Aug 27
First I will recap what happened the last two weeks. The week in Eastend went great, I had eleven kids show up but in Irvine, AB no kids came. Last week I was in Leader, Fox Valley and Burstall. I had over ten kids show up at every place and in Fox Valley and Burstall a lot of the kids were Catholic. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me during the summer.
Steven
Aug 27
Hey Everyone!
First off I would just like to say thank you to all those out there who prayed for Dallas and I while we were up north. We definitely saw God’s power as he kept us safe and worked out miracles before our eyes!
It was so awesome to hang out with all you workers again at welcome home, although I felt it was bit short  But it was so cool to see what God was doing this summer!
So, we have a final song for you guys. Because our last serious song, was more focused on us (“Show me the way”), we decided that for our last serious song we would reverse things and write a worship song, praising God for who he is.
Along with our 6th song, Ruler of the Stars, we also have included some re-recordings that we did back at my house using an actual microphone instead my cellphone We did that for all but one song, Words Are Few (week 4),which we thought sounded better as just a raw recording.
We hope you enjoy these songs, I’ve posted them all below, so you can find them in one place
Dallas and Greg; Coloring In the Lines EP:
1. The Blues
2. A Love Song
3. Show Me The Way
4. Words Are Few
5. Hey Dallas, Where’s My Pen?
6. Ruler Of The Stars
Aug 27
My last week plans changed. Instead of going with Levi I went to Regina and taught with Jordan. I got to teach at two VBSs and had alot of fun with the kidz. Now thinking of the future I might be coming next year. Thank you for praying for me.
Aug 26
What a wonderful summer! I can not believe it is over already. Working for God is full of amazing grace. My week 6 was just done by the day before yesterday. Even though there was no kids to accept Jesus cause most of them had already done that before, I was still excited. We had 22 kids in our VBS and all of them were wonderful. They listened so well and they always pretended that they were the characters of the stories. I remembered when I told the story Gidean, and they pretended they were the Israelites and when the story went to the end, all the kids ran out and said “We win, we win.” I was so surprised that they got involved into those stories so well. Even though sometimes they had the dicipline problems, they still made me laugh cause their reaction and behavior were so cute. Also, I got my first thank card from a girl in this club. I was so excited. Every time when I heard the kids said”oh I don’t want you leave” or”I will miss u”, I felt that all the efforts were worthy. After the club on Friday, one of the girl said she enjoyed our club a lot and she though our club was her best moment of her summer. I was tearing up inside again. I am so glad I can be God’s daughter and work for Him. Everything and everyday become great with the Lord. Yesterday was the very last day of 5Day Clubs, we shared our testimonies and after the Welcome Home finished, on the way back home, Tonny couldn’t find his camera anywhere. He was upset so we started praying. On the way, I noticed that there were a lot of stars on the sky so we decided to stop for a bit. When we got out of the car, I saw the most beautiful sky I had ever seen before. The milky way was right above my head and the stars were super bright and big. After we went back to the car, Cecile found that the camera was right on her spot, which was no camera there before for sure. This was amazing. The camera showed up itself? It must be God. He brought the camera back to us. Wow, what an amazing evening. God always makes a way for us. I praise my Lord. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful life. Thank you for Your faith, Your love and Your everything. May all the glory to God.
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Your sister in Christ,
Hermione
Aug 25
So I just returned from the Welcome Home and it was so nice to see familiar faces! I also loved hearing all the favourite or special memories everyone shared. So I feel like during training week I was really shy and did not get to know as many people as I would have liked but reading the blogs kept me up to date on everyone’s adventures and it was nice to see everyone again tonight. I hope that everyone’s summers were as memorable as mine was and that God challenged and tested you. I am so glad that I had this opportunity to teach and I pray that God allows me to come back again next year! I cannot wait to see what the year ahead brings but I hope to have an adventure. So on Thursday I was doing devotions and it was my last night of being a CEF worker and this is the verse I ran across: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. I thought it was pretty neat that we had just talked about running this race and that my last night before my last club I was given a verse to compliment the summer. God says some pretty cool stuff when we take time to talk to him and read His book! Anyways Ciao.
