Prayer & Praise (July 22-28)

- We are up in Minnesota serving in the Twin Cities! The first week was spent doing team-building and working with our partnering churches to canvass neighborhoods with flyers for 5-Day Clubs.

This week is ministry week. We are doing 87 different 5-Day Clubs around the Twin Cities metro area. In these first three days we have had 1,804 children attend club, and 197 children have put their faith in Christ for salvation!

Here are some pictures from the trip thus far:

At Denver International Airport (DIA), ready to fly to the Twin Cities

Here is the whole CEF crew for “Good News Across America”

Canvassing the neighborhood with 5-Day Club flyers

Game time!

Teaching time on the tarp

Small groups time

More game time!

Minnesota beauty at the end of the day

The goal is for each partnering church in the Twin Cities to start an after-school Good News Club in the fall. Would you pray for our work this week to be effective in helping spark these new community-based ministries to children? Pray for the 80% of children who do not hear the good news of Jesus in church on Sunday mornings. We need to reach them in the community.

Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer & Praise (July 8-14)

- June 10-17 we took 27 students and staff from Colorado to Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training, held on the campus of Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, WY. Although we were there for training to reach others, the students themselves were changed through the experience. The testimony time at the end on Saturday night was probably the most powerful I have seen in my ten years of CYIA. Also, we had two students who came to Christ during training in response to chapel messages!

- The 5-Day Club is a 90-minute program filled with high energy games, a Bible lesson, a memory verse, songs, and a missions time. Kids get to hear the gospel, have fun, and just be in a positive environment. Praise God, we have had 36 clubs so far this summer! (Pictured on the map, click for a larger view!) There will be one more week of clubs, the week of July 30.

- On Monday morning at 10:00am, I am leaving with a team of eight students from Denver and one student from Wyoming for “Good News Across America,” a two-week mission trip to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. (We will be there July 16-28.) We are joining CEF workers from around the nation to partner with 29 local churches in the Twin Cities and help them start new community-based ministries to children. Would you pray for us as we travel and minister? You can download specific prayer requests here.

Thank you for praying!!!

Prayer & Praise (March 4-10)

- On Friday night (March 2), we had our annual info meeting for students and parents to come learn about Christian Youth In Action (CYIA). Praise God: We had 23 people show up, and it went great! After some fellowship and Papa John’s pizza, I got up and talked about CYIA for 30 or 40 minutes. The students and parents asked great questions, and I think everyone walked away better prepared to discern if this ministry is what God has for them this summer.

- Today I went to Denver Seminary to represent CEF at their two-day missions fair. This is the first contact that CEF has ever made with the seminary, so we are excited! I had good conversations with several students. I go back tomorrow (Tuesday, March 6) for the second day of the fair. Please pray for great contacts, and especially that each seminary student who visits with the various organizations represented would be able to gain something valuable for their current and future ministry.

- For Summer 2012, we are joining the Wyoming state CYIA training in June. This Thursday (March 8), I am driving up to Cheyenne, WY, along with Frank, Connie, and Sarah to join an all-day planning meeting on Friday. Please pray for great teamwork and effectiveness as we prepare for training the teenagers this summer!

That’s it for now. Thank you for praying!!! Blessings.

Back from Uganda

I have put together a report on my mission trip to Uganda! It was an incredible time, and I was so blessed by everyone I met, staff and students alike. I hope you can take a moment to check out the report: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13440809/Uganda-2012-report.pdf (11 MB PDF, so allow a moment for it to download)

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the photo album on Facebook! (You don't need a Facebook account to view it.)

Thank you to everyone who prayed, donated, and simply stayed in touch throughout this process. May God bless you!

Remembering & Celebrating Barbara Widner

“Barbara Widner went to be with her Lord on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 3:00pm. Barbara and I were team teachers in a Good News Club for 20 years. We met in the same room in the same building every Tuesday after school. Connie Porter remarked that last Tuesday Barbara went to the Big Bible Club. Barbara and I have taught for CEF for 45 years. And what a blessed trip we have had! Oh, what a godly woman who was in love with serving her Lord. Leading children to the Lord was her greatest passion. She was so loved by all who knew her and will be greatly missed. I miss her already.”—Betty Dalton

You may never have met Barbara, but a countless number of children did. Only eternity will tell all of the results of her incredible ministry. In the front of her Bible was a poem that I would like to share with you:

Some would gather money along the path of life,
Some would gather roses and rest from worldly strife.

But I would gather children from among the thorns of sin.
I would seek a golden curl, a freckled, toothless grin.

For money cannot enter in the land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered soon wilt along the way.

But, oh the laughing children as I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven as I take them in with me.

Barbara also saw the need to pray for the children. Will you follow her example? Will you commit to pray for the children of your community, your nation, and your world?

Uganda video update #4

I depart for Uganda on Saturday! Check out this 3 min video update with the latest news and a prayer request.

Some of the expenses—the vaccinations, in particular—ended up costing more than anticipated. I have gotten approval to increase my trip budget from $2,500 to $3,000 to cover everything. To date I have received $2,730 in donations, or 91% of this new budget. I only need $270 to meet the new goal! Please consider donating $20 or more:

I am excited about what God is going to do through this CYIA training. Please pray for the training staff, the students who are coming to attend, and the children that they will reach with the love of Christ.

Uganda video update #3

Check out my 2 min video update on what happened this weekend. Thanks for all of your help and support!!!

UPDATE (Dec 26, 2011): Some of the expenses—the vaccinations, in particular—ended up costing more than anticipated. I have gotten approval to increase my trip budget from $2,500 to $3,000 to cover the expenses. To date I have received $2,730 in donations, or 91% of this new budget. Would you consider helping by donating $20 or more?

Thanks to everyone for all of your questions, comments, and encouragement. I look forward to staying in touch with you over these next few weeks.