2010 Project
December Update
Hey everyone, it’s that time again-another Philadelphia Project update! We’d like to start with a big Thank You for the support, prayers and encouragement from everyone. Let’s take a look at what we’ve been up to this fall. We had our first Philly Blitz weekend in October, where we worked on Mr. Smitty and Ms. Ruth’s house. We cleaned gutters, raked leaves, trimmed hedges and did some painting. We spent the weekend working hard and exploring what injustice means.
Since the summer months we have kept in touch with our homeowners and below is just two ways in which God has worked in their lives:
When we first arrived at Ms. Ashanti’s house back in June, we stood in the street and noticed right away a basketball-sized hole in her third floor roof. Once we went inside and climbed to the third floor, we found that the same hole we had seen from the outside, led directly into her bedroom. Sitting under the hole was a large pot that would catch the rain-water that poured straight into the room. Recently, we had an anonymous donor give the money for that hole to be patched properly before the cold weather sets in. We also had a man who volunteered to fix the roof at a very discounted price, praise God! Ms. Ashanti’s roof is scheduled to be fixed Wednesday, December 15th.
Mr. Nate and Ms. Sandra are two very dear people to The Philadelphia Project. They trusted our crew and opened up their home to us, even though we were a bunch of strangers running a brand new ministry. As we brought groups through this summer to work on their home, we found out that Ms. Sandra had been suffering from a brain tumor, and needed to have surgery come fall. The Lark’s took multiple trips to Baltimore to have the tumor removed, but each time something prevented the doctors from being able to perform the surgery. Finally, on Monday, November 1st, Ms. Sandra went to Baltimore and had a successful surgery! She is at home with her family recovering and when she can make it, attends our Wednesday night Prayer and Praise service with her husband. God is the ultimate physician and we are so thankful Ms. Sandra came out of surgery with great success.
As you read our update, are you asking what are some ways in which you can get involved with and be in partnership with The Philadelphia Project 2011? Here’s just a few:
Pray. We are here to serve Christ first and foremost and we cannot lose sight of that. We need prayers for our city, our homeowners, summer staffing, formation of a board, community exposure, and a continued relationship with Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church and our neighbors.
Come. We still have openings this winter and spring for our Philly Blitz weekends, which are just a taste of our week-long summer sessions. Speaking of summer sessions, we are hosting 7 weeks of The Project and we still have slots open for groups that are interested in coming. Additionally, we are offering an alternative spring break trip this spring. Lastly, we need volunteers in the summer months to help run The Philadelphia Project, so if you are thinking of ways in which you can donate your time, please go to our website and read more about how you can serve with us.
Support. The Philadelphia Project depends on the love and support of people like you; individuals who love Christ, and believe in who we are and what we do. We are in the midst of getting our online giving set up so that you can donate right at the Philadelphia Project website!
From The Philadelphia Project to you and your family, we thank you again for all of your continued support, prayers and involvement in The Project! Merry Christmas and have a great New Year!
The Yellow Shirt Crew
P.S.- Remember that delicious lemonade we drank this summer? Well you can still purchase it online at www.daddyslemonade.com.
Check out our website! www.thephiladelphiaproject.com.
Thanks to all who participated…
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First of all, thank you for coming to the Philadelphia Project to serve with us this summer! By serving with the Philadelphia Project, you have become part of an organization that has made a difference in people’s lives. It was probably a sacrifice of your time, but you had a tremendous impact on both the Mount Airy community and the Philadelphia Project. We also hope that the trip brought you closer in your relationship with Jesus Christ. |
| As you probably already know, this was our first year as the Philadelphia Project and because of the groups that came in, it was a highly successful summer. At Mr. Nate and Ms. Sandra’s house, the groups took down an old deck and put up a new one, built new steps to the front porch, and put up insulation and dry wall in one of the largest rooms in their house. At the Johnson’s house, we cleaned up the back yard by removing garbage, old tires, and piles of wood, and did some minor landscaping. Inside we painted the third floor and staircase. |  |
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At Ms. Ashanti’s house, we painted the living room, dining room, breakfast room and kitchen. In addition, we power washed the outside of her house, scoured the kitchen that was damaged by a grease fire, and completely redid her cabinets. This monstrous task involved taking them down, replacing the old hinges and handles with new ones, and sanding, painting (with detail work on the molding), and re-hanging them so they sat right. We put up blinds and the front door molding, fixed the doorbell and the electricity in the dining room, painted the staircase, installed a new washing machine, provided running water to the basement, fixed the second floor toilet, and did numerous other jobs. |
| Besides the home repairs that we did, each of you had a significant impact on both Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church and on the surrounding community. Several people have come to our Wednesday night and Sunday church services as a result of having talked to people from your group or even having just seen them. Actions as simple as saying hello to someone on the street have had a great effect on our community and we cannot thank you enough for that. We are blessed that you served with us this summer. |  |
…Sincerely, The Yellow Shirt Crew
