NEWS - from Crossfire Ministries

2011-08-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

Scott with 'I'm Third Award' Robert

Josh and JJ

Lanell with two of our 'first generation' ministry kids

Jose and Matthew

Arriving at the gate of KIDS ACROSS AMERICA

Giovanny at KAA

Luis and Alejandro

Some of the Lion's Den family

S u M M e R S O n

We have had a fabulous summer so far. Jesus, the S ON has touched and changed lives. As I wrote in an earlier newsletter, our goal is to ‘detox’ the kids from the environment of their inner-city schools and inject them with a massive dose of Jesus and kingdom life during the summer months. We began a summer program of Bible study, service projects, reading assignments, and participation expectations. There have been numerous trips to Hurricane Harbor and a trip to Six Flags (all with donated season tickets), our recent trip to Kids Across America sports camp, endless fun, friends, food, fellowship, faith building, and family!

A reading assignment was one of the first requirements of the summer for the guys. C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, which is full of spiritual symbolism and wisdom, was the book we chose. That might seem a strange book for a group of teen boys, but thanks to skillful and enthusiastic guidance from Sally Salas, a middle school Language Arts and ESL teacher, the boys quickly became engrossed in the story and eagerly followed the spiritual themes that run throughout the book. Our thanks to Sally for her time and for the academic and spiritual investment she made in the Lion’s Den kids. Our hope is to nurture and improve the kids’ reading abilities and critical thinking skills so they are better equipped to start a new school year this fall.
Our trip to KIDS ACROSS AMERICA outside of Branson, Missouri was beyond all we could have hoped for! It took weeks of preparation, endless forms and paperwork, staying up all night before our departure to get everyone packed and everything loaded, extensive prayer, all of your generous contributions, and a lot of patience! It was ALL worth it! We took 20 boys ranging in age from 9 to 16, plus 3 men as group leaders – one for each age group of the KAA campgrounds - and me, as the tag-along. Our young men represented us well, and I am so proud of them. First of all, two of our group leaders were guys from our first generation of Crossfire ministry kids - Jose Salas and Josh Mittag, both now 31 years old. Josh actually went to KAA with us for two summers in the early 1990’s when the camp first opened! Jose and Josh also took their sons who were our youngest campers. What a treat it was for those fathers and sons to experience KAA together. We have truly come full circle and become a generational ministry! Scott Stevens, our steadfast, faithful youth director, was, of course, the third male leader. Without his hard work, leadership, and experience at these endeavors, the trip would not have gone smoothly.
Two of our campers received the highest award given by Kids Across America. The I’M THIRD AWARD (“God first, others second, and I’m third”) is given to two campers (one girl and one boy) from each age level of the camp. The awards are presented the last night of camp at a special ceremony. Robert Rodriguez got the I’M THIRD AWARD for the oldest group (16-18 years old) at KAA 3. Giovanny Castro received the I’M THIRD AWARD for KAA 2, the 13-15 year old camp. The recipients of the awards are chosen by the counselors and staff at each age level. Out of approximately 800 kids at our camp session, TWO of the three highest awards given to boys were given to CROSSFIRE campers.
Josh was extended a rare opportunity to share his testimony before hundreds of kids at the closing award ceremony. When the staff and leadership became aware that he had been there 18 years ago and what his journey since that time has been, they asked him to speak – an honor rarely given to someone who is not part of the KAA staff or a scheduled speaker. Josh shared with the campers that KAA was one of the fondest memories of his childhood and he’d had many good seeds planted in his heart from those times. When he returned from camp each year, however, he chose to return to the lifestyle of the streets and leave the Lord on the back burner of his life. As many of you will remember, Josh was released a few months ago after years of incarceration. He encouraged the young campers not to forsake the truth of the Gospel that was planted in their hearts by the Lord, as he did for many years, but to embrace it and live it. It was a powerful time and drew great response from kids and counselors.
We, the Crossfire leaders, felt very favored and blessed by the Lord throughout the entire 8 days we were at Kids Across America. I could not be more proud of our young men and how they conducted themselves the entire trip. Those of you who gave specifically to sponsor kids for camp, please know that you share in the reward, treasure, and lasting fruit that will come from this opportunity. Most of the kids we took had never even been out of Dallas except for their KAA trip! It was a BIG DEAL for them in so many ways. All I can say to you who partner with us in prayer and provision is “THANK YOU.”
Our next big accomplishment as a ministry will be to get the supplies required for our students to begin the school year equipped for success. Please pray for all the resources and provision needed, as that is a big undertaking. Most importantly, please pray that all the Kingdom investment in their lives this summer will be sealed for eternity byJesus, the Son of God, Who is the Author and Finisher of their faith, my faith, and your faith.

