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Felicia Oostra

Hey! My name is Felicia, and this is my second year teaching 5-day clubs. I am excited and a little nervous for this summer, but I trust it's going to be great. In the fall, I'm planning to attend Ambrose University College in Calgary, Alberta. Prayer Requests: - That I'd be sensitive to God's Spirit and how he would lead me this summer - That I would stay healthy and energized - That I'd be able to navigate well as I expect to be driving to most of the clubs - That God would open up doors and soften hearts before, during, and after clubs

Well, the summer is coming to a close. The past weeks have been memorable, full of adventures, new experiences, and the blessing of fellow believers. It’s amazing to see how God has used clubs to grow me as a person. In forcing me into new situations, new places, and new relationships, he has, I hope, hewn in me a deeper connection with himself.

One thing I learned this summer is that reaching boys and girls for Jesus is God’s work, not mine. Yes, I get the privilege of seeing kids grow in their faith and feeling the joy that using God’s gifts brings to me, but the great commission of our Lord does not rest solely on my shoulders. I am just an instrument. There were many, many days when I didn’t feel like getting up and teaching. There were plenty of moments of weakness and anxiety, but God was completely and utterly faithful.

Another thing God taught me was the power of his word. In Isaiah 55, God says, “…it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God not only has a plan for his Word as it goes out, but his plan ALWAYS succeeds. As me and many other workers took his Word out this summer, God did what he wanted to do. Because God did what he wanted, I KNOW that there were many people influenced because of it.

As I look ahead now, watching the fall season draw near, I’m excited for new things in store. I will have new experiences and meet many new people, but I hope that as I go forward, I wouldn’t lose the missional heart. I hope that God would still give me a burden for the lost and make me a witness to others. God hasn’t stopped working just because the summer is over – by no means – so I don’t get an excuse to either. Difficult though it may be, we are called to be witnesses, every day of our lives, everywhere we go, in every way we can. Please pray that we as a church can keep that mindset.

Pray also for the people who heard the message this summer. Pray that fruit would come, and God would continue to reach people and call believers into his harvest.

Thanks for all your prayers! Have a great year.

Well, here I am! It’s the last week, and I can hardly believe it! Honestly, this summer has gone by like a whirlwind.

Last week I taught in Lethbridge/Bow Island area. I had three clubs – one in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I drove more than two hours every day, which was actually quite enjoyable, and I got the chance to billet with a really kind family.

My first club had an extremely young age range. The kids who participated were between two and five years old, and there were only six or seven of them throughout the whole week. It was fun but of course a bit challenging. I had actually requested to teach this club because I knew the hostess, and as I plan to attend university someday there, I enjoyed driving in and out of the city. The club was obviously condensed, and sometimes we finished within 20 or 25 minutes. Haha!

My second club was in a little village called Burdett. Several of the kids came from Mexican Mennonite backgrounds, and the week started off well. Nearer to the end, there was more distraction and fewer kids began showing up each day. It’s hard not to get discouraged by that…but the club hostess and her husband were very sweet people, and there were definitely a few very eager kids attending. It was also pretty hot out, which might have caused some of the distraction. Thankfully we had a tent to have club under, which was a HUGE blessing.

Finally, my third club was at my billet’s in Bow Island. This was in total usually the largest club. The kids were quite eager to listen and learn, and I found that after teaching the Bible story twice before that day and the extra story once before, I was a lot more comfortable with it and could carry the details even further. This club also had a few Mennonite children, both Mexican Mennonite and Holdeman Mennonite. This was a pretty new experience for me, but I found myself quite drawn to these kids. My hostess had told me at the beginning of the week that these people are very good at keeping the rules…but having a relationship with Jesus…maybe not as much. One of the oldest girls at the club really caught my attention. As the week went on, she became more comfortable with me, and she actually helped listen to verses on the last day, etc. Though she was thirteen, she seemed so much older, and I really hope to stay in contact with her. I actually asked if we could write letters to each other. She seemed quite open to that. My hope for her is that she will understand the truth of Jesus’ love and that that will in turn free her. I believe that if Jesus doesn’t free her, she will seek to free herself and rebel. Please pray for her and her family and for the billets living in their neighbourhood. Pray that they would continue to have an effective witness. While I didn’t end up praying with any kids this week, pray that something these kids heard would stick with them. God is still working, even after club week.

