My Sunday School Class

In January, our church divided up the children's ministries even more 

by providing an 11-13 year old Sunday School class for boys and one for girls.  

I was very excited to teach the girl's class. 

We have been studying -

Who is God?

Who is Jesus?

What about Heaven and Hell?

What is sin?

- by studying through the New Testament.

This young lady is one, of a number of girls, 

who have accepted Christ as Saviour after one of our Sunday School classes.

Many times, attendance reaches over 42 girls in this small classroom space.

Like in April, when we used up every chair 

and had to use some small benches to seat everyone.

Every week of April, I had to stand against the wall in a corner to teach 

- PRAISE THE LORD!!!

We currently have over 15 girls enrolled in the Bible Reading program.  Some have read over 10 chapters in Matthew and have answered questions on what they have read.

In 2015, we are working on the whole class memorizing Psalm1.

During the month of April, I challenged them to memorize Proverbs 31:10-31.

Over half of the girls memorized part of it, 

with 4 grils having all 23 verses memorized in just 4 short weeks!!!

Praise the Lord for girls who want to hide God's Word in their hearts!

Sunshine & Smiles Club

Since I have been home, I had the great blessing to be able to help start a new ministry through our Saturday Visitation Program at church.

This new ministry is called the 

SMILES & SUNSHINE MINISTRY

It consists of children ages 4- 12 yrs old.

While the adults & teens go out on door-to-door, follow-up, or bus visitation, 

we go out into the community or to one of our shut-in's homes.

Maybe I am really a kid at heart, 

but I greatly enjoy being a part of this ministry too.

Every week, we make encouraging cards for someone.

We practice our songs by the piano....

...or while Mr. Jim drives our bus to the next visit.

We talk....

...and we sing...

...until we get to the place we will visit.

We arrive at a shut-in's home with enthusiasm.

The children are excited to see someone that they have been praying for.

The group may sit around to fellowship for a while.

We share a little sunshine through song.

Many times we like to play a game.

This is a Bible character charades game.

We got alot of laughs from this one!

Sometimes we get to see the people's pets.

(The children love to see 'Cocky" a cockateil)

The purpose of the S&S Ministry is not only to bring sunshine & smiles to the people we visit by being an encouragement, but the other purpose is for the children to learn how to share thier testimonies & how to relate to others.

We were so glad to have the opportunity to visit Mrs. Berry, 

before she went home to be with the Lord.  

We went to be a blessing and we all left blessed.

The other side of our ministry is to go out into the community 

to share the Gospel.

We have been to the local park, nursing homes and the local police barricks.

On the way home, we talk about lessons we can earn from the day's ministry,  have a challenge from the Bible and share testimony of how we saw the Lord work in the ministry we took part in that day.

I will miss these children, but am thankful for the lives we were able to encourage, the Gospel we were able to share, 

and the memories we have made together.  

I am looking forward to hearing reports from their new leader 

on how the ministry will continue on while I am in Zambia.

Wordless Book VBS

I know you all pray for us during VBS.

So I thought you might like to come and share in our day.

For me the day starts pretty early with a nice cup of coffee 

and quiet time with the Lord.

After that, I pack up the car and head over to the church.

Every morning, there are children waiting at the gate 

(over an hour before VBS starts).

They are very excited to see us and very eager 

for all that a new day at VBS brings.

It is such a blessing when they come ready to say thier memory verses.

You may ask, "What do they get for saying thier verse?"

Well, I'm glad you asked.

They are excited to say thier verse because they get........ A STICKER!!!!!!!

I know, you are thinking an American child won't even say a verse for a big prize like an iPod, 

but a sticker?

Yes, they are excited to say their verse for a simple,

but cute sticker that they get to pick.

After all, a sticker is not all they get.

When we hide God's Word in our hearts it helps us to be more conscious of our sinful ways.

Psalm 119:11  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."

(We do believe in honoring those who do thier best, so at the end of the week, the children who said all of their verses got a New Testament and those who said up to 5 verses got other small prizes.)

When it is time for VBS to start, Pastor Don and Auntie Karen round the children all up for review, memory verse for the day and song time.

Next comes the Bible Lesson (this is part of Friday's lesson).

This week we had:

around 25 kids respond to the invitations

and 3 boys accepted Christ as their personal Saviour.

This is one of the boys who accepted Christ.

After Bible Time, we get the children up for a game.

On Friday it was a little rainy, so we played inside.

