Julia Breitkreuz

My week in Foam Lake and Fishing Lake Reserve came to an end last night. This weekend it was a little harder to go home because I really bonded with some of the people there and I felt like I left things unfinished with some of the kids. But I suppose God will finish whatever needs to be finished in the hearts of those children in His own timing.

Club 1: This one was in the morning and all week it had such a laid back feeling to it. There weren’t very many kids and so I had a good opportunity to really talk to the kids that came. There was a family that came that was not churched, and although there were no decisions, I could tell that the kids were processing what I was saying. There was only one boy that came on the last day (he was churched but came from a troubled background) and my CD player also broke. So at the end, we just sat and talked, and he really opened up to me. I could see how God was impacting his life and I’m thankful for the chance I had to be a part of that. Please pray that he would continue to grow closer to God.

Club 2: This club was a tough one. There was 7 kids the first day- 2 sisters and a family of 5. The 2 sisters didn’t come back the rest of the week which was disappointing. But the family that kept coming was very high energy and a little bit disruptive. I had heard from my billets about how these kids didn’t often come to church or Sunday school because of how they couldn’t sit still well. But God poured overwhelming amounts of peace and coolness into me that week and it was by God’s grace that I was able to really enjoy teaching those kids and talking with them.

Club 3: This one was out on Fishing Lake Reserve in a very very hot tent. It was difficult to get the kids excited about the club on such hot, lazy afternoons. The first few days there were a lot of kids that came, but it was hard not to take it personally when a lot of them didn’t come back. However, there were 3 decisions at this club! Praise God! And I got to give out one Bible to a boy that had put up his hand when I gave the invitation, but didn’t want to pray afterwards. Please pray that he would read that Bible seriously, and that the three girls that made decisions would be able to grow closer to God.

Club 4: There were a lot of kids that came to this club in the evening, although a lot of them only came one day and left because of other activities going on. These kids were all lots of fun and very talkative, so it was fun for me to goof around and bond with them. They all loved the stories and the songs, and were disappointed when my CD player broke on the last day.

God taught me a lot this week. I learned so much through my billets, a pastor and his wife who had been through a lot. I learned that I don’t have to lead every single child to Jesus- I just have to show God that I’m willing, and He will use me to plant seeds and do both very small things and sometimes a few big things for His kingdom.

God Bless 🙂

 

 

Aug 11 |
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last week was my busiest one yet! I would not have been able to survive it on my own. Thank you to everyone who was praying. The strength, energy, and joy that God has been supplying me with are what I’ve been living off of lately, which, truthfully, is a pretty awesome way to live.

This week I’m in Foam Lake and Fishing Lake teaching four clubs in a day. There are hardly any kids ministries in the area. Many of the kids that are coming are one’s that have never been treated as a valuable part of Gods church.

Please pray that these children’s hearts would be softened. There are some Saul-to-Paul sized transformations that need to happen in these children’s lives. Please pray for the kids from last week in Kamsack and Keeseekoose, that they would continues to receive spirituAl encouragement, and for the church on the reserve as they are trying to start a kid’s Sunday school program. Please pray for me this week, that I wouldn’t attempt to tackle this week on my own, but with Gods mighty strength.

“Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.” Philippians 2:16-17

God definitely pulled Elisha’s olive oil miracle today. I forgot to get gas before I left Yorkton and the gas light came on half way to Kamsack, but God stretched my gas to last an extra half hour, thankfully!

This week I’m in Kamsack with Crystal. My prayer requests:

-that God would fill me with a limitless supply of love and energy that I can pour out on the kids.

-that those kids that need to hear the gospel would not be distracted or discouraged from hearing it.

-for safety and wisdom as we go out to Keeseekoose reserve. I’ve never been to a reserve and I’m not sure what to expect.

Thank you to those that are praying. It’s encouraging. God Bless!

Julia Breitkreuz.

Location(s): , ,

God has done some truly amazing things this week! Thank you to those that are praying for me. I saw so many prayers answered this week.

Teaching at home in Yorkton was a much needed thing for me, though I didn’t realize it at first. My first Sunday back at my home church in over a month, I was blown away by how many people came and told me they were praying for the ministry. It was the first time I really felt like the people of my church were my family in Christ.

With that encouragement and with the many prayers of all, I had a lot of energy and excitement to put into the clubs this week. If I hadn’t received that boost of encouragement, I’m sure I would have been quickly discouraged as our first club had only one kid the first day, and no kids the second day. Our third club that we booked the day before it started also was a little bit discouraging at first because we advertised and talked to a lot of families with kids who seemed interested, but none of those people came.

