God has been doing some amazing things this week, but the most moving thing has been meeting the kids of the community we are serving.  We have become very close with them, and in turn have learned more about them.  Three brothers: MeMe, Buddah, and Devante, lost their brother to a shooting about a year ago.  Buddah has no shoelaces.  Jaden, another one of the boys, has an amazing heart, but all these kids struggle with aggression.  They are always asking to make sure we are coming back, and I’m not sure how I will handle telling them no.  My prayer is that God will enter these kids’ lives, and that we can leave a definite impact on them and their families. 
-Steven Werner
 
Today has been a rollercoaster. So many things have touched my heart and challenged my faith at the same time. After a productive day at work a really challenging situation arose for me and I felt I needed to be alone. I walked out of the building and sat down on a bench overlooking Pittsburgh. And as much as I wanted to be alone, some friends came out to comfort me. I thought it was the last thing I needed, but quickly learned it was the first. I never thought I could go from being so broken down and overwhelmed to having such reassurance and joy. I underestimated how much people care for me and how God puts just the right people in my life…I couldn’t be more grateful.
-Kristi Wilkins
 
This entire week has really been so many different things. That might sound odd, but it couldn’t be more true. This week’s been exciting, intimidating, overwhelming, exhilarating, and absolutely breath-taking. I’ve been tested a lot more than I thought I would have coming into this, and I’ve definitely loved that despite how anxious or nervous it’s made me at first. I have to say at this point the children in Northview Heights have touched my heart beyond belief. To see how little they come from, but how big their spirits are has really been an incredible thing. The courage these kids have has completely surprised me. I haven’t been able to comprehend how much these kids are changing me, and changing themselves. There are a couple of kids in particular that I definitely feel a connection with, but for the most part I feel most connected to a young boy named Buddah (I think his real name is Leqwon). At first he was really stand-offish and a real rebellious instigator, but today as we were packing up to leave he said he wanted us to come back tomorrow. As we were dwelling on this and talking over the day as a whole in a small group, Randy had mentioned some of these kids might not know what it is to be truly loved.  It literally brought me close to tears. To think I’ve got countless people who genuinely love me, and these kids don’t seem to have anybody. This shows to me because they’re clinging to people they’ve only known for four days. I’m broken. I want them to know that we love them, and that more importantly God loves them so unconditionally. Tomorrow, I want to leave the site knowing that those kids are changed, and that they know they’re loved. If nothing else, God sent us to Pittsburgh, just for that. I’m sure that God brought these children to us for a reason, and I’m more than confident we’re not going to let that surpass us.
-Tyler Klebba
 
 
It’s seems so unreal that tomorrow is our last day here. This community and kids have touched my heart so much. Throughout this whole trip one theme was consistent day after day: learning. I’ve gained knowledge in ways and situations I would have never imagined. Day after day the kids in the neighborhood came back to help us in any way possible. I couldn’t explain how I felt seeing the kids so happy. They have little compared to me and they still make the most of it.
Today, a kid explained why his friend was nicknamed “Fat Guy.” He said that he always asks for seconds at dinner. At first I didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. I then realized that they don’t have enough to take seconds, it’s barely enough to feed their family of ten. This is something I take for granted and almost expect when I eat every meal. Some of these kids have to skip their lunch because there isn’t enough for everyone. God opened my eyes in ways I can’t describe. I came into this thinking I would change their lives, but instead they’re changing mine.
-Marisa Sarti