Prayer & Praise (July 26 - Aug 1)

- Today we kick off our 4th week of 5-Day Clubs here in metro Denver! We have three teams teaching at various locations in Arvada, Aurora, Denver, and Lakewood.

So far this summer we have taught 786 children in 48 clubs. We have seen 52 children place their faith in Jesus for the first time! Children in the clubs have also brought over $210 in missionary offering for the Petkofs (CEF missionaries in Greece). Please pray for continued fruitful ministry this week!

- This week, CEF continues an aggressive ministry campaign in Little Rock, AR, to help pioneer ministry to children in that area. Over 100 CEF missionaries from around the nation came to help with the effort! They are working in partnership with dozens of local churches in order to jump-start gospel ministry.

Continue to pray for Emanuel, our team leader we sent from Denver to take part in the campaign, as well as everyone else involved! Pray especially for the event to be successful in jump-starting on-going ministries to children.

- Our budget for CYIA this year is $7,650 (to cover general operating expenses). To date we have received $3,730 of these funds (49% of budget). We still need $3,920 (or 51%). Thankfully we are actually coming in under budget in a number of key areas, but please pray for financial support to continue to come in over the next few weeks.

- On Friday, August 7, we are having an end-of-summer celebration for CYIA. Praise God in advance for this opportunity for friends and family, prayer partners, financial supporters, 5-Day Club coordinators, staff, and committee members to all come together and be encouraged by what God has done! (I will be sending out an e-mail invite later on today ... we would love for you to join us!)

Thanks so much for praying!

Prayer & Praise (July 12-18)

- Last week we took nine of our summer missionaries on a service learning trip to CEF World HQ in Warrenton, Missouri (about 1 hr west of St. Louis). Praise God for the opportunity we had to take this trip! The teens did many hours of volunteer service around the campus during the week, learned about various ministries of CEF worldwide (including ministry opportunities for students), and just got to hang out and have a great time.

There was our group there, as well as a group from Iowa and a group from Texas. I think it was really an edifying and eye-opening experience for everyone involved! At the end of the week, Jon (the guy at HQ who was heading up the event) had everyone fill out a response form about the various ministry opportunities that had been presented throughout the course of the week. He is going to be sending me the responses from all of our Denver students. I am excited to see what God does with these fantastic young people in the years to come!

- I received many ideas for this next year of ministry during my time at HQ last week. Please pray for wisdom in developing and implementing these ideas in the months to come.



- July 20-Aug 1, CEF is undertaking a ministry campaign in Little Rock, AR, to help pioneer ministry to children in that area. Over 100 CEF missionaries from around the nation will be coming to help with the effort! We are working in partnership with dozens of local churches in order to jump-start ministry.

From Denver, we are sending Emanuel, one of our team leaders this summer. (He participated in a similar pioneer ministry campaign last summer in Chicago.) Frank & Connie Porter will also be helping with the training at the beginning.

Please pray for Emanuel and everyone else participating in Little Rock ’09! Pray for physical and spiritual strength for the workers, and pray for the event to be successful in jump-starting on-going ministries to children.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support! Blessings.

Prayer & Praise (June 28 - July 11)

- June 22-26 was our first week of 5-Day Clubs this summer! There were some last minute cancellations and other scheduling headaches, but once those were worked out everything went great. I think our 1st-year summer missionaries really enjoyed their first full week of teaching!

Please pray that our future weeks of clubs would continue to be effective in reaching children for Jesus and spiritually forming the hearts and minds of our summer missionaries.

- July 5-11 we are taking eight of our summer missionaries on a trip to CEF World HQ in Warrenton, Missouri (about 1 hr west of St. Louis) to do some volunteer service, learn about CEF’s ministry worldwide, and meet other summer missionaries from around the nation! It is almost 800 miles from Denver to Warrenton, so we will traveling all day on Sunday, July 5, and Saturday, July 11. Please pray for a safe trip!

Pray also that the glimpse into CEF’s ministry worldwide would impact the students. Maybe God is calling some of them into full-time ministry. May He is even calling some of them into further ministry with CEF. Who knows? Whatever the case may be, I hope and pray that this will be a fun and fruitful trip for all who go!

