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Rachel Buttig
Executive Director
East St. Louis Dream Center
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Contact Information
East St. Louis Dream Center
P.O. Box 2456
East St. Louis, IL 62202
618.875.2131 (ext. 107)
esldc@eaststlouisdreamcenter.org
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| Tree by the River | Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose HOPE is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear (see- KJV)) when heat comes; but its leaf will be green. And will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Lately, this verse has been getting my attention and I wanted to share it with you. Through His Word, God is telling us that our life can be just like this tree: so alive, strong and prosperous. Let the image of this tree get inside of your heart. I encourage you to settle for nothing less than the same things that this tree by the river has. |
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| The Heart of a Thug | |
It has taken a long time to build trust with the young men we serve lunch to every Wednesday. This is why I rarely take pictures of them and you mainly see pictures of the teens instead. Many of them are hesitant to even give us their real names because of the things they are involved in. Pictures would be a great way for you to see what a typical Lunch Outreach looks like, but instead I would like to paint a picture with words and ask you to imagine.
Three years ago when I started cooking out of my apartment, I would have to go find the young men to give them the plate of food. Gradually, they began coming to my door, but were very hesitant and distrusting. Over time, I have seen them slowly begin to trust and take baby steps in order to "come closer."
The volunteers and I are currently grilling under a large shade tree on the side of the neighborhood that is the favorite hot spot for these guys. Below are recent things that have happened that I would like you to imagine;
- Eleven big guys hanging out with us twenty minutes before serving time, talking, laughing and being respectful, when before we had a hard time getting them to come anywhere near us.
- Guys who used to push and shove and call each other names to be first to get their food, are now politely going through the line.
- When they used to rush away to get back to street duty (selling drugs and watching for the police), now they are lingering to sit down to eat and talk.
- When they used to reject prayer, now some of them are open to receiving prayer, talking about their future and bringing up conversations about God.
- In the past if we would say, "Let's pray over the food," we would have heard a lot of joking and some guys would have even walked away. Now, when getting ready to pray over the food, one guy said to all the others, "Bow your heads and close your eyes."
Underneath, each of them has a heart that longs for acceptance, LOVE and desires to know they are valuable. I'm overwhelmed at where God has brought these young men and I'm so honored to be able to watch Him do it. He is the EXPERT at melting hearts! READ MORE
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| Invest in what God is Doing | |
Every month, God uses people like you to financially support outreaches of the Dream Center like the lunch for the young men, the recreation night for the teenagers and other various outreaches. As you give, you can know that your donations are making an impact in the lives of young people. You are providing opportunities for teens to be mentored and young men to receive kindness.
Would you pray about becoming a monthly partner and helping us LOVE East St. Louis? If you would like to give, you can click on the Pay Pal link to the left or by check (written to "ESL DC").
Thank you for being an extension of the heart and vision of this ministry!
Rachel :)
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