Update!

I was able to recover the photos! Im a nerd!


Emily on her 25th B- Day

The nerd always gets the babe in the end.


Finally an update! It seems like we've created a little online community with our comments on the last post. Please keep the comments coming, it was great to hear from ya'll.

Well this summer has been something. Being still in the midst of it I can hardly reflect yet but I can post some pictures and a few stories. We are in our 6th week of summer camp and our closing program will be one week from today. I've been capturing photos and video ( thanks to Jason!) all summer and will be putting out another DVD of our summer camp. This years DVD should be a good one. I will make those available for order so stay tuned.

Compared to last summer this one seems so different. Emily and I have gone from the kindergarten class teachers to the camp directors. I've had my fare share of frustrations. I never realized what a challenge it is to manage a large staff. You don't always get to be the nice guy or everyone's friend but the standards of the program must be held to. The kids are awesome! So many new and old faces this year, we love them all. I think we do well with the children because we are friends with them. Sure we have to discipline them and remind them of the rules sometimes but we always come back to the foundation of friendship. Emily is very good at this. Honestly I've learned a lot. Im planning on writing a report for myself when camp ends. It will be called " What to do and what not to do". But I guess that sometimes the best way to learn and grow is through experience.

Last night Emily and I went to the gym to work out and for the first time we really struggled to get our 30 min run/elliptical done. I think its a sign of how tired we are. At the end of the day we kinda just collapse into bed and enjoy the air conditioning. Lowell and Dixie left for the summer 2 weeks ago. When they left our house was full of people who were here for and intimate leadership retreat with John Perkins. Every bed in the house needs to be washed and made and we still haven't started. I just cant bring myself to make beds in 100 degree rooms at the end of the day.

The cockroaches have made a big return in the last few days. Emily and I caught a big one walking up the wall in our room last night. Oh and speaking of last night......
It was 10pm and I hadn't had dinner so I went down stairs to grab a bite to eat. Its always a bit creepy coming down stairs at night. For those of you who don't know we live in a big old house with 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms and we are living there alone for the time being. So I was a little creeped out and went to make sure that the front door was locked, and it was. I was making my food when all of the sudden the outdoor light on the back porch which has a motion sensor clicked on. I froze....My heart started beating very fast. I had just been thinking about that light the other night when I took the garbage out. I remembered thinking that If I ever saw that light come on I would know that someone or thin was outside. Our back yard is basically a park. The park has 2 gates which are both locked at night and a fence surrounds the entire area.
It took me second but I realized that there was someone out side on the deck. I went to the window and locked out. All of the sudden I saw a hand pass by on the railing to the steps. Someone had just darted past the window apparently running away. I hesitated for a moment then ran outside yelling but all I could see was darkness. I was really freaked out.
After giving it some thought I realized that it was probably this highschool aged neighbor who has been accused of looking in peoples windows in the past.
This was the first incident in over a year where I was scared in our community which is surprising since most people would call our part of town the hood.

Here are some pictures from our zoo field trip a few weeks ago. Check out our "Grow Strong" t-shirts. My second ever t-shirt design. Those of you from the Whitney Youth group Chicago trip of 98 have seen my other one.



Zebras make Joseph real mad



the garden is thriving! Emily takes children over there everyday and they love it. Our staff and kids are all taking veggies home every week. This week we began purchasing our youth garden supplies thanks to a thousand dollar grant we received.





Thanks for reading our blog!

100 comments Party!!

Hey everyone! Thanks again for checking up with us via the blog. This blog has been up and running for over a year and we think that this deserves a digital celebration. So if you are reading this blog please take a minute to leave a party comment. This is a way for us to see who all is out there and a way for you to let us know what you think. Our goal is 100 comments in response to this post so tell your friends and family to come leave a comment. Feel free to be funny, serious, and crazy but please no making fun of my beard. Tell a story or a joke or just share your thoughts on the blog. Improvements needed? Let us know.

Im making this up as I go but im really starting to like it. I think we can do 100 comments, dont you???
We want to hear from you so Speak up!
Once we've achieved our goal of 100 comments I will do something crazy and drastic...like post an update.


