Welcome to the iHope Preview Page

Stories of hope and life from our cities ... When stories from today's media discourage or disillusion you, iHope will remind you that our God is a God of redemption, renewal, and hope.

Please browse this sample newsletter below. To subscribe to this monthly email featuring God's work through Here's Life Inner City, please click here or at the link at the bottom of the page.

iHope ...true stories from the inner city

Brought Back to Life

Each year, Here's Life Inner City's® Summer in the City projects provide college students with endless opportunities to tell others about God's love and forgiveness. They also help new Christians grow in their blossoming faith.

Kyle, Julio, and Pau (left to right) at Pacific Garden Mission.It's what groups of inspired and enthusiastic young people expect to do when they spend several weeks in the city assisting ministries with ongoing programs, special events, and evangelistic outreaches.

Many students, though, don't expect to learn as much as they do through the very people they set out to help.

Pau Abad Tent (on the right in the photo), a 20-year-old student from Denia, Spain, flew across an ocean to participate in this year's Chicago Summer in the City project. A friend had done the same in Los Angeles last year.

Pau wanted to serve God, especially related to verses he had read about Jesus' care for those in need. "I couldn't say I had ever served God in terms of serving people in words and deeds," Pau says.

This June, while helping in the greenhouse at Pacific Garden Mission, a homeless shelter in downtown Chicago, Pau met Julio (above, in the center), a 5-month participant in PGM's Bible program, who is originally from Mexico.

Standing outside of Pacific Garden Mission, Pau, Johanna, Kyle, and Cary (left to right) are all SITC Chicago students."I felt like the Lord brought me there so Julio could talk to someone," Pau says. Julio does not speak English well, and with only a few people at PGM able to speak Spanish, Pau provided some welcomed camaraderie. "Julio talked to me about his life, dreams, hobbies, and soccer."

Julio also talked about his family, who responded in anger to his decision to become a Christian. It was a stark contrast to Pau's believing parents.

"On the last day at PGM, after Julio and I prayed and said goodbye, he gave me a really nice plant to take home," Pau says. Special to Julio, he had revived the plant from near-death. "Now the flowers are red again, and the leaves are totally alive."

The symbolism is not lost on Pau. "It made me think of Julio, how he was dead before and lost everything, and now God is taking care of him and giving him a new chance, a new life."

And, every time Pau looks at his plant, he will think of Julio and God's power to make each of us new.

Serving and mobilizing the church to live out God's heart for the poor...

Here's Life Inner City's iHope Team

© 2011 — Here's Life Inner City, the compassionate urban ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ

Please click here to subscribe to iHope.