Aug 25
I can’t believe it’s over already! But this week ended off tremendously, and Balgonie was awesome. So our total for kids was 79 this week, but yes our lessons received was 222! – With 26 kids getting devotional books.  So, I had anticipated some sort of attendance record, but come on – that many lessons has got to be some sort of record ;P It was awesome. Even though my voice is going and I was feeling rather sick, one of the girls complimented my singing. Then they requested I quit singing along (I could take the hint ;P)
So Friday night, after the VBS they had a parent night, and it was shared that one girl (who made a decision for Christ) had completed all of the verses and lessons, she had been going through her Bible and putting sticky notes on all of the verses and stories that were shared this week. After the program she went and got the sticky noted Bible, and her parents said, “We didn’t even know you had a Bible.” I thought it was incredible. nIn total, there were 20 decisions for Christ at this VBS! Praise be to God!
I know I’ve said this to the point of cliche, but God is GOOD! And He has truly proven it time, and time again this summer. I’m forever humbled and blessed that He used me as apart of His bigger plan.
I’m super stoked for Welcome Home, and to hear what God’s been doing in these provinces. He is mighty to save.
Peace and Love,
Grace
Aug 25
Well as Grace had been blogging, we have been teaching in Balgonie this week. The VBS had grown almost every single day. It was super awesome, and lots of the kids weren’t churched which was great because they got a chance to hear the Gospel. Do to Grace and I having eye doctor appointments that we didn’t know about, I decided to do the story of Job on Thrusday. I had the youngest group, which were pretty much all kindergartners. I was a little worried about their attention span for that day, but they all listened so well. And at the end we started having a discussion that I had with the 4 graders before them. It was so amazing to see, and they all understood what I had to say. Also one of the girls, which I didn’t know about until the end of the week, had been looking up all of the stories in the Bible, after I told them that. Just to see if it were true, and she also made a decision this week. There was also a boy, who made a decision this week, and he didn’t think that anyone was looking so he gave the church an offering. It’s just been amazing to see how much these kids have grown at this VBS. They were also 20 decisions made, so I’ve been pretty pumped all week. I’m really going to miss them all, and teaching.
Well as Grace had been probably blogging about as well is that we challenged the kids to do 120 lessons by Friday. And if they did that they would get a ‘surprise’. Well they went above and beyond and got 222 lessons all together. I was so impressed to see these kids getting all of those lessons. So the surprise was that if they reached the total, they would get to pie Grace. Well, if you have almost 80 kids pieing one teacher that would take forever, so they had to pie me as well. But I got my payback by pieing Grace at the end so it’s all good.
It’s been a great week, and a great summer. I’m so excited at everything that God is doing in Saskatchewan, and Alberta. I’m just so glad that I was used in God’s plan.
Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to keep you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
-Gwyneth.S
Aug 25
That title doesn’t make very much sense, because ‘itis’ means inflamation. So like, tendonitis is inflamation of a tendon. Durston-itis therefore must be inflamation of a Durston. And that’s just not possible for me to diagnose, because I haven’t seen any Durstons for a week! But, my point is that I feel like I have a case of the Durstons, because every time I think about how this summer is done, I start to get all choked up and teary. See what I did there?
I wasn’t able to teach our last day of clubs, because I had orientation for my internship which starts on Wednesday, so Amy had to teach them alone. Throughout the hours that were our clubs, though, I wasn’t focused on what my supervisor was saying. I was focused on praying for our clubs. Amy can blog in more detail, but when I talked to her after, she said “there were NO distractions at our second club.”
Which is amazing, because there have been a gazillion at all times. If I teach it next year, we’re going to do it such that one person teaches the whole club, and the other just stands off to the side, praying constantly. Honestly, that’s what that club needs.
It feels selfish to say I got so much out of this summer. I didn’t teach clubs this year to further my SELF, but to further God’s Kingdom. Just like I didn’t teach clubs to find a husband (week 3 was REAL awkward…). But I did end up furthering myself. I grew in ways I’m not even aware of yet.