Well, this last week I have the opportunity to teach at a VBS just a few minutes outside of my hometown. The first day went pretty well, but I would so appreciate prayer for this as well. It’s easy to think that because this is the last week and that I’m pretty sure many of these kids are churched, that I don’t have as a big of a witness. But God is faithful. He is able to do mighty things in any and every situation.

Pray also for a lady who was going to host a club this week. She had to cancel due to doctor appointments and hospital visits, etc. Pray for healing and no other problems for them. Pray also for the kids who would’ve come to the club. I actually taught this one last year, and I pray that even though they couldn’t come to this club, God would still have his hand on them.

Thanks so much for all your prayers.

Without prayer, none of this would be possible.

My hair may be a dusty brown, but I have had my fair share of blonde moments. For example – filling up with gas. At the beginning of the summer, we were all given Co-op gas cards, but the problem is: I live in a small town which has no Co-op. I am stationed around here for most of the summer, and so, getting gas is a little more challenging. This week, one of my clubs was in a town called Bowden, which is about fifty minutes away from my house. I enjoy the drive, even through storms…but unfortunately, my tank does not run on positive vibes. I had to get gas, and so, I attempted to find a Co-op after club in another small town called Innisfail. Using my GPS, I found the Co-Op…but as I’m unfamiliar with Co-op, I mistook the gas station for the actual store, and I thought that I could fill up from those big white tanks….hmm…

The story gets better. The place was closed, and so I called my parents. They told me to go and try to talk to someone, but the problem was, the only lady I got was a cleaner and didn’t even work for Co-op.

Next option – Fas Gas. My Dad told me to go there, and thankfully my Mom had transferred a bit of money into my chequing account. Unfortunately, my debit card wasn’t working. Maybe it takes a day or two to process those transfers. Urgh….I felt desperate. I called my parents, and they thought that maybe my Dad could read his card number over the phone for the clerk. He kindly but firmly told me it didn’t work taht way. I went back out to my car and may or may not have cried. My parents…shoutout to them!….went to work trying to find a contact nearby who could help me out. They did, but then there was a matter of finding her house. I had managed to pull myself together a little, and I tried to use my GPS to find her house. Let’s just say, I drove past the lady three times. My Mom called me and told me what had happened, and finally, I found her and got the cash. Let’s just say I cried on the way back to the station. I made it to Fas Gas and grabbed a tea.  I went out to fill up…and had to call my Mom back again for help getting the tank door open. No, I’m not making this up.

I filled up and went home, arriving back at my house around 11ish.

It gets better. The next day, I go back to Innisfail BEFORE the club to fill up, hoping Co-op is open, but I soon discover it closes at 6. I call my parents and am determined not to go back to Fas Gas. I embarrassed myself there enough. Yet as I’m driving, heading back to Bowden, what should I see across the road? A Co-op gas station. Yup, not even kidding. Perhaps they had been open the night before too. All that struggle could have possibly been avoided. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Anyways, back to clubs. They have gone pretty good! I had my last morning club at 11, and I have two more today. One in about an hour, and the evening one in Bowden. Please pray especially for this evening, as there is one particular boy who is very critical and challenging. He was good the first night, when it was just him and another girl. But now there are more kids, and he struggles to concentrate. The hostess told me his home life is pretty rough. Please pray that he would see the truth of who God is and feel his love. Pray that God would keep working in his heart and cause him to maybe even do his mailbox lesson for tonight!

Thanks ya’ll!

Long time no see! Sorry I haven’t blogged in forever. But life is been pretty busy! Last week, I taught two VBS’s like I said in my last post, and they were both super fun and yet super exhausting. Somedays I would literally wake up and want to cry…cause I didn’t want to go. But God got me through it. I so enjoyed having some driving time, as I find that being on the road is quite therapeutic. I love listening to music and praying as I go.

