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Philadelphia- Summer 2017


I have lived in North Philadelphia right outside of Kensington for exactly twelve days. So far I have prayed a lot. I have been excited, at peace, encouraged, loved, and inspired. I have also been nervous, anxious, confused, frustrated and unsure. Thank you to all of you who have continued to support me and pray for me through it all!

Throughout the last couple weeks I have moved in, met the Urban Hope team, have gotten to know my roommates, have gotten to know some of the other church members, and have begun to meet people in our community.

There are four summer interns- Tommy, Paige, Jada, and myself. I am living in a house with Paige, Jada, and Devin (she is a nine-month intern with Urban Hope who has graciously and lovingly accepted us three ladies into her home).

As interns some of our responsibilities include welcoming short-term teams to Philadelphia and taking those teams around Philadelphia to do ministry in our community with those in need of food, clothing, shelter and most of all Jesus. We also are helping with the children’s programs Sunday mornings and also helped with the Sunday afternoon program called “Kingdom Kids”. We have also attended “Rock” the youth group program Friday nights for teens and participated in their discussion groups. We also began attending Family Groups on Tuesday nights. Our typical day starts at 9am where the whole team meets to read scripture and pray together. At 10am the interns jump into our assignment of the day which has involved organizing Kingdom Kids day-camp supplies, labeling EVERYTHING, taking inventory and organizing church supplies, walking around the community to make new connections, inviting children to Kingdom Kids and camp and researching resources in our community for those in-need. At 12pm is lunch time and after lunch we have been diving right back into our assigned tasks. Our “official” work day ends at 5pm but as I mentioned above there are a few nights a week we are out helping and involved in the church programs. If we have no other commitments we are encouraged to spend some time out on our porch or walking our assigned neighborhood block where our goal is to make new connections, love on kids, get to know the families in our area, pray for people, and share about hope in Jesus.

As a group and personally I have read a lot of different sections of scripture recently. One that stuck out to me and that I wanted to share was Luke 10: 1-24. In this passage Jesus sends out seventy-two to all of the places that He himself was going to go. Jesus tells them “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send our laborers into his harvest”. Then Jesus warns them saying “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” but they were to look for “people of peace” who would welcome them into their homes. Later when the seventy-two returned they were rejoicing! They were astonished at what they had done in the name of Jesus! Jesus too rejoiced and thanked the Father.

I think I am one of those few laborers out in the harvest. Part of me does not want to claim that because I feel entirely inadequate to fulfill that calling. This field seems way too big and there is too much work to do. But I also know God goes before me to prepare those people of peace. His plans are higher and greater and my calling is for a willingness to follow Jesus. The power worth rejoicing in is not power from the name of “Rachel”. The power worth rejoicing in comes from the name of Jesus.


Please be praying that God will open up doors into people’s lives and homes. That as the team works in Philadelphia we would constantly be rejoicing in the work of Christ that makes any of this possible or necessary. Please pray that we would be bold and willing to count the cost of following Christ and consider that “cost”, those things we give up, as trash in comparison to what we have because of Jesus. Pray my faith will deepen each day and that at the end of this summer I will run back to Jesus and shout “Lord, all things are subject to your name!” 

Thankfully the love of Christ has no borders, 
Rachel Martha

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