A Week in the Life of a Neighborhood Ambassador

Living in a Challenge House brings with it the title of Neighborhood Ambassador.

According to the 1828 Noah Webster dictionary an ambassador or as they spell it embassador is:

embassador EMBAS'SADOR, n. 1. A minister of the highest rank employed by one prince or state, at the court of another, to manage the public concerns of his own prince or state, and representing the power and dignity of his sovereign. Embassadors are ordinary, when they reside permanently at a foreign court; or extraordinary, when they are sent on a special occasion. They are also called ministers. Envoys are ministers employed on special occasions, and are of less dignity. 2. In ludicrous language, a messenger.

So, I guess it is fitting title,  considering we reside permanently in our neighborhood and try to manage and minister to concerns of our neighborhood...just ordinary people.
Many have asked what it is like to live as a neighborhood ambassador, this is a glimpse  of one week in our house:

Friday night

• Neighborhood ambassador monthly meeting at another Challenge House - fellowship, devotional, food, and fun.

Saturday

• Meetings at church to meet our prospective pastor
• Attend a friend's birthday party
• Game time at our house with friends.
• Visit from neighborhood friend

Sunday

• Teach 1st grade Sunday School
• Attend church service
• Lunch with friends
• Naps
• Church again - our church voted in the new pastor...great day for our church.

Monday

• Homeschooling day
• Workday for Ellen
• Men's accountability at Challenge House 1
• Visit from our neighborhood friend

Tuesday

• Homeschooling day
• Workday for Ellen
• Ellen, along with Brad from Challenge House 3, and Toni Riley a Challenge House volunteer attend the weekly Rotary Club meeting to talk about Challenge House! It is always a blessing to share our ministry with others!
• Tutoring for Holiday Elementary the house is filled with students and volunteers...students work on their spelling words, math, and reading time.
• Visit from neighborhood friend
• Ellen has a game night at a friends house

Wednesday

• Homeschooling day
• Workday for Ellen
• Wednesday night church

Thursday

• Homeschooling day
• Workday for Ellen
• I (Ellen) go to the grocery and to pick up dinner, the weather is gorgeous in January, so as I enter the neighborhood, I hears a man and woman on the phone trying to get help...they have ran out of gas, no money, trying to walk home. I pick them up and drops groceries and food at home, then drive them to where to pick some things up and back to the neighborhood.
• Friend from the neighborhood comes by and is struggling in Geometry, pull out a laptop and review some Khan academy videos and go over his Geometry with him - what a delight to see him working through the problems and showing confidence in his work!

Friday

• Homeschooling day
• Workday for Ellen
• Visit from a neighborhood friend - he turned in his Geometry homework! Loved hearing him tell about his teachers reaction when he turned in his work today!
• Game night with family and friends

As you can see we live a pretty regular life, but it is sprinkled with lots of blessings of time fellowship and service with friends and neighbors. We are not any more busy than we were at our old home, just a different busy.