued by Elizabeth Tan and her father James, as they worked earnestly to translate the children's names into Chinese. At 5:00 a free dinner was served, consisting of hotdogs, assorted snacks, and cookies. Following dinner, an outdoor bilingual church service was lead by "What's Happening Church on the Street." back to top Boys Club and the Lessons I've Learned Every Monday afternoon at 5:00 the stillness of the church building is interrupted by the chatter of children. Both boys and girls come to the church to learn about Jesus, the Bible, and of course to have some fun. I have the privilege of leading the boys club. We average about 10 boys each Monday. For those boys that come at least twice during the first 3 weeks of a month they get to attend fun night which is the last Monday of the month. This past fun night we went on a bike ride through Encanto Park. They all had a blast, including me, and except for a couple wipeouts (by one of the boys who just couldn't seem to stop without crashing) every one had a safe time. The other Mondays we meet in one of the upstairs classrooms in the church. One of the goals we have with boys club is to present to the boys the truths of God's word. I've been using a flannel graph to tell old testament stories. Right now we're starting to talk about Jacob. I always try to make the lesson applicable to their lives. JoeDee teaches them some songs and a memory verse each week. He has asked me to lead it, but he is still present each time. Jose, one of the boys that attends teen night, helps us take attendance and keep the peace. After club time we go and play a game outside for about 20 minutes before we take them home. In ministries like this you often wonder if you're making a lasting impact on their lives. Sometimes it seems like nothing is happening. However, I have been greatly encouraged by one of the boys. His name is Hector. This summer he went with a number of other boys to Youth Haven Ranch in Picacho, Arizona. We drove them down there and dropped them off. A week later when we went back to pick them up, they were excited and told us their stories and the new songs they sang. Hector told us how he had accepted Christ into his heart. It was great to hear him then, but what's even better is that he hasn't stopped. He still is proud to tell people that he has accepted Jesus. He listens intently to the Bible stories, remembering them well weeks later. On the bus ride home from the park, the boys were singing some secular songs they hear on the radio. Since I didn't really like them singing those songs, I started one of the songs we sing at boys club, but Hector was the one that kept it going. It was great to see his boldness, and my prayer remains that he continues to follow Jesus the rest of his life. As I look toward going home in December, I realize that I will miss the people here a lot. Boys like Hector and some of the older ones like Daniel, Deshaun, and Angel, who I've recently started a Bible study with. Because of my time here, I realize how blessed I've been to have grown up in a Christian home and in a community where I'm safe, and where I didn't even know about drugs or gangs until I was in high school. This year has been transforming and I wouldn't change it for the world. Lord willing I will be back for another year in August. In the mean time I'll be praying for the boys in the boys club and Aim Right in general. I challenge you to do the same.         -Written by Luke Goss back to top What's New An Aim Right Reunion has been planned for February 22-24, 2002. A great time to reconnect with old friends and rejoice with us in what God is doing. For further information, contact Darrell at 602-462-1987. Intern Luke Goss will be returning home to Arthur, Ill. on December 20, 2001. His presence at Aim Right over the past 14 months has been greatly appreciated. He plans to return in August. The first week in January Geoff Miller from Hartville, OH, and Beth Helmuth from Bremen, IN plan to join Aim Right for a 3 month assignment. back to top Making a Difference By Being There These past couple of weeks it seems like a lot has happened. Mike, who attended our church, just died last evening and went to be with Jesus. Only several weeks ago he found out he had cancer and now his life is over. Bill, who was a drug user most of his 40 some years of existence was coming to our church for over a year. Until two weeks ago, Bill had been clean for over a year. He even kicked his smoking habit, but he had a relapse. In spite of this let down, he's still not giving up. He has instead acknowledged his wrong and is by God's grace pressing on. Erica is an older teen who just last week overdosed and nearly died. We thank God her life was spared and that she is receiving help in the form of counseling and support - people putting their arms around her and telling her they still care. Do people make a difference in the lives of others? Can we, and if we can how can we do it better? This is a question I'm sure we all ask from time to time, especially those of us who are involved in some type of ministry. The hard truth is that no matter where we are, the process of people's lives changing is a difficult one at best. We do not see overnight results. The giving up of self and dying to our pride is not in itself a pleasant experience, and one many people avoid as much as possible. So is it really worth the time, money and energy we invest into the lives of others? Will it really make a difference? Absolutely, for Mike, Bill, and Erica someone was there for them these past several weeks. Granted for Bill and Erica the future does not promise to be an easy path. Most likely their growth will not be completed in a few months. But what might have been the result if no one was there? How would their lives be different? We are left only to speculate, but we can be sure someone being there for them made a difference. The change may not be that dramatic right now, but in light of the long haul and eternity these past several weeks may have been that critical point which pointed them in the right direction in a way that may never had happened except for one of God's children being there.      -JoeDee Hostetler ˇJoeDee has worked with Aim Right since 1993, currently serving as Executive Director. back to top Want to Help? Pray [Web editor note: Please visit our prayer page for current prayer needs.] Serve as an intern [Web editor note: Please visit our intern page for more info.] Donate items for auctlon, January 26, 2002 Volunteer as a tutor on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. [Web editor note: Please visit our volunteer page for more info.] back to top