Grateful to be in His Grip,
Lanell

2011-01-17T13:41:00.002-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL THE CROSSFIRE FAMILY!

TRIPS TO SUMMER CAMP WERE LIFE CHANGING!

2010-08-09T18:35:00.002-05:00

PRAY FOR OUR GUYS WHILE THEY ARE AT SUMMER CAMP

2010-06-26T22:01:00.002-05:00

Please keep the Lion's Den teens in your prayers as they are away at camp. Our group of 13 arrived safely yesterday at Kids Across America, a Christian sports camp in Missouri. All the guys are excited about what is in store for them during the coming week! Please pray for safety and protection during all the camp activities and the trip home. Also pray that the Lord will work powerfully in their lives while they are at KAA.

Hangin' out at the Lion's Den

2010-06-26T21:52:00.003-05:00

2010-05-25T18:18:00.002-05:00

We are still in the construction process on the 'LIGHTHOUSE,' our new crisis residential facility. Sammy, who is 12 and one of our core group at the Lion's Den, shares his thoughts on the Lighthouse...

2010-05-25T15:49:00.035-05:00

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE AND OUR MINISTRY KIDS ARE EXCITED!They are looking forward to spending fun-filled days with friends at the Lion's Den center, going to summer camp, working on some service projects, and having as many great adventures as we can provide for them! Some of them would stay at the Lion’s Den 24/7 if we let them!
       Even in the midst of controlled chaos and constant activity at the Den, there is a peace and a ‘Presence’ surrounding us that the kids do not experience at home, and they are well aware of that fact. If they didn’t have the Lion’s Den, many of them would spend long, unsupervised summer days, often on the streets, encountering every imaginable temptation and danger.

        Those of us in leadership also look forward to summer and the kids being away from the pressures and environment they face at school. Their spiritual growth and the strengthening of relationships is our primary focus during the summer. We do all we can to ‘detox’ them while they are out of school…you would be shocked at all that surrounds them on their inner-city campuses!
          Summer is a time when new kids seem to find their way to the Lion’s Den and become part of our family. I always believe they find us by Divine appointment, and none of them are here by accident. Jesus has a plan and a purpose for each one, and we are privileged to be part of it.
         If you would like to help cover the increased costs of summer camps and activities for our Crossfire kids, go to the website and click on DONATE.

MAY NEWSLETTER

2010-04-29T11:12:00.011-05:00

Dear Friends,

There is so much going on at CROSSFIRE these days, it is difficult to keep up with all of it! We are already busy planning summer camps, trips, and activities for the kids at the LION’S DEN center, while trying to keep them focused on the last few weeks of school so they can finish strong. I have to admit that I have spring fever and am as ready for school to be out as the kids are!

   We are also continuing construction on our new LIGHTHOUSE residential facility for kids in crisis. A recent movie that has gotten a lot of attention is ‘The Blindside.’ Some of you may have seen it. It is based on a true story of a family that adopted an inner city teen. One of my favorite scenes in the movie takes place right after the young man has moved into the family’s home and the mom/wife is getting a bedroom ready for the teen. As she is busy putting everything in order, the boy is looking around, touching the soft linens on the bed, and watching in amazement. Finally, he says, ‘I’ve never had one before.’ The mom, a little distracted and still busy getting things ready, says, ‘What? You’ve never had a room of your own?’ The boy answers, ‘I’ve never had a bed.’ The woman stops abruptly, looks at him, folds her arms, and quietly says, ‘Well, now you do.’

