1. Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc. June/July 2006
Serving Inner-City Youth And Families
P.O. Box 160294 Justinascm@juno.com 404.964.4604
Atlanta, GA 30316 www.summerhillcm.com Justina Dix-Executive Director
Picture the tongue is a very small deal with them one at a MINISTRY NEEDS
thing, it has great power. We time. GOD, please give me • Prayer Partners
65 eager
talked about how the root of YOUR wisdom!!! • Sponsors for 40 campers ($350)
faces
having unkind words is in our I must say, I feel inade- per child for whole summer ( 25
excited
HEARTS. We're going to talk quate sometimes... I feel like kids already have sponsors)
about six
about how to work on changing "how in the world am I going • Sponsors for 7 Job Trainee’s
weeks of
our hearts. I asked them, "What to make a difference?’. ($1,800) for summer
Vacation
kind of person do you want to However, I am excited about • Transportation for Thursday
Bible
be when you get older?" Most how BIG God is and how He Field Trips for 40 people in ad-
School. Picture the hugs, laugh-
of the girls want to be rich and can use me no matter dition to our vans
ter, and energy as children ages
famous. Then, I asked "What what! His strength is made Camp and After-School
5-14 enjoy arts & crafts, music, •
kind of person does God want perfect in my weakness”.
dance, community service pro- Volunteers
jects, fieldtrips, and most im- you to be?"... They didn't have Anna does make a difference • Color Copier
portantly share time with Chris- too many answers besides "a in the lives of the children. • Snacks & Drinks
tian adults who desire to teach good person", so hopefully the We need your help to minis- • Bible Study Leaders during the
them about the love of God and answers will develop over the ter to our young people. On school year and summer for
His plan for their lives. At the summer. the back of this letter is a list teens, children and adults
same time, picture the same I am just amazed at how of prayer requests. Please • After School Coordinator (Must
children returning home after much baggage each child has uplift our staff and campers
built up on her life. It is like raise own support)
VBS to heart-wrenching family in prayer. Pray that the • Sports Ministry Director (Must
situations or unsupervised we've got to work through a Lord breaks down strong-
hundred layers to finally get to raise own support)
houses, left to fend for them- holds and for the kids to
selves and often to take care of some truth. The way most of come to know our Father as
younger siblings. This scene is these kids are taught to think their Savior. Pray for the COLLEGE BOUND
the stark reality of the majority just saddens me. When “J” kids who do know Christ to Congratulations to our college
of our kids. Our VBS is “salt found out that I am married, she have the courage to do bound graduates! We are proud of
and light” to an otherwise bleak asked "Do you have any kids?" what is right and not bow you. Please keep them in your
summer. Listen to Anna Winter and I said no. "Well," she to peer and family pres- prayers.
(9-11 year old teacher) reflect asked, "Does your husband sure. Pray for disciplers to • Joel Dix-North Carolina State
upon her first 2 weeks as a new- have any kids?" Wow. It's just join us in the ministry to • Justin Dix-Atlanta Metropoli-
comer to SCM. not something that would cross come alongside the children
my mind. It is such a different tan College
“These girls have thrown me and teens to teach them • Khmariah Miller-Georgia State
for a loop... but I'm getting the world here. This is their real- biblical truths and support
ity: broken homes, verbal University
feel for things and I'm trying to them in their struggles. • Mwalimu Clark-Lincoln
work it out. After the first abuse, physical abuse, being Pray for finances to be ade-
taught to hate, being taught to University
week, I definitely noticed a quate to continue the minis-
need to get real with these girls judge. I prayed that God would try. We need sponsors for
and start pounding on some of just tear down all this baggage 40 more of our campers and
the root issues... that is why I and teach them the way HE all our Job Trainee’s. We
am making this week "Worship intends for it to be... that He operate on faith, trusting God
with our Words". We've read would be the perfect father fig- to provide our funding.
scriptures like "For out of the ure... that He would show them
humility and grace for others... Thank you for making this
overflow of the heart, the ministry possible. Volun-
mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34), that He would help them see
beyond themselves. teers are always welcome.
and how reckless words are like May God bless and keep you.
a piercing sword, but the words It's amazing how many little
of the wise bring healing. We issues keep coming up... I'm
talked about how even though trying to have wisdom and just JUSTINA DIX

2. SUMMERHILL COMMUNITY MINISTRIES, INC.
(We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Rejoice always.
Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:14, 16-18)
June Prayer Requests for Summer Camp
st
During the 1 week of camp on the field trip-13 year old “Ken” gets into a physical altercation with another teen boy. (Ken
is a little slower than most kids his age) The other teen says Ken owes him $3 from when they were in school. I ask
this teen why Ken owes him the money. He says he was doing favors for Ken. After seeing his reservations to answer
my question, I asked if the favors were illegal favors. He says it wasn’t for selling drugs, but for something else. He
vowed not to bother “Ken” again. I asked “Ken” about the situation and he shared with me that he paid the other teen
often to protect him from the gang of boys who were threatening to jump him. Since his mother is not in the picture,
I asked him why he didn’t tell his father or granddad about the boys threatening him. He replies that he couldn’t tell
anyone in his family because they would all be upset with him. They’ve told him “he’d better fight back” (This re-
minded me of another little boy who was told by his parents not to come home unless beat the other boy “really
good”. What are children to do when they are encouraged by adults not to just defend themselves, but inten-
tionally hurt others kids?)
During the 2nd week of camp, (after being absent on Monday) 13 year old “Cheryl” shows up on Tuesday morning looking
pale and is quieter than usual. During the course of the morning she tells me she doesn’t feel well and may need to go
home. I ask her about her symptoms, knowing that it is more mental than physical. By lunch time she is feeling better
and wants to participate in afternoon activities. However, after our ending devotion, she is in tears again. She shares
that her younger sister has been telling other campers that she went to see a psychiatrist the day before. Her
mother set the appointment because “Cheryl” tried to kill herself by cutting her arm. I asked her why she did this to
herself. She said her aunt beats her and her mother doesn’t do anything about it. (She spends the summer at her
aunt’s house with her cousins) She has also been kicked out of school and must attend an alternative school in the fall.
We have a new family of 13 kids, including brothers, sisters and cousins whose ages range from 5-16. They have been ex-
posed to most of the negative things you can find in the inner-city. A few of them are open to receive love and guid-
ance from our teachers and staff. Most of them have built a wall of defense that we believe God to break through. 7
year old “Kim” literally has the attitude, conversation, and vocabulary of a 25 year old woman. She knows about topics
that are too offensive to mention. She is very aggressive and abusive to other children, yet there is something in her
that seems to cry out for help. Children like this usually wear on the patience of the workers. “Kim” has definitely
done her share; but after prayer, the staff agrees that we need to ask God for a bit more patience to go a little fur-
ther with “Kim” with hopes that her life will be changed.
After a bible lesson with the theme “God guides us”, one of the 6 year old boys, “Quinn”, asks his camp teacher “Do
you think God will help my family? Everyone in the house fights, curses, and smokes. It really bothers my grandmother
and is making her sick.”
Please pray with us this summer for the children to come to know the Lord, their healer, protector, and loving Father.
Pray for our teachers and staff as they minister to the children and families. Pray that camp will have a lasting impact
on the lives of our campers.