Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today was a good day of teaching and just wanted to say thanks for everyone who prayed for us. Grace and I weren’t even tired heading to our club in Millet so that was great. (: Today I didn’t feel sick at all and I’m really happy that was the case.
Club 1: So today the club went from 2 kids to 5 so that was really exciting. They were all really engaged and listened super well. One of the boys who came, Grace had taught last week. Even though he was already familiar with the material, he still got in to everything so that was great. This club has really been encouraging as a teacher and even though these kids are churched, it’s always great to see them excited about stories they already know. At one point Grace as she was telling the story of Noah said:
“So Noah and his family got on board with his plan to build a boat”
Boy: “Haha I see what you did there.”
He honestly was so amused by that unintended pun. They are a great group of kids and I’m glad we get to go back tomorrow.
Club 2: So here the club went from 5 kids to 8 kids. At the beginning I was a little sad that one of the girls didn’t come back. Then 10 minutes into club she came with 3 friends so that was exciting. She brought her brother and it was great that he came because he was outgoing. That really helped the rest of the kids. Also we had a mailbox decision so that was super exciting!
Club 3: With this club the 2 Muslims boys didn’t come today. But we found out that they actually weren’t really strong Muslims, and that one family member had actually gone to church a couple of time in Lebanon. We were glad to hear that but continue to pray for these boys. Today we had 5 kids so that was awesome to see and 2 of them were siblings who we had advertised to. Apparently they had guests over and couldn’t come yesterday but were able to come today. The kids all listened and were engaged and I know 2 of them should be coming back tomorrow. Prayer that more kids will come, especially since there a lot of Muslims in the area.
Club 4: Thankfully we made it on time for this club today. All 6 girls came, but they were way too energetic today again. We moved inside because it had rained and it felt like they were all over the place. However they did calm down for the Bible story which was good. But closer to the end they got distracted and it began pretty difficult to get through the Wordless Book. At a point one of the girls said God was made of money, and as I was trying to correct her theology one girl said:
“God isn’t made of money, but He is valuable.”
It was encouraging to know that even with all the stuff happening that these kids are still getting stuff from the club. But continue to pray for this club and for Grace and I to have the energy for this club.
Also on the way back from Millet Grace began having a hard time seeing properly and now she is on the couch with a bad headache. Pray that this won’t be a problem and for good health to continue driving and teaching.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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It actually blows my mind that the first day of Week 4 has concluded! Today we were blessed to have kids come to every single club this week! š This is definitely a privilege that I am grateful for.
CLUB 1:Ā Gwyneth and I had advertised the night before, and to be honest it was one of the weirdest experiences I have ever had in advertising before. We knocked on a few doors, and at one of the houses, it seemed as though they were pretending to not be home (even though the kids saw us… and yelled it out a couple of times). We ended up with two kids during this club. Even though it might have seemed disappointing that the kids who came were related the hostess, it was still fun. And more importantly, time is never wasted when the Word of God is being taught to others. Total attendance is 2.
CLUB 2:Ā Ā This group was so much fun! They were very respectful, fairly quiet, but also engaged in club. After talking with this host on the phone, I was initially nervous at the thought of whether or not there would be kids – and there were! Our total attendance is 5.
CLUB 3: Last year, Gwyneth and I had the pleasure of teaching this club, and we were unsure of whether we would have kids. We arrived, and waited about 20 minutes in the backyard, while our hostess went to find the kids. Remember how I asked for prayer, that God would raise my expectations? Well, two kids ended up coming! … and the first thing they explained to me was that they were not Christians. Even though I recognize that we intend to reach the unsaved child, I became really self-concious about explaining everything properly, and giving the gospel in detail… Well, to cut a long story short, one the kids ended up coming to Christ today! š (We’re going to do follow up with the other child tomorrow as well). I was really encouraged, knowing that he came from a Muslim family, but when I saw him pray to receive Christ, his sincerity was encouraging.
I wish I could say that I was completely encouraged afterwards, but thoughts of doubt, and the lies of the enemy began creeping into my mind – it was overwhelming. But the awesome reality is that God is good, and hopefully He will give us the opportunity to continue to disciple these boys. Our total attendance is 2.
