44 Days

Just 44 days before Indy Action One arrives. There's room for you to join the trip. So maybe it's been a few years since your Action days and maybe you think you've moved on with life yada yada but you can come back and do it again and we need your help and experience...or maybe you've never been on an Action trip but always thought it was a good thing to do, why not make a trip this summer?

Can't do two weeks? We can work it out.

Want to bring your spouse along? We can work it out.

No way you can make it this summer? We're trying to raise money to pay the Summer Staffers who give up the majority of their summer and work 24/7 for a small stipend. If you'd like to help, send a check to People of Praise, Attn: John Xenakis, 107 Greenlawn, South Bend IN 46617 and write ACTION STAFF 2011 in the memo space.

Pray that the Lord bless this summer and that he would send us all the folks that he needs for the work he wants done.

All for his glory.

Ready?

Ready?

We're getting ready for the end of the semester here in Indy.  Next week is the last week of classes and then finals -- everyone seems to be heading in a good direction in classes, praise God.

Ready?

We're gearing up for Action Summer.  We have just a few key vacancies left to fill for summer staff and then we'll be set to welcome this summer's visitors.  We have a lot of work planned and we're hoping you'll come on out to help.

Ready?

We have four guys in the application process for the Action Summer Intern household and we're expecting more very soon.  The household is open to High School guys who want to make a difference by getting their hands dirty doing the work of citybuilding.

Ready?

Is your men's group or women's group ready for a change of pace?  Why not organize a road trip to help out this summer during Action trips?  Get away from the usual meeting routine and do something different.  We're ready to host you here in Indy this summer.  All you have to do to decide to come and we'll work out the details.

Finally,

Last weekend Indy branch hosted their Action Auction and it was a great event.  Everyone had a great time and we raised a nice donation for the work of Action.  Thanks to the Indy Action team for making it happen.  Here's a few pictures courtesy of Trish Brewer:

David Gruber 

Meghan Couch and Andrea DeLee

Melissa Rader and Naomi Caneff

George Kane, Walt Seale, Chris Walker

Three ways...

Three ways to do something for the kingdom this summer:

1.  Come on an Action Trip.  There are three trips available this summer here in Indy.  We have a great deal to accomplish both here in the Triangle and on the South Side.

2.  Join the Action Summer Intern household.  This summer we are organizing a summer household for High School men here in Indy.  ASI guys will arrive on or about 6 June and stay through July 24 or so.  We're looking for guys who want to earn a little money, live in the men's household and do something constructive for the kingdom of God.

3.  Action Summer Vacation.  We've set aside some space for couples and families to spend some part of their vacation working on an Action trip.  It'll be a vacation with a purpose!  You'll join in on the work and on the team meetings and see for yourself just what the Lord is doing here in Indy.  Last year we hosted three couples and they were a huge help.  We're flexible on time commitments, so think it over.  This may be your year to make an Action trip.  We'd love to have you here.

We enjoyed a visit from the Missionary Company this past weekend.  It was so encouraging to hear their stories of the Lord making a difference in the Mississippi River valley.  Pray for our missionaries as they labor in the name of our King and in the name of the People of Praise.

Missionaries joined us for Lord's Day in the Triangle

Downhill Run

 Three more weeks of classes and a week of finals and we'll be done for the school year.  Went by fast. Our last Lord's Day will be on 7 May.

 We're planning to finish strong and get some rest before Action Summer starts on June 6th (that's coming on fast!).

Our three nursing school applicants have all received interviews for entry into the class next fall.  Say a prayer they all get in.

We're gearing up for Action Summer so pray that we can find the right group of summer staffers to make it all work.  This summer we're also doing an Action Summer Intern household for high school guys.  The ASI guys will stay for all three Action sessions here in Indy and live in household together.  We're hoping that they get some experience in household living and learn some valuable work skills.  Pray that we get that off the ground and find the right staff and good candidates.

Oh that reminds me...have you ever done an Action trip?  Come on and do it and you don't have to be a teenager to be a big help.  We need you.

Planning for next year !  Pray for those making college decisions over the next month or so.  We hope to add at least 50% more students next year so pray the Lord provides all we need to make that work (He will).

Some recent pix courtesy of Trish Brewer:

Lord's Day activity

Chris and Trish birthday cakes.

They match!