Yesterday, as I was sitting in my Orientation, they were saying how it’s going to be the hardest 16 weeks of our lives, blah blah blah. And I have no doubt it will be difficult, especially since I’m teaching grade 11 and 12 at a high school with a large number of at-risk students. But their recommendations for success? Sleeping lots, eating well, and staying organized. I agree, those are good things. Unfortunately, they forgot the most important part: staying in constant communication with God. And I am at peace with what this fall brings because God is bigger than everything.
It’s too bad the collector card that says “God built everything” wasn’t that popular. Because it’s an incredible thought.
I cannot wait to see everyone at Welcome Home. Let’s continue to pray for safe travels.
Heather
“For every house is built by someone. But God is the builder of everything.” -Hebrews 3:4
Aug 25
Wow. The summer is over! I’m sure we’ve all said that a hundred times now, but it is truly amazing how fast it goes by!
I have to say my summer couldn’t have ended better. I can’t even begin to express how I felt today as I drove away from my last club. If anyone saw into my car they would have wondered if I had just won the lottery, but personally I think I felt better than I would winning it! Remember the verse about persistence? the one that goes like this…
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking , and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Today I witnessed God rewarding for being persistent! For those of you who have been reading my blogs you would know that Choicelands attendants looked like this. Monday=0 Tuesday=0 Wednesday=0 Thursday=0. Well normally after Wednesday you assume no one will come and especially after Thursday. On Wednesday, however, I just felt God pushing me to go back on Thursday. So I do, expecting kids because hey God wanted me to come back! But no one, well, as I was packing up all of the sudden a mother biked by with two children. I instantly started coming up with excuses not to invite them “I’m packed up.” “My next club starts in a bit” “Tomorrow’s the last day it’s pointless.” You get the idea. It was then that God spoke to me saying “Invite them. They’ll come.” I think this is the first time for a while that I have been extremely nervous going to invite someone, butterflies we filling my stomach and ever step I prayed. Well I invited them. There wasn’t time to do it that day, so I told them to come tomorrow and we could play games and such!
Friday. Today! Last day of the summer. Here it get good! My morning club unfortunately had no one. The little girl never came back, but it’s so cool to me that she accepted Christ yesterday. It’s all in God’s perfect timing right?
Love. Had one! My awesome 11 year old attendee.
Well, now for Choiceland. I was hopeful! I got there and quickly set out a blanket, opened up my suitcase, put the CD player on the chair and set out some frisbees. GUESS WHAT?! After waiting just a little while, three children bike up! They had huge smiles on their faces and they said “WE ARE HERE!”
God knew and I just needed to listen to His calling. None of these children go to church and we mostly played the hour but I told them Gideon and we sang a few songs. It was really cool though, I already saw God opening up their hearts because as we played they would say “God is on my team! We have victory through Him.” I mean, they might have just wanted his power to win the frisbee game  but hey it’s a start. The seed has been planted and it will continue to grow!
How encouraging right? Never give up! I can’t imagine, if I hadn’t of gone today those children might have never heard the gospel. Even though they didn’t accept it right away I could see in their eyes that they were understanding and longing for the love of Jesus!
Praise God.
Also, not to bore you or anything but I did have 4 clubs this week and my last one ended like this.
27 Children in attendance. (On a farm at that!)
Thursday Getting drenched (I though 15 was a big number, they got that Tuesday! So I got wet!
Friday Getting pied 18 times! haha. (I thought 25 was a big number! Haha. These children were up for the challenge for sure!)
Also I had 2 mailbox decisions. Two sisters! How exciting. The four year old today replied to me when I gave the invitation. “Me and my sister did that yesterday!” Wow was she ever excited. 4 years old!
Well, I honestly cannot wait for Welcome Home (I’ve been looking forward to it since the first day of training!) Just seeing how much God did through me this summer and then realizing that there are over 49 workers and God did so much through all of them. Wow. There will be some pretty amazing stories!
God bless and thank you everyone who prayed this summer. Keep on praying for the children who gave their lives to the Lord this summer. Thank you teachers, you guys are awesome
Your sister in Christ,
Devina
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