The first VBS was two hours long and was quite structured. The second…not so much. It took place at a lady’s house in a very small town, and the club consisted mostly of her grandkids plus a few. A lot of those same kids attended the first VBS for most of the week too, which made it more challenging to re-teach the stories and memory verses. But we had a lot more student interaction to “help” tell the story, which was fun. It was a three hour long club, and I was given a lot of freedom as to the timing, activities, etc. There were crafts and games planned, but it did feel a little chaotic. Sometimes I even stayed longer than the three hours, but if I did, I was a bit of basket case the rest of the evening. I really felt like God was teaching me something through it all. He started to reveal what “being” a missionary compared to “doing” missions looked like. Because I was with a lot of the same kids practically all day – morning and afternoon – often with a break in between – I had to really invest in them as people. I had to be a “friend”, not just a teacher, and yet they blessed me remarkably. I was impressed at how faithfully the other workers invested in the kids, and how the club hostess/grandma lived carried such a servant’s heart, despite the chaos.

One cute incident I had, was after the invitation one day. We were on the trampoline, and one little girl raised her hand to ask Jesus into her heart. When I talked to her after about it, she said that she had already done this before. I tried to explain to her that she didn’t have to do it again. Her response, “But it’s fun!” My heart seriously melted, and as she sat on my lap, we prayed again. I love that little girl.

This week, I’m teaching three clubs. So far…they’re going pretty good. The morning club has a bit of distraction, as it’s a smaller group, and I have a lot of “interesting” stuff laid out that little hands just want to grab. I would appreciate prayer for patience! Because it’s a shorter week, I’m trying to combine two days worth of extra story today, and that gets long.

Last night I only had two kids at club! They were both older. One girl was the daughter of the hostess and seems to know a lot about Jesus. But the boy, he seemed very new to a lot of it. They asked really really good questions and wanted me to clarify one or two things. The story went well, and I felt like I could go into a lot more detail with them. Praise God for open hearts and ears! Pray that more kids would come tonight, especially one boy who lives a few doors down. The club hostess’s daughter didn’t want to invite him, and I felt like I shouldn’t push it…at least not then.

Memory verses must also be combined. Clubs can get long, and it’s easy to run overtime, but my day was made a little brighter this morning, as me and four girls “sang” a memory verse, John 1:12, to the tune of Jesus Loves Me. We sang the song…then the memory verse. We should probably take it on the road. 🙂

I was working on my report this afternoon for last week. (I know I’m REALLY behind) It’s easy to get frustrated about how disorganized I can get, and I’m determined to do better this week. Please pray that I’ll be more organized!

Thanks for all your prayers!

 

 

 

I dislike Mondays…during the school year…and also in the summer time. New clubs always make me nervous, and this morning wasn’t much different. But as the day unfolded, I found such joy and excitement, and as I’m sitting here Monday evening…I’m happy.

This week I have two VBS’s. The first one is in a little town called Delburne. I taught there last year with a partner and have fond memories of the whole thing. I was anticipating this club and felt a little more at ease going back to something I was used to. But only one kid showed up. It was fun. Haha! Me, two ladies, and one little boy happily went about our activities and helped ourselves to chocolate chip muffins.

I was a little more nervous for the second VBS. I had never been to the town, and I had never met the hostess. But she was so sweet and so welcoming, and her grandkids were simply the cutest! One of the younger girls was hugging me and sitting on my lap within the first ten or fifteen minutes of meeting her! We basically had an all girl club, and because some girls remembered songs, we were able to REALLY get into the actions. At the end of the invitation, I prayed with the kids, and two or three girls declared they wanted to pray. I allowed two girls to pray after me and ended up having to take the reins as one extended her prayer to great lengths, even adding a fun fact about how a certain fluffy animal (I think racoons) clean their food with their hands.  I had to smile. I stayed at the house longer than I expected, handing out invitations with some of the kiddos. We walked down the street, despite the rain, and went to some houses. At one point, as we finished hanging a poster, one of the little girls pointed out a Daddy long legs. The five-year-old, the one who had been sitting on my lap, declared, “Dandy Long Legs are very very nice!” 🙂

I DID come home with a sore throat, but I’m making sure to down some tea this evening. It’s already going away! I KNOW tomorrow will be awesome, and I look forward to it!

– Praise God that clubs went so well and for wonderful kids and hostesses!

– Pray for more kids at both VBS’s and that we’d have wisdom whether or not we need to do more advertising.

My clubs are going well. The weekend retreat was awesome, and yesterday I started my new clubs for the week. I’m only teaching two a day, but I’m seriously loving them! They are both in Three Hills, and one is actually in my backyard!