Pam and Rachel playing Irish tunes.

Isaac and George + Corned Beef !

Trish and Meghan did a HS girls retreat in New Orleans

"Oh come on, smile."  So we did.

Lord's Day conversation

Thanks for the Prayers

Well, the high school guys retreat is now history.  We had 40 men here in Indy for the weekend and it was a good time in the Lord.  We talked about making the Lord the center of our life and outlined some ways to make a good choice.

We also played a lot of basketball and dodgeball, took a lot of walks together, had great meals together...it was a time to make new friends and to discover what the Lord was up to across the seven branches represented.

All of us were very grateful to the Indy branch for offering us their branch center for the weekend.  We couldn't have pulled this weekend off without their help.  Thanks also to all the brothers who drove and took time away from home to make this trip happen.

I think we ought to do this again next year.

The women's household serenaded us during Lord's Day.  It was glorious.

Prayers Please

This weekend the Triangle is hosting 40 people for a high school men's retreat.  Pray that the Lord would bless each person coming and draw them more and more into his life.

Pray for us too.  Pray that all the logistics go right (thank God for Pam) and that we can be Christ for all who come here.

walt

Meeting the Lord in Household Life

Andrea DeLee, Junior at IUPUI

by Andrea DeLee

                  On the first day of classes, sophomore year, I was sitting in IUPUI’s largest lecture hall surrounded by over 400 students waiting for an Inorganic Chemistry lecture to begin. At the time, I was living in the IUPUI campus apartments and was an extended member of the women’s household in the Triangle. As I waited, I noticed someone I had met several years ago waving at me from across the room. Despite the large class, she managed to pick me out of the crowd and I motioned for her to sit by me. We exchanged a few words and class began. The minute class ended, she immediately asked if we could talk longer. I invited her to come over to my apartment and she willingly accepted the invitation. While we walked toward the apartments, she told me about several exceedingly challenging situations in her life including faith crises, difficult relationships, a less than ideal living situation, and battles with previous addictions. As she talked, we entered my empty apartment, (my one roommate had classes all day) and I offered her a late breakfast. “Do you want one or two eggs?” I asked. “Two please!” she said quickly. I scrambled the eggs and put them on a plate, thinking we would sit down together at my kitchen table to continue the conversation. “Where do you keep your forks?” she asked in a hurried manner. I handed her a fork and she proceeded to rapidly eat the eggs right off the plate on my kitchen counter. “Do you want toast and cantaloupe to go with your eggs?” I asked, realizing how hungry she was.  Two pieces of toast, several slices of cantaloupe, and an hour of conversation later, I asked if I could pray with her. She agreed and I prayed with her begging Lord to move in power in all areas of her life.  After the prayer, with a word of thanks, she headed on her way and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.

                  Fast forward one year, I was in my first Physiology lab at the start of my junior year. At this point, I had been living in household in the Triangle for several months. As I found my seat in the front row of the lab, I met my Physiology lab partner, Sharon. Throughout the course of working together, I shared my life in household and in the People of Praise with her. I told her about my friendships with each of my incredible sisters in household. I invited her over for dinner on numerous occasions, but due to scheduling conflicts, she wasn’t able to accept any of my invitations until a month and a half after the end of that semester.

The planned day for Sharon to join our household for dinner arrived. That day, due to a lengthy and challenging meeting with an advisor, I found myself still on campus at 6:30pm, 15 minutes past the start of our dinner! I rushed home and sheepishly walked in the door. To my delight, I found Sharon sitting at our table, eating, laughing, and having a great conversation with the rest of my household, the majority of whom she had never seen before! My household had welcomed her and made her feel right at home. That night, Sharon met the Lord in all of the women in my household. After dinner, she asked for a tour of our house. As we walked through each room, Sharon was amazed by how each clean and organized area was suited to putting our studies and free time in common. During that tour, Sharon met the Lord in the order of each of the spaces in our home. Sharon and I continue to stay in contact to this day.

While living in the apartments on campus, I kept asking the Lord for more. Lord, how can I more fully share your love with the women I meet on campus? In a word, my prayer has been answered through household life. The Lord’s great love for the world is revealed in our real friendships, our ordered homes, and the freedom and purpose we share in Christ. Christian community lived out in our People of Praise households creates an environment for meeting the Lord face to face. Thank you Father for life in household!