Last June we finished our 12th year at St. Paul’s Methodist Church with our students from the Maple Leaf Tutoring Program. Due to issues at the Maple Leaf Clubhouse, St. Paul’s warmly received our volunteers and students each Tuesday so that we had a place to continue our weekly program from October until June. We are so thankful for St. Paul’s! They have always been a blessing to SOFM and specifically to the Maple Leaf Tutoring Program!
Tom O. from St. Paul’s faithfully drove the church van each week, transporting the students to and from Maple Leaf to St. Paul’s. The students were able to meet in the Youth Room where they received homework help, a Bible lesson, and dinner. When the weather was nice, we went outside to the baseball field for a game of kickball or played basketball at the back of the property.
This year, we are back at the Maple Leaf Clubhouse and hope to stay here all year. Our first month has been great! We love being back in the neighborhood where we can connect with parents better and see about increasing the number of students who come inside the clubhouse each week. Over the course of our first month we have had to adjust to the busing schedule, which has changed a few times, but it hasn’t stop the students from coming each week. With the weather being nice, we have spent some time outside playing games to get some of their energy out. Homework help continues along with some special additions like learning about “voting and elections” and a science lesson where the kids learned about why and how leaves change colors in the fall. All of us adults were reminded too! 
Challenges like “a riddle contest” has become a fun part of their time with us, and keeps their minds engaged. The weekly Bible lesson continues along with a nice meal and dessert. We are thankful for the volunteers and the facility where we can show the love of Jesus to these young people. This past week we were all blessed to have 5 of the boys volunteer to pray before the meal. This has been a part of our program for at least 9 years. However, we noticed this past week how the prayers of these children have grown from not being sure of what to pray for, to thanking God for so much that it could bring tears to your eyes. Please continue to pray for our time with the students this year and that they would all know Jesus in their hearts.