Lets get this Party started!!!!!!



( oh we will also be putting our newsletter through the us postal service and would love for you to recieve one. Please email us your address johnny.bertram@gmail.com )

check this out. A little article on our website about our internship program.

Summer is here----->

Hey everybody, sorry for the lack of updates. Its been a busy couple of weeks for us here. Our summer camp is going strong as we wrap up our second week. Emily is taking her first class at Jackson State university. Johnny is playing drums at church. Our softball team fell to 0-6 last Tuesday but hey, were having fun. This weekend Emily goes to Seattle for an americorps conference. Shes looking forward to meeting up her mother and aunt who will be traveling up from portland to see her.
I ( johnny) am really loving what im doing. I love these kids! Everyday I get to go around to all 45 of them and tell them how happy i am that they are at our camp and how special they are.
More summer camp stories to come.

side note- I caught a foul ball last night at the Mississippi braves game.

Love you all.

Matt, " man I want to be that hot dog guy"

Jerrod, remember when we used to meet at coffee shops in the morning to work on our movie script "room mate", I miss those days.

A year in the life

I don't know that I've ever felt this busy. Emily and I are officially running the Summer program here at the Perkins center for the next 2 months. That means 35-40 children and a staff of almost 20 interns, five days a week. We've been putting the interns through orientation this week and camp begins on Monday. Tomorrow morning we will be having a parent orientation where the parents will meet the staff and here about our plans for the summer.
I guess we're kinda learning how to be leaders. For me that means delegating responsibility and trusting that the goals will be accomplished. Im not sure what it means for Emily because she seems to be taking it very well. Meanwhile I have an ulcer and a stomach full of anxiety. I never prepare well enough for anything.
All this is happening at our one year anniversary of being here in Mississippi. What a year! I cant even begin to explain the things we've learned and felt. The pain of the people becoming our own, the desire to quit and leave, the seeds of love sprouting in the lives of our young friends, the mistakes, the unexplainable joy of seeing Deanthony learn to read and dream of what he could be. So much in a year. How can the next even compete? How do we keep from becoming complacent? How do we run a summer camp?

"California.....beautiful"

I traveled west to to California to attend an Urban youth workers conference. Networked with other people who work with poor urban kidsand shared ideas. The conference was held at Azuza Pacific University.




John Perkins teaching a workshop in the tent.




Cruising with the top down.




Brent, Alicia, and Judah Daniel drove over an hour to come visit me and hang out for the evening. We listened to John Perkins and Shane Claiborne speak and then grabbed some dinner. Brent and Alicia moved to So Cal to be part of a church plant near Riverside. Their son Judah is growing up so fast. I still cant believe that they are parents but they are doing a great job. It was good to catch up with them.




Judah

New Synthar Website

( where you at Mr. johnny??)


Hi Friends! Thanks so much for checking up with us via the internet and blog. You faithful blog readers give us support and encouragement that we need.
I ( johnny) am back from the left coast and will post on my trip soon. I actually have about three updates that need to be posted so stayed tuned this week.

In the meantime please check out our awesome new website for SYNtHAR. Synthar is a virtual band that makes real music using computers and keyboards. Soon you will be able to own our first album. Click the link on the right of the screen to see the new site. ----->

Shalom

Johnny
( wiping out poverty in a convertible in California)

(Emily with mississippi governor Haley Barber)


Last Friday we had a boys club camp out in the field here at the Perkins center followed by a trip to a farm. Stories and pictures forthcoming.

We had to forfeit our softball game last night because we were one man short. We scrimmaged the other team and won but our record is now 0-2.

We woke this morning to a find that 3 cars had been broken into last night. A sad reminder that we are living in the hood.

Emily is going to Boston this weekend.