CLUB 4:Ā When I first saw this club in Millet on the itinerary, apparently I had google mapped it wrong – I had the wrong direction, and distance. Might I say it was a far drive, Ā but a drive that was well worth it. And to cut another long story short, surprise I got lost. Apparently we had tried to find an address that did not exist, which ended up leading me on a skinny, gravel road. Ultimately we ended up finding the house, and these kids were so high energy, it really put me on my toes. They are such a great group of girls, and during “Let’s Get Started”, one of the girls did (arguably) the most impressive dance move I have ever seen – she did a cartwheel, leading into the splits! And if that wasn’t awesome enough, she got up immediately and continued the actions. That’s merely a glimpse of the energy that we were keeping up with. Our total attendance is 6.
Prayer/Praise Requests:
– Praise God for the boy who chose to accept Christ today! š Pray that God would continue to plant people in his life that can foster his spiritual growth. Also we could prayer for that neighbourhood – we discovered during advertising that there were quite a few people who were Muslim in the area.
– For driving safety – the commute is extensive, and far this week.
– Energy.
– Love for these kids.
– This might seem silly, but I seem to be a medical basket case as of late. This morning I had a sore pinky toe (yes, pinky toe), the nerves in my head are still off, and my eyes have been overly watery due to allergies (not just my overly emotional disposition).
– Ulimately that His will would be done, and that He would give me the strength and courage to be obedient to His will.
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today was a happy day but at the same time tiring. For the past couple of days I’ve been feeling really sick and that seemed to affect me during the clubs today. So pray for tomorrow that won’t be the case.
Club 1: This club we advertised for yesterday and Grace and I did out best but sadly no kids in the neighborhood came today. There are kids but the neighborhood isn’t very open so pray that the parents hearts would be soften. So today we had the hostess’ sons and they were awesome. Even though there was only 2 of them, it honestly was lots of fun and they got into it. I’m looking forward to teaching there again.
Club 2: So we had 5 kids come today and that awesome. When we got there, 2 boys and their grandma were looking for a house so I asked them if they were looking for the 5-Day Club. In the end they were so that was super exciting. The kids all listened and were engaged which was awesome but they were a quiet group so hopefully they will open up more.
Club 3: So last year Grace and I actually taught this club so we were really able to connect with this hostess and clearly they have such a burden for their community. Yesterday we advertised with her and for the first 15 minutes we had no kids. The hostess went and brought back 2 brothers so that was awesome. At the beginning of club they actually told us they weren’t Christian so we just made sure to go over the basics thoroughly. After the invitation they showed interest in accepting Jesus and they did that today! We found out they were Muslim and even when we advertised at their house we weren’t even sure if they would come. We gave them Bibles so please pray that they will come again and also for the seed there. So please pray these kids.
ChangChang Adventures: So Grace and I are teaching in a small town called Millet. We thought at first it was only a 30 minute drive. However that’s not at all the case; it’s a 74 km drive from our house. We literally had 15 minutes at home after our third club and had to head out. We got there and we were so excited because we thought we were going to be on time. Apparently I put in the wrong address in my phone and we started driving on this township gravel road. We honestly could not figure it out so I called our hostess. After the second call we finally made it and we were about 20 minutes late in the end. But we had 6 kids come and that was great see. I also began feeling super sick during this club and it just felt like lots of opposition was happening. But that’s probably because God is going to do some amazing things with this club.Ā We got there and it was an all girl club. But they were the most energetic girls I have every taught. But they were a great crowd so just pray that they won’t be too energetic for tomorrow.
This is a busy itinerary and lots of driving for Grace so prayer for her and having the energy and enthusiasm for this week. I’m sure this is going to be a week that will stretch me but I know how much more I need to rely on God’s strength to get me through. (:
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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This long weekend, I had the great pleasure of going to a wedding (donāt worry Mr. D, not mine). After all of the busyness that came with that, here is my update from this past Friday.
The first two clubs that we had in the morning (so Graceās first club, and my club one) ended up having no kids to end off the week. But God is good, and gave us time to spend with the kids that did come.
Club Two: Throughout this week, I really struggled at points. āConvenientlyā the weather would get really hot during the hour, and get better later (resulting in kids who struggled to pay attention), and at points if seemed as though some of the kids were very distracted. As Grace was finishing the story of Tony, she explained to the kids that God has given us all talents, and abilities that we can use to glorify Him. At this point, one of the boys (who had seemed pretty distracted) said, āGod gave me the gift of silliness.ā Man, God really convicted me through the simple words of this little boy. For that girl that had something to say about everything, it might just be that God has uniquely wired you to be attentive to details. To the boy who seemed pretty stubborn, maybe God has gifted you to be a world changer ā someone who is willing to go against the grain of ānormalcyā. It was a sobering, simple, yet important reminder that God cares about every one of these kids… And to end off this club, all of the kids had the chance to throw water at us, which was chilly, but so much fun. The final total was 15 kids.
