Uganda video update #1

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?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

CEF World Day of Prayer

I would like to invite you to join me in going before the Lord for the most important aspect of accomplishing CEF’s ministry: prayer. Without depending on God—who he is and what he does—we cannot reach the children, we cannot disciple them, and we cannot establish them in local churches.

Use this short URL to watch a video message from CEF’s vice president of USA Ministries, Moises Esteves, on the vitality of prayer: http://j.mp/vyQKRg.

Please join me in praying on the CEF World Day of Prayer: Wednesday, November 2. Thank you!

Help Sylvia finish CMI

UPDATE: As of November 9, Sylvia's cost of CMI is fully paid! Thank you everyone for your help!!!

Sylvia has been on our CYIA summer missions team here in Denver for the past five years. It has been amazing to see her learn and grow and minister to children!

This fall, Sylvia traveled to our HQ in Missouri for the Children’s Ministries Institute (CMI)—an intensive 12-week training. As I write this post, she and her fellow students are just finishing up week nine! They will graduate on November 11.

The cost for CMI is about $4,500. Through scholarships and fundraising, Sylvia has gotten almost all of the funds she needs. However, she still needs about $520 for the final payment, which is due next week (Oct 24-28).

Would you consider a gift to help Sylvia finish CMI?

Click “Donate” to give a secure online donation via credit card or PayPal:

Thank you so much!

- Andrew

Andrew's mission trip to Uganda

I wanted to share with you about something new and exciting that is coming up:

I have been invited by CEF of Uganda to serve as a facilitator for their seventh annual Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training. They train students to reach children for Christ in 5-Day Clubs, just like we do here in Denver during our summer missions. I am very excited about this opportunity! It will be my first time to travel overseas.

I will be in Uganda from January 2-14, 2012. I will get to speak in chapel services to challenge and encourage the students, as well as help facilitate some training classes and practicum times. CEF of Uganda is expecting about 140 young people to attend the training. It will take place at a school just a few miles outside of Kampala.

The trip budget has been set at $3,000 USD. Would you consider giving $20 or more toward this mission trip? I would really appreciate it! Your support is what makes all of this possible.

Click "Donate" to give a secure online donation via credit card or PayPal:

The children of Uganda are hungry and thirsty for the gospel of Christ. I am excited to be a part of a team building up young missionaries who will reach them with the Good News next year in 2012! Thanks for reading.

Prayer & Praise (Sept 18-24)

- Well, we had a great summer of ministry with Christian Youth In Action! Praise God for these results: CYIA students taught 886 children all across the Denver metro area. 79 children were counseled for salvation, and 18 were counseled for Christian growth. In addition, the children in clubs raised over $700 for a CEF missionary in East/Central Africa.

It was an exciting summer, and I saw each of the students grow in different ways, especially the six students who went on the Salt Lake City mission trip I wrote to you about last time. Please pray for all of these students as they are back in school now and striving to live for Jesus in that environment!

- We are planning a CEF banquet for Friday, November 4. Would you pray for us to be able to get all of the table sponsors that we need for this event? We are hoping for this banquet to be a great success in casting the vision about reaching children for Christ and getting more people involved through prayer, finances, volunteering, etc.

- Now that the summer ministry is over, I have shifted my focus to planning for next year as well as just doing overall program development. Please pray for me to stay focused, be effective in developing relationships with our ministry partners, and have great ideas for how we can continue building this ministry! God is faithful, and I am looking forward to the next year.

Thanks for praying!

Prayer & Praise (June 26-July 2)

- Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training finished up this past Friday, and the students did great! We celebrated the end of two weeks of hard work with a movie night.

During the second week of training, the CYIA students taught six practice 5-Day Clubs. 87 children attended, and 11 of them placed their faith in Christ for the first time!!! The children also brought $112.08 for Florence Aderi, a CEF missionary in East/Central Africa.

- This week is our first full week of 5-Day Clubs for Greater Denver. We have five teams out this week, four of them with a 1st-time team leader. Praise God, they are doing a fantastic job! The teams are teaching clubs in Thornton, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Littleton, Denver, Aurora, and Lafayette. Would you pray for the safety of the teams as they travel?

- Our ministry partners for 5-Day Clubs this week include Crossroads Church, Salvation Army Red Shield, E&R Cannon Child Care, Bullfrogs & Butterflies Child Care, The Journey Community Church, and New Life Evangelical Free Church. Please pray that God would use each of these partnerships to further His glory and kingdom in the lives of the children and their communities.

Thanks!

Prayer & Praise (June 19-25)

- It has been a busy couple of months since I wrote you last! In April, we finished signing up 18 students (pictured above) to be on our Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) team this summer.

In May, I traveled to North Carolina for a week to attend the CEF International Conference, which takes place every three years. We celebrated the fact that CEF now has active ministry to children in 176 nations around the world. (See the flags of the nations pictured below).



- June 6-8 I took our student leaders (pictured below) on a retreat to do leadership training, spiritual formation, and team-building. It was a memorable experience and I think they learned a lot! We were blessed with the use of a home up in mountains, which was great for getting away from the distractions of everyday life.



- Most recently, we just returned from our first week of CYIA training, help at a camp in Allenspark, CO. This week we are holding a second week of training at Hope Crossing Church next to our office here in Denver. The students have been busy taking classes on all the various aspects of children’s ministry, studying the lessons and stories that they will be telling in 5-Day Clubs, and getting to know their teammates better and better!

This week they actually teach one 5-Day Club each day and then come back to the office to evaluate how it went and continue studying. This hands-on training will prepare them for next week when they launch into doing ministry all day, every day. Pray for these students as they courageously take the good news of Jesus to the children of our city!!!