Johnny is going California next week

A beautiful evening

Last Friday night we ran our second 5k race. This one was called the Brick Street Firefly. It was held later in the evening and everyone who participated got a little flashing light and a glow in the dark t-shirt. For the two weeks prior to the race I had really been encouraging a few of our students to participate. I gave them the registration form and they were really excited at the thought of being able to race. Unfortunately none of them ever brought the forms or entry fee back. So on Friday we decided that even though they weren’t going to race we would invite them to come watch us race. We ended up with 6 kids, Jeremiah, Jerica, Mario, BoBo, LuLu, and Shauntay plus Ms Sarah and Ms. Elizabeth who were walking the race. As we were driving we decided that even though the kids didn’t pay for the race, what harm would it do if they ran with us?
Thanks to a sky full of clouds the evening was cool and perfect for a good run. We stretched out and warmed up as we prepared to begin. I was a little nervous about letting the kids run the full 3.1 miles. I thought about them getting really far behind and running off the coarse and getting lost. I worried about them getting run over by one of the big hot shot runners. But we set up a buddy system and the kids were adamant that they were going to run the race.

At the starting line they couldn’t believe that the man had a gun and was going to shoot it. He did and we were off. Emily, Mario, Bo Bo, and I began together while the other kids started back with the walkers. The beginning of the race is really fun, especially if you have some good music playing on the ipod. Your adrenaline gets going as you and hundreds of other people take to the streets with police escorts. It was fun to see little Bo Bo and Mario running among all the rich folks. Mario took off from the very beginning and stayed ahead of me until about 2 miles in. Bo Bo stayed right with me for the first mile and a half. I decided to step it up a little to try to beat my last time and Bo Bo stayed right with me. I kept looking over at him and asking if he was OK. He would give me the thumbs up and kept going. Eventually I did pull away and pass both the boys but they weren’t far behind me. I finished with a time of 28:26 followed by Mario at 29:41 and Emily at 29:55. Bo Bo came in a 32:00.

The girls ended up taking a shortcut but made it in which left only one of our kids out on the coarse, Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a small guy with short legs but he’s tough and will try anything. While Emily and the kids went to get water I began to back track up the coarse looking for Jeremiah. I made it back about half a mile and there he was walking up the hill with his shirt off. I told him everyone was waiting for him at the finish line and asked if he wanted to run the rest of the way. He took off. We made it down the other side of the hill and came around the last corner and onto the home stretch. As we came around we could see the other kids up ahead. Bo Bo began to race towards Jeremiah followed by all the others. He was in the middle of enjoying a post race apple but when he reached Jeremiah he put it in his mouth, grabbed Jeremiahs hand and began to run with him towards the finish line. Mario grabbed the other hand and the rest of the kids followed behind cheering him on. Jeremiah was dead tired. His head was down and his pants were falling off but Mario and Bo Bo were dragging him to the finish line. Emily and I ran behind just watching the whole thing take place. I felt pride like I never have before. I think that it was the first time that we’d been able to see them love each other. They didn’t care what was going on around them they were determined to see Jeremiah finish. He made it in just under 42 minutes. We spent the rest of the evening sitting on the grass near the finish line eating fruit and sharing race stories. It was a beautiful evening.

Youth Service Day

Last weekend Emily and her Americorps team held a community service day for her junior citizen club. They went around the neighborhood planting flowers and picking up trash. Emily will be able to update you more on how this went since I left to play in a golf tournament, but I have noticed a reoccurring trait among our kids, they like to serve. When I came downstairs on Saturday morning to go pick up the kids I found Mario, DeAnthony, and Lacinda sitting on the porch waiting for me. " We didn’t want you to leave without us Mr. Johnny,” they said. They want something to do and jump at the opportunity to get out and work in the community. Now this is in direct contrast to the attitude of most of their parents and adults who seem happy to stay in the house and make little or no commitment to the community. I think over time the surroundings and situations of the poor can get to them and hope is all but lost. That’s when people turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, and other things to kill the pain. I guess our hope is to somehow harness this young optimistic energy of the youth and build on it so that in spite of what discouraging things take place in their lives they can remember the joy of serving and not give up. We hope that these kids will be the ones to rise up and become leaders here in the community.