   That is a very poignant scene to me because I have been there…busy getting a room ready for a kid who, not only has never had a room of his own, but has never even had a bed. And I am very familiar with the tone of resolve, compassion, and determination in the woman’s voice when she says, ‘Well, now you do.’ When kids move into the LIGHTHOUSE, they often come with just the clothes on their back or perhaps with a backpack. None of them have ever lived in situations where they got 3 healthy meals a day, or sat around the dinner table in the evenings with their family talking about the day’s events. Some of them have never decorated a Christmas tree in their home or had a birthday party in their honor.
   I could go into some real tear-jerker, shocking stories of how unfamiliar these kids are with what you and I would consider ‘normal operating procedure’ for a household, family, or life! But space and time prohibit that for now. The point is, that scene from the movie is the purpose of the LIGHTHOUSE – for the kid who says, “I’ve never lived in a home where I ate 3 healthy meals a day and said a blessing around the dinner table.” OR “I’ve never lived in a peaceful environment where I felt safe.” OR “I don’t know what it feels like to be treated with respect and unconditional love.” OR “I’ve never had anyone expect excellence and success from me.” OR “I’ve never had anyone to take me to the dentist.” OR “I haven’t lived in a family that expected me to be aware of current events in the nation and world, and taught me how to be a responsible citizen.” OR “I’ve never gone to church on Sundays.” OR “I don’t know how to make up a bed because I’ve never had one before.” OR “I never expected to stay alive till my 18th birthday.” OR “I never saw myself graduating from high school or going to college.” OR “I never thought I could get clean and sober.” OR “I never saw myself as anything more than a street thug and gangster.” OR “I’ve never had new tennis shoes or nice clothes.” OR “I’ve never lived in a place that didn’t have roaches crawling on everything.” OR… a hundred other ‘nevers’ that I have heard from young people. The purpose of the LIGHTHOUSE is to say to them with compassion and determination, “Well, now you do.”
     There will be many people to thank in the coming months when the LIGHTHOUSE is completed, but I want to thank a few people and organizations without whom we could never have even begun. I won’t go into specifics now on their contributions of time, money, resources, skills, etc. - I will do more of that later. But for their investment in getting this project to its current stage I want to thank Randy Heady, Hillview Christian Ministry, PSH Foundation, The Constantin Foundation, Trinity Church of Dallas, Ben Nothrop, Sarah Lowe, Nancy Underwood, Ned and Lane Fleming, and all of the Crossfire Board of Directors. There will be a time and place for many more individuals, businesses, and organizations to be thanked publicly for helping us get this vision completed – but for now I especially want to thank those who believed in this vision more than two years ago, and enabled us to get the project off the ground. Thank you for believing, even through some tough economic times, that the new LIGHTHOUSE could actually happen! Thank you for helping me to continue believing in this vision, and reminding me that our Father is faithful to fulfill His promises.
     We still need funding to finish the interior of the new LIGHTHOUSE and get it operational for kids in crisis, so if you want to be one of those who says to them, “Well, now you do,” then send your financial gift and note “LIGHTHOUSE” on the check.
The CROSSFIRE website has recently been updated – www.crossfirekids.com – so check it out! We are entering the blogosphere! On the website you will see a place to click and open the blog where we have begun posting news and pictures on a regular basis. Also, any of you who prefer the convenience of online donating, a ‘DONATE’ button has been added that will enable you to do so through PayPal. I am trying to enter this new decade by catching up with technology! We’ll see how that works out!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Lanell Armstrong

A New Decade, A New Beginning

2010-04-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the new Crossfire blog. Thank you for checking us out. With the dawn of a new decade, and a number of other new activities going on at Crossfire, we also decided to step into some new technology. Blogging! I know it is not new to many of you, but Crossfire has not previously launched into this format as a way to share our news...but now here we are!

We will be posting pictures and current news on the blog on a regular basis, so come back and check in with us from time to time. The picture above is some of the kids who attend our after school program at the Lion's Den rec center. I imagine there will be many stories told about them on this blog...what a crew they are!

Our website, http://www.crossfirekids.com/, has been updated a little bit, so check that out, also. It gives you some of the history of Crossfire and our lives spent with gang-oriented, at-risk kids in far east Dallas over the past 20 years. Please feel free to reply back to us at any time.

So much for the first edition of blogging about Crossfire. I will be back with more very soon.

Lanell Armstrong
Founder/President
CROSSFIRE