However, our third club had a consistent four kids that came all week. Though these kids were all churched, it was just so good to be able to proclaim God’s truth with them and to encourage them. And our first club that we were afraid we might have to cancel: It grew to six kids by Friday and we had two decisions!!! Praise God!

Our second club in Melville was lots of fun the whole week through. We ended with nineteen kids enrolled, more than half of which were unchurched kids. It was so good to see some kids that seemed uninterested at first come to be excited about bringing friends and doing lessons by the end of the week. I believe many seeds were planted at this club and I pray that those seeds will be watered in one way or another. This club ended with five decisions, one mailbox decision, and lots of pie!

The highlight of my week was being able to connect with my CeeGee. On Tuesday my youth pastor’s wife came to check out one of our clubs, and she told me that my CeeGee was the lady that lead her to Christ when she was young! I love how God has been connecting me to so many people this summer. He does amazing things!

God Bless!

Julia Breitkreuz

I think the thing I have been loving most about teaching clubs so far is the opportunity to meet so many new people. It’s so fun!

This week was so fun. God has really been growing my heart to become more and more passionate about teaching the clubs each day. Last week I was having trouble stretching the Bible story to take up the right amount of time- this week I keep ending late because I could tell those stories all day 🙂

Club 1: I taught this one in Martensville with Liv Hettinga. We grew from about 7-8 kids the first day to a total of 24 kids registered! There were a few kids that really loved doing the lessons and verses and bringing friends. Some highlights were that the club hostess’s kids reminded me exactly of my brothers and I when we were little (protective older brother, shy sister, goofy baby brother) and one little boy who managed to relate everything to CarsLand.

Club 2: Another one in Martensville with Liv. We almost got up to 30 kids- but not enough to pie us 🙂 We had lots of decisions at this one! Praise God! The highlight was after I finished praying with one little boy that accepted Jesus into his heart, I asked him how he felt. He said he was scared of the ‘washed clean’ part (I told him he could be washed clean from his sins) – he thought he had to get sprayed down with a pressure washer or something!

Club 3: I taught this one by myself in Saskatoon for a bit, but unfortunately it was cancelled.

Club 4: This was also in Saskatoon by myself. We had a total of 3 kids registered- all 4 and under, and all Chinese. There was one boy that came consistently and was absolutely amazing at memorizing verses! He’s 4 and he’s almost better than I am! I got to know him and his mom quite well. It’s always fun to have kids that are so dedicated to what you’re doing.

So now I’m back home teaching in Yorkton this week (safe and sound after taking the wrong exit out of Saskatoon- I’m directionally challenged to the extreme). It’s nice to be home and I’m excited about teaching with Anja this week!

Thank you to everyone who is praying for me. God Bless!

Julia Breitkreuz

Jul 19 | Week One Done!
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My very first week of teaching clubs was everything I expected as well as a few things I was not prepared for. I had gone to 5 day clubs when I was a wee little one so I had an idea of what it was going to be like. But jumping into teaching after the club had already started without having gone to training week was a little bit weird for me. I caught on pretty quickly but I did encounter a few challenges that made me realize some things.

First of all, I consider myself to be pretty good at ‘winging’ things. I don’t always put a whole lot of effort into the preparation part of what I do. I came to the first club with my stories and verses in okay shape and my enthusiasm levels at 90%, and I quickly learned that it wasn’t enough. Not only did I need to learn my material better, but I needed a shift in my focus. I needed to start focusing on creating opportunities for and contributing to the potential connection between God and every kid that comes to the club.

The second thing I realized was a result of low attendance in our clubs. Our first club reached a total of nine kids (but never all in one day), our second fluctuated between one and seven, and our third was cancelled because no one showed up. It was kind of disappointing to not have all of the kids inviting their friends, but later in the week it made me think about how it was an opportunity to direct even more attention towards the kids that were already there.

I’m excited to apply what I’m learning to my clubs in Martensville and Saskatoon this next week. I would appreciate prayer for:

  • The kids- that they will be excited to come and their hearts will be open to hearing and believing in God.
  • The health and safety of everyone involved in clubs this week
  • My own energy levels (kids can be crazy!)

Thanks to everyone that is praying for me and for this awesome ministry!

God Bless!

Julia Breitkreuz