I'm realizing more and more that we are only rookie's here and don’t completely know or understand the cycle of poverty in which we are living. I’m sure with more time we will learn better methods in mentoring them but for now we just hang out with them and pick up trash together and teach them to read. Hopefully love can defy all odds.
-Johnny






Mario Urkel


Jeremiah Urkel


Shauntay Urkel


Mr. Farmer Johnny Urkel



Steve Urkel

Race Day

5k (3.1 mile)Times:

Emily 32:31

Johnny 29:31

Waiting at the starting line.

The race was run last Saturday in near 90 degree heat. What a fun time we had. Johnny and Emily were both happy with their times considering the hill that they ran up in mile 3. The kids didn't attend the race but are planning to run in the next one which is 2 weeks away. We met up with Jon,Lori, Dylan, Eric,Erin, and Amy at the race. Our friend Ruth was visiting for the weekend from the delta and decided to run with us. Sarah came along to cheer and take pictures. After the race we drank water and ate banana's. Jon Bakker ran the race in 20:42 and finished 3rd in his age group, he got a medal.

Emily, Ruth and a man who should be wearing a shirt.





JB coming down the home stretch




After the 5k there was a one mile fun run for kids. They said anyone could run it so Jon and I did it cause we're just crazy like that.

Fun Run!


While we were out on the coarse Dylan and Eric went to Hal and Mals and had a little race of their own.


Come visit us and you too could have the joy of running in the Mississippi heat!

Run from The Sun

Chillin' on Antioch porch. Left to right- Dixie, Lorian (Grandma), Becki (mom) Karah and Emily


So Emily and I have been training for this 5k run (Run from the sun.com) that is this weekend for about the last month and a half and I've been keeping the kids informed on my times. Last weekend after sharing with the kids about my morning run I got the idea to ask Mario and DeAnthony if they wanted to go to the YMCA with me and run on the outdoor, one-mile loop. They got really excited and yesterday after the program was over we , plus Jeremiah, put on our "running clothes" and headed for the Y. They had decided to take it easy during playtime at the after school program to save their energy for the run. We started off slow to pace ourselves but Jeremiah decided to be the hero and took off in a dead sprint. After half a mile he was dead and Mario, DeAnthony, and I blew past him. We ran our first mile and they were still with me. We ran our second and Mario took a slight lead. On the third we caught Mario and decided to finish together. I could'nt believe that they stayed with me the whole way and we did end up sprinting in together at the end. We ran it in 28 minutes! At the finish we found Jeremiah sitting under a tree listening to Ms. Emily's iPod. I'm going to encourage Mario and DeAnthony (BoBo as we call him) who are brothers to train with me more often. I think they could really compete and win races at their age level. Not only would this make them feel pretty good about themselves but it would also give them some purpose.

The weekend before last we had a visit by Emily's parents and Grandma. It was great to see them and to show them around our new surroundings. I unfortunately got sick on the second night they were here and was feeling pretty bad for most of the weekend. We took a trip to New Orleans and saw close up the devastating effects of the hurricane. Emily got sick the day after they left and spent all of last week in bed with strep throat.
Hilarious! Its always fun when the " incredible" Becki Martin is around.


Dave goes BIG in New Orleans


Lunch in the French Quarter

Last Friday night we held a Parents Night for the children of the after school program. (Fitting that Ms. Emily brought her parents) We had pizza and watched a movie. The goal of the night was to make contact with parents and to let them come and see where they kids are hanging out everyday. I've been thinking that if we really want to have a lasting, positive impact on the children we must not only reach out to them but also their parents. I wanted the parents to know that we respect their dignity and want them involved. We had a great turnout and look forward to doing it again in the future.

This week is crazy at the Perkins Center. We have 70 plus volunteers here from Seattle and California. Our house is full and even the clubhouse where we meet for after school is occupied by a group of guys, forcing us to meet on the enclosed porch at our house. Its fun to have these people here once you realize that theirs nothing to be stressed about. I have to tell the neighborhood kids at the park what's going on because I can tell that they are thinking, " what are all these crazy white people doing here‚?". The groups really get a lot done which allows the staff and myself to do what we do.

Plan your visit to Jackson today!