But often, before my clubs, I get super nervous. I start believing that I don’t like teaching and that I’d rather be doing something else…living someone else’s life. I too easily forget the excitement and fulfilling aspects of my job, and I give in to dread and anxiety. I know that these feelings aren’t God-given, and they very quickly distract me from the good work God is doing. I mean: a little boy prayed with me yesterday to accept Jesus into his heart! There is rejoicing in Heaven over this, and yet Satan is, as a result, working over time to inhibit the Word. As I was thinking about this yesterday, I flipped open my Bible. Quickly, the highlighted words in 2 Kings caught my eye. It was the story of Elisha and his servant and the horses and chariots of fire. “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” In the midst of the battle, the one in me, the one in that little boy who prayed, is greater than Satan’s best forces.

Each time I leave club, I feel excited and encouraged. I love my work, and God is so good. He is working on my behalf and on behalf of these kids. I heard someone say once that (not word for word) when you feel the most resistance from the Devil, God is doing a great work. I know that I can’t listen to my feelings. I know that when I wake up in the morning, I can’t give in to my want to‘s and don’t want to‘s. Instead, I need to focus on God’s awesome work, and his incredible character.

“When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.”

Psalm 75:3

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Psalm 77:11-12

 

While my fellow co-workers were finishing up their clubs today, I was frantically getting ready for my first official go at it this summer. The reason? Surgery. Last week I underwent an operation, and thankfully, the recovery was quick. It was wonderful to have about a week off. I was able to connect with friends, rest at home, and prepare for clubs. But as the days wore on, I felt my inspiration lagging. I lost the contagious drive that comes with training week. I felt anxious and overwhelmed but at the same time, I lacked motivation to prepare my lessons. Each day, I tried to be productive, but it was so hard to stay focused and practice my stories. On Thursday I was able to do a lot of prep work, and I was so thankful for my older sister being around a bit. Friday arrived. I sorted through my materials, practiced songs, went over my stories, and prayed for the club. I was also able to work on some University and job stuff which was sweet but stressful!

Time to go to club! I ventured down the streets of Three Hills, arriving a little earlier than needed. I was scheduled to teach at a Chinese church retreat in my hometown, and so I met the coordinator and waited for a tour and briefing. We volunteers meandered through the campus and got some info on the schedule. I started setting up for the club a few minutes later, but then panic set in. As I went to plug in my stereo (the one I had had problems with last summer and kept at my house all year…procrastination much), it stopped working. Instead of playing the songs, the screen simply read “no.”

Urgh! The opening session would be starting in a few minutes, and I had been informed that I might be called up. But…I had no intention of singing acapella style. When I learned there was no stereo to be had, I raced home. I MUST GET THE STEREO! But, too bad stereos aren’t very popular. I could not find one in the house. Further panic set in. I decided to call my friend’s house to see if they had one that could be borrowed. Indeed they did. I scurried my little red Vibe to their house, got the device and raced back. I got it set up and snuck into the already begun opening session. Now, if you’ve ever been to a church service in another language, you’ll know what I felt. It was a mix of happy thrill and uneasy confusion. Thankfully there were translators on stage and some English worship songs.

Well, finally, it was club time. Before we started a little boy came up to me and asked me how old I was. I told him to guess, and he was bang on. 17. Then the next question. Do you have a boyfriend? No. He then proceeded to say something about him and getting a girlfriend or being worried about it or something, but of course, I quieted him down and just pretended not to hear everything.

The session began, and despite a few interruptions by some vocal boys, including my “new friend” (haha), it went smoothly. I might not ask too many more open ended questions however.

At the end of club, when I gave the invitation for anyone to accept Jesus into their hearts and to come and talk to me afterwards, a few people raised their hands, including one little girl. I talked to her afterwards, and in our conversation, I learned that she had already made this decision before. I explained to her that because she was in her heart, he was never going to leave her. I hope she understood, so we didn’t end up praying.

Over all, I think it was a good night!!! I am so happy to have met the kids and workers, and I feel so much better now that the first session is over and done with. Please pray that I would know how to handle the invitation time better. I sometimes struggle knowing how to pull the kids aside and keep them free from distraction. I know that ultimately God must draw the kids, and I have only to be faithful and sensitive to his voice. Thanks so much for your prayers!

P.S. Pray that my stereo works tomorrow. I may or may not have dropped it when I got home. :S