- Praise God for the opportunities I have already had this summer to connect with some of the students personally. No matter how much planning and fundraising and promotion and recruitment and teaching and training I do, the fact is that ministry always happens in relationships. Please pray for many more opportunities to connect with our summer missionaries in the weeks to come.

Thanks for praying!

Prayer & Praise (June 21-27)

- We finished up our two-week Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training this past Friday! June 7-14 we went to Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center in Allenspark, CO, where students gathered from all over the state to receive the training they need to teach kids this summer. It was gorgeous! The students worked hard and had a great time.

They learned all about how to teach kids, share the gospel, manage a group of kids, and work as a team. Pray that they would remember these things as we progress throughout the summer.

- June 15-19 we continued the training for the Denver chapter students here at our local office in Lakewood. The students got to put into practice what they had learned the week before by teaching one kids’ club each day and then evaluating it afterwards with their team.

I love getting to see the students grow at CYIA training. So much happens in just two weeks! They grow in their relationship with Christ, they grow in their confidence as teachers, and they grow together as friends and teammates.

Please pray that the growth they experience this summer would prove by God’s grace to be enduring change and transformation in their lives.

- Our budget for CYIA this year is $7,650 for the general operating expenses (i.e. separate from the summer missionaries’ individual expenses). To date we have received $3,430 (or 45%) of these funds, with $4,220 (or 55%) left to be raised. Praise God for the many supporters who have contributed already, and pray for many more to join in!

- Here in Colorado, we are blessed with a wonderful State Director for CEF: Bill Raymer who lives down in Canon City. CEF’s nationwide goal is to have a State Director in all 50 states. Praise God for four new state directors who were installed by the Board of Trustees during the month of May! They will be serving in Kentucky, Utah, Missouri, and Louisiana.

Thanks so much for praying!

Prayer & Praise (May 31 - June 6)

- Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training camp begins this Sunday, June 7, at Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center! It is located right on the southeast edge of beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park. We will be there June 7-14 and then continue training locally at our office in Lakewood from June 15-19.

Please pray for this to be an effective time of equipping young people to minister the gospel! I look forward to everyone working hard, having a lot of fun, and growing together as friends and teammates during our week at camp.

- Our 14 summer missionaries mailed out their support letters about two weeks ago. Please pray for recipients to respond with generosity and enthusiasm for the ministry! I think we have a great team this year, and I look forward to seeing many people rise up to support them.

- Praise God for Hannah & Sarah, and all their help this week in getting ready for CYIA training! Hannah is finishing up a one-year internship with CEF here in Denver, and Sarah is a long-time summer missionary who goes to school at Metro State. Their hard work has been invaluable.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

Prayer & Praise (May 24-30)

- This Saturday, May 30, is our second of two preparatory sessions to help the summer missionaries get ready for Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training camp. Please pray that this will be a great time of training and team-building.

In the morning, they will give and be evaluated on their presentation of the Wordless Book. In the afternoon, they will learn all about the history of CEF, what we believe, what 5-Day Clubs will look like this year, and what to expect at CYIA training camp in June. It’s hard to believe that summer is almost here!

- Continue to pray that I could make good connections with families, individuals, and churches as I seek to raise the funds needed for my personal support and for the CYIA program.

- Next Tuesday, June 2, I am moving into a condo in Wheat Ridge; I will be renting it along with a friend of mine from church. Pray that the move goes smoothly.

- Praise God for the wonderful prayer time that our staff had this morning! We all live and minister in different parts of the city, so it is good when we get to come together.

Thanks for praying!

Prayer & Praise (May 17-23)

- This past Friday, May 15, Hannah and I traveled down to Canon City for a statewide staff meeting in preparation for Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training camp in June. It was very productive!

Pray for each of the 15 training camp staff who will be teaching, serving as dorm leaders, etc. This week, pray especially for us as we prepare our respective teaching assignments, in order that the summer missionaries might be well-equipped for gospel ministry to the children.

- Continue to pray that I could make good connections with families, individuals, and churches as I seek to raise the funds needed for my personal support and for the CYIA program.

- Praise God for each of the 14 summer missionaries who are working in metro Denver this summer!

- Just as an extra, here is a great article CEF recently posted on the main website about our ministry to children in the U.S.

Thanks for praying. Blessings on your life and ministry!