Missions Team to Chicago
On December 12-20, Professor Ted Marvin and his wife Kim took 18 students to minister to Pearl Willis and Roseland Community Daycare in Chicago, Illinois. The Roseland Community “Good News” Day Care provides free day care for children of teenage moms, college moms, and low income moms in the Roseland community. Their mission is to provide Christ- centered child care in a nuturing environment and to give encouragement and hope back to our community. Roseland Day Care Center is located on the south side of Chicago, at 210 West 113th Street. In 1993, when the day care started, the day care buildings are in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago where a majority of the residents are unemployed and recipients of public aid. Roseland touches and improves the lives of precious little children and everyone in the community.
Pearl Willis was herself a pregnant teenager, and a single mother of 3 children. She used her own personal experience to craft a mission to provide teen moms with the opportunity to break the welfare cycle. She believes that with an education, a caring place for their children, and the knowledge and help of God these moms really can succeed and do great things with their lives. Pearl earned her high school diploma by GED. From 1996 to 2004, Pearl gradated in 2004 from Olive-Harvey College with her associate's degree in Child Development. The education does not stop with Ms. Pearl. She requires that all her staff pursue furthering their education. She is a visionary, the founder, and the director but she still loves to get down on the floor and play with the kids!
The ABC team worked in the daycare all week ministering to the children and moms, helped in a homeless breakfast ministry on Sunday morning at a local church, and went to a local public elementary school where we were able to read to the children and present the Gospel. One of our students Lloyd McCarroll had the opportunity to dress up like Santa for an evening program at the school. Lloyd wanted to make sure every child that he talked with knew that Jesus loved them. An opportunity that he will never forget.
We also had the chance to visit the great city of Chicago. We ate Chicago style pizza, went to the top of the Sears tower, shopped on Michigan Avenue, and spent the day with the daycare students on a field trip to Navy Pier children's museum. By the end of the week the students were in love with the children, so humbled and in awe of Ms. Pearl and her workers, and had their own hearts changed to how God can use them if they are willing. Next year's trip is already set for December 11-19, 2015.