A balloon = instant FUN!!!!!

Now the children get a needed drink of fruit juice.

Then, its time for the exciting missionary story.

WE

 PRAISE

 THE LORD

 FOR ALL OF THE CHILDREN

 WHO HEARD THE GOSPEL THIS WEEK

 AND FOR THOSE WHO WERE SAVED!

 KEEP PRAYING FOR THESE LITTLE ONES

Zulu Music

Karen & Don Kilmer

Don and Karen Kilmer are the missionaries I will be serving with in South Africa.

Karen and I were catching up with each other the other week on Skype. 

Skype from Pinterest.com

 She was telling me that Don was preparing for his Sunday sermon.

I asked her what she was working on.

Karen said that the passage that Don was preparing to preach on
 involved some verses about music.

Busi Mhlongo, known as the Queen of modern Zulu music

It is hard to provide the Zulus with godly music.

There is so much wordly music available to them.

Even the "Christian" Zulu music sounds like the world's music.

However, Karen did find a website with free downloadable Zulu music 
that is pleasing to the Lord.

"Free" is a missionary's  favorite price (I know it is mine).

Karen was making a few CD's to pass on to some of the people.

Keep in mind, that our electricity is not always on,

not everyone in the village has electricity or a way to play a CD, 

but also that a number of the people work in places where they have access to a CD player

 (as an added benefit, others will hear the songs of glory to God played for them to hear). 

Karen & Don talking with a Zulu kid

What a great way to support what her husband is preaching 

and to be a blessing to those who truly want to honor the Lord in thier music!

Below, I have placed the links for you to hear the Zulu & English version of a song.

They are sung by a South African group.
(Just click on the link to listen.)

Zulu: http://www.ksb.org.za/audio/music/2009/2009-04-05_3ksb_choir.mp3

English: http://www.ksb.org.za/audio/music/2009/2009-04-05_4ksb_choir.mp3

 Colossians 3:16

 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly 

in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Addicted to Youth Ministry

   

For the last 18 years I have had a part in youth ministry.

If you have any part in youth ministry, you know that it has lots of drama.

Some days you love working with teens,

 and other days you never want to see another teen again.

Oh, the DRAMA!!!

My favorite years during my experience in youth ministry

were those that I served with this faithful group of interns.

(this picture is over 5 years old)

They were "my kids"!!!

We lived on the campground together,

 played together, worked hard together,

played harder together, sang together,

laughed together, cried together,

did devotions together,...

Those were the days!!!

When you work with teens, you wonder,

"how many will continue to serve the Lord?"

God only requires us to be faithful to His ministry.
It is not our responsibility to make anyone do anything.


I am happy to say that most of the teens
in that picture are serving the Lord!


Today, there is one in particular that I want to tell you about.
His name is Steve.

Steve has a great family.  

His dad works with the youth at their church in New Jersey.  

Like his dad, Steve also has a burden for youth ministry.  

He feels God leading him to be a youth pastor one day.

Steve has a great relationship with God, his parents, his pastor, and is involved in ministry.  God is certainly  using all of his years 

of hard work and service to prepare him for future ministry.

This Wednesday, I was asked to speak to their youth group.

There were between 65-70 in attendance, with some visitors.

As I began to speak, more teens came in.  It was standing room only.

What a thrilling experience.

As I spoke, the teens watched and listened intently 

to descriptions of my ministry in South Africa and an object lesson 

(which I will share with you in the near future).

I saw Steve again this evening.  

He told me with tears in his eyes just how blessed he was.

This evening at the camp chapel was a special testimony time called 

"Share the Gift".

It is a time when the staff, interns and campers get a chance to share with each other how they accepted the "gift" of salvation and how God has changed thier lives.

Steve was taken back at how many of his past campers

shared that they were saved in his cabin.

He was so blessed to hear how they had grown in the Lord.

After he left, I thought how blessed I was to be able to hear him explain to me how he was so overwhelmed with being used by the Lord in others' lives.  How blessed each and everyone of us are.

Like me, he is addicted to youth ministry.  

18 years in youth ministry and counting!

Take a look at some of the youth that 

I will get to work with when I finally get to South Africa -

(Me and Londiwe)

(Friday Kids' Club)

(Young Ladies Bible Study)

Already, I can say, "I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children walk in truth.  III John 1:4".
May the Lord bless  each of us (who serve in Youth Ministry)
with many years of blessings.