We started our Skatechurch yesterday, exactly one year from the day we left Portland!

We hadn't actually planned it that way, so it was a fun realization. It's interesting to reflect back on our thoughts and plans for ministry as we boarded that plane, and how those changed throughout our first year here. 
Launching Skatechurch felt like a dream come true. We piled nine kids from our neighborhood into our car and headed to our church, which has a fairly smooth cement floor and is a perfect spot for a skateboard ministry. Even though it was a stiflingly hot afternoon, there was a breeze through the open area that helped keep us from overheating. We kept it simple for our first one, with Ben giving a little lesson on how to skateboard, and Tonya sharing the Gospel. We will be having a rotation of men from the church coming to share the Gospel each week. 

We realize we just sent out an update a couple weeks back, so this is just a short one to celebrate our one year anniversary here, to share the news that we started Skatechurch, and to remind you of a couple prayer requests/needs:

-We didn't want to wait any longer, so we launched Skatechurch yesterday using just the five skateboards we already have. The 15 skateboards that were donated by Skatechurch in Portland are still stuck in Miami. Please pray we will get these soon!

-We hope to send all four kids to school next month (school starts on August 14th!) but need help meeting tuition needs. If you'd like to begin supporting us or to increase the amount you already give in order to help us in this endeavor, please click on the button below for information about how to do so. The kids have been taking guitar, percussion, and sewing classes at a small community center this summer and we've already seen the increase in friends and grasp of the language. We really believe that attending school will greatly help our children and our longevity here in this country.

Thank you so much for your prayers and faithful support! We would not be here sharing the Gospel with our neighbor kids on a weekly basis if it weren't for you!

With gratitude,

Ben, Tonya, Jolie, Ivan, Samuel, and Melody