Club Three: This club was so much fun! Since these kids loved dancing so much, at the end of club we had a dance circle. It was so funny because Grace had decided not to dance in the circle, and when the kids asked her to join we ended up explaining to them that she was Mennonite, and that was why she couldn’t join in. These kids had energy, and it could be distracting at times, but it was so encouraging to see that so many of these kids have hearts that desire to please God. The final total for this club was 7 kids.
As I began my post from earlier today Gwyneth and I did advertising for a couple of clubs today. I know I asked for prayer for expectation, and God exceeded it! As we were advertising this morning, I walked down the street, and saw this little girl, sitting in the window. I ended up talking to her family, and they sincerely seemed interested in attending tomorrow! He is awesome!
I have come to realize that I have been so content with my low expectations of what God will do. Iām not trying to say that itās Godās right to show me revival because I ask, but instead of recognizing His sovereignty in situations that are disappointing, I feel relief because I didnāt have high hopes in the first place. This is horrible! God is good, He is awesome, and Heās been slowly, but surely, destroying this skewed view that I hold of Him. Iām nervous, but excited to see what He will do next.
Prayer Requests:
– That the families we spoke to would attend club tomorrow.
– For travel. Mondayās are my worst because I frequently exercise my Lauren Ryan giftingsā¦ (I get lost).
– For energy.
– And that I would see the people that I work with through His eyes.
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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Later today I will do a blog post about the end of last week. However, I just wanted to quickly post a prayer request. Gwyneth and I are going advertising for our clubs 1 & 3 today. To be perfectly honest, I’m feeling a little hesitant about whether or not we’ll find kids. BUT God is good, so let me give you the requests here:
1. That God would raise my expectations of His capabilities – it’s the Holy Spirit, not my savvy words that will bring children to these clubs.
2. That God’s voice would be really clear, and that he would point us to the houses, and people that we should give invitations to.
Posted By: Shamus Westra
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Hi! Sorry I’ve been a little lax on the blogging, it’s been a really full week for me. Fortunately, God has continued to give me the strength and energy to keep up with the clubs.
My first club is in Sturgeon County, which is very close to my house, and is being hosted by some people from my church (Nick Dohms’ parents, actually). They run a couple of group homes, and other than their three year old grandson, the boys from the group home have been the only attendees. They are all 11-14, and some have been super involved, but a few have mostly just sat there. I think they’ve all heard a lot of the stuff that I have to say before, so I’m hoping it serves as a reminder for them. One of these boys forgot to do his lesson, but after club today he went back home, finished the lesson, and brought it back before I had even left.
After that club, I driveĀ into Edmonton to Gwyneth’s club. Since we have a lot of time to kill, we’ve played a couple different games with those kids after she finishes teaching. Then, we head over to our VBS. This club has grown steadily each day, and these kids really easily get distracted. It has been a bit of a challenge for Gwyneth and I, but we have seemed to work better with these kids as the week has gone on. One boy’s mom told us on the first day that he had some brain damage as a result of his birth parents doing drugs, so he has been a bit of a unique challenge, but we have been able to develop a better relationship with him. I don’t know how much of what we have been teaching he’s picked up, but hopefully God is planting a seed in this boy’s heart. Several of these kids are unchurched, so pray that they would be able to hear the gospel and fully understand it.
Our final club is an evening club in a park. This club only had 2 kids on the first day who have come every day, and had 2 new kids each day, but we couldn’t seem to get much continuity going. Then today, we decided to play grounders with the kids who were at the park for the first half hour, then invited them to come and hear the Bible story for the last half hour and get a prize(we called this the Levi technique, after one Levi Durston). We ended up getting 10 new kids today, with 2 of them accepting Jesus! Gwyneth gave Gospels of John to those who didn’t have Bibles, including the girls who made decisions, so please pray that they would read them and that God would grow the seeds that have been planted.
The past 2 weeks have been a fair bit of driving for me, so I’m grateful that God has given me strength to get through it. He has also increased my boldness, which has helped grow our clubs. Even today, when I was leading the two girls to Jesus, I could tell that He was giving me the words to say.
Tomorrow afternoon I leave for a weeklong trip to Seattle, so no clubs for me next week. See you all after that!
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today was once again an interesting day. Grace and I both woke up late and were pretty frustrated this morning about some things. It was honestly so hard to go and teach a club by myself when I personally did not feel like I could. But God gave me the strength and it turned out to be a good day, even if I had a bad morning.
Club 1: Today I had 7 kids come so that was great and another kid came too. He has a Catholic background and he made comments that made me wonder if he fully understood the Gospel. Also his parents are divorced and I want to make sure I do my absolute best to present the Gospel to these kids. So pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to soften this boy’s heart and he would be receptive. Also there a girl there who is next door neighbors with the hostess. Their kids are close friends, now the hostess’ son was trying to tell me his verse which was Romans 6:23. This girl had missed the verse from yesterday because she wasn’t there. After he had said it she spoke up and said:
“Hey, I know what the gift of God is.”
Myself: “You do? What is it ?”
Girl: “It’s Jesus dying on a cross for the bad things we have done.”
I was so happy to hear that she understood that all on own because her family doesn’t believe in Jesus. So it was super exciting to hear that she got that. Then the hostess’ son was so happy she got that too and asked how she knew this. And it was through her lessons that she had been doing this week. So pray for this girl and her family as the hostess has been evangelizing to this family for awhile. I’m so happy that a seed was planted and I know without a doubt God was continue to make it grow.
Club 2: This club has been interesting as the kids are a bit more difficult to work with. So the little boy who had brain damage came today so that was good to see. Before we even started song time he was reaching for me to lift him up. So I did that and did the actions at the same time which was something new. After that I sat down with him and it seemed like we became pretty good friends. During the storytime of A Little Rascal he sat on my lap and Ā listened really well during the story. After the song it was my turn to tell the Bible story, but this boy refused to go and sit with Shamus. Everyone was encouraging him to go when he yelled out: “But I love you.” I didn’t want to risk the chance of him having a melt down so Shamus told the Bible story instead. But during it he got up and wanted to play with a toy, but one of the volunteers told him it was too distracting and took it from him. He had this black puppy he had played with before, so I grabbed it and gave it to him. Afterwards his older sister told me that’s his calm down puppy. It was clearly God working there because there was no way I could have known about that. It was a draining club, energy wise, but it was a good one and I’m really going to miss these kids. They’re a challenge but tomorrow is still going to be pretty sad. But pray that they will be able to calm down and not be too energetic for tomorrow.
Club 3: Today for this club in the park Shamus and I decided to play a game of grounders to get more kids. As a result almost all of the kids came and played with us. We played for about 30 minutes then we told the kids about the 5-Day Clubs. They came marching in a group when they heard the word ‘prizes’. We had 14 kids come today and that was really awesome to see. The kids listened really well and I got to thoroughly explain the Gospel in the story of Saul to Paul. We gave out Gospel of John’s and lots of packages. I had one girl come up to me and she looked pretty interested in making a decision but didn’t. She took one of the Gospel’s and said that she needed to do more reading this summer, and she would read that book. I was so happy to hear that and 2 girls came to Christ too! Honestly, before Shamus and I got there I was just praying for God to do something incredible with this club and He did today. (:
I’m so excited but tired so pray that we can finish tomorrow off strong.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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Today was exhausting! And the best part about the start of the day was that I woke up two hours later than I had intended (note the sarcasm). It was really tough because it resulted in the rest of my schedule for the day being out of balance. But God was good, and His ministry was done today, nonetheless.
Club One:Ā We had the same boy attend today, but unfortunately it is the last day that he was able to come this week. š We’re going to see what happens tomorrow, but we’re hoping that some of the children that were advertised to would be able to come. Our total attendance is 1 kid.
Club Two:Ā My goodness, haha. These kids were energized for the entirety of the club. And to add to that, a lot of the kids ended up getting distracted by the ants that were crawling on their blankets. But the awesome thing was that in the midst of it all (including the strangely fluctuating weather), one of the children ended up coming to Christ this afternoon! š Ā At the end of the club, one of the children volunteered to pray, and it was one of the sweetest prayers that I have ever heard! She prayed for everyone, and thanked the Lord for His love for all of us, not matter what we do. This child is indeed one with a heart that desires to please God. Our total attendance is 13 kids.
Club Three:Ā This club is awesome, but also very high energy. During the club the kids got the giggles (which unfortunately I caught as well), but it has been good, considering that it is an evening club. Our total attendance is 7.
Chang Adventure: During Club two, I was sharing the story of Noah. To my surprise, even though these kids were churched, they were very attentive to the story (well, at least it looked that way to me). One of the boys had been struggling to focus during club today, but by the end of the story I was on the last page. And for those of you who do not know, this page depicts Noah and his family making a sacrifice to God, with a rainbow in the background. This same kid who appeared to be partially listening throughout my story, I say:
Me: Noah and his family were so excited when they got off the boat they…
Child: (child squints, and seeing the animal sacrifice he says) Had a barbecue?
This was one of those moments were I was so tempted to laugh. It was very difficult to hold it in.
All in all I am exhausted, frustrated, and rather fatigued. But for some strange reason, I can stand confidently, and filled with joy because He is good. He is the one doing His ministry, and I’m beyond blessed to have the opportunity to be a vessel.
Prayer Requests:
– This might sound a little silly, but I know that God cares about all things. Both of my phones stopped working, and I used them as morning alarm clocks. I could use prayer that I could find a good solution for waking up in the morning.
– Praise! God kept the weather at bay, even to the point that the rain began to pour right after I said amen, not during the club!
– Health. Not only my headaches, but also making sure that I’m staying hydrated.
– My attitude. That I would authentically love the people that I continue to meet this summer, but also I feel like I’ve been extremely overly sensitive lately, which has wreaked havoc with my emotional stability.
– That God would…. I don’t really know, haha. I guess do what He does best in all situations.
– Road Safety – the kilometers that I am currently doing are intense at the moment.
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Alright so today was a good day of teaching and I had lots of fun. The kids were super great and filled with so much energy. But I managed, and it’s crazy to think we are halfway through the week.
Club 1: So this club has been great and today we had 4 kids and one girl was new. The kids still got into stories and songtime. Apparently lots of the kids will be coming back tomorrow so that’s awesome, but I’m really hoping for more neighborhood kids. So pray that the advertising the hostess has done so far will be effective.
Club 2: The VBS today had 6 kids and the boy I had asked for you guys to pray for came today! He was doing much better and even though he seemed to be all over the place, when he sat down he really did focus on what was being said. The kids listened and were engaged so that was awesome to see. During it Shamus made ballon animals and all of the kids got to leave with one. One girl has hers and she was throwing it up in the air. Then she said:
“Hey, it’s a flying dog. Like Rudolph but it’s a dog.”
That comment probably made my day. (:
Lots of the kids are unchurched here so just pray that God will continue to soften their hearts. (:
Club 3: This was our club in the park and it was pretty good. I was super tired and was just not ready to teach but I mustered up some energy to advertise to these parents. As I sat down and talked to Shamus I saw a girl with a Frisbee playing by herself. So right away I saw this as an opportunity and asked if I could play with her. We talked about her TobyMac shirt she was wearing when her friend came and joined in. Soon we had a pretty fun game of catch happening. I invited them to come and they came. 4 kids were here today, including the hostess’ 2 kids, but it was good. For this club pray that we can reach more kids, and tomorrow is our last day for this club.
My last prayer is just for energy because this busy itinerary is really tiring. I have to leave the house before 8 and I usually get home and done teaching around 9:00. So pray that won’t be an issue.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey guys, so this week we did a switch up and the ChangChang’s were broken up for this week. So now I’m teaching with the ever awesome Shamus Westra. It’s always great getting to work with different teachers and it’s been a real privilege working with him. Anyways on with the clubs:
Club 1: So this one is a club I am teaching by myself and I felt kind of awkward when I came there the first day. I was super early because Grace had to drop me off in the north end then headed to Grace Konard’s club in the south end. As I strolled up with my suitcase I rung the doorbell and a little boy I had taught last year answered the door. Then his mom came and I realized I had taught a different club that they went to, and this boy had accepted Christ. It was so awesome that I actually knew them somewhat so right away I felt more at rest. Then a bunch of kids came piling in the backyard at club time, and most of them I had taught last year at this different club. The moms were really close and decided to move to their house in a different neighborhood to see if they could get more kids to come. It was awesome to see two parents so concerned about working together to get the Gospel spread. (: The ages for this club is 3-7 so it’s a really young crowd but they have such great attention spands. At the beginning of club there was a little girl and she started crying before I even started. But by the end of club she was singing along to the songs and excited like everyone else. I honestly love teaching this club and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow. Shamus came at the end of club and we played soccer with some of the boys. For this club we haven’t really had any kids in the neighborhood, other than 2 kids out of the 10. So pray for more since there are lots and lots of kids in that area.
Club 2: So with this VBS we have a 11 kids come today and that was pretty cool. There is a grandma and she brought 6 kids with her yesterday. She has a 5 year old son she adopted and she told us that he has brain damage because of his parents doing drugs when he was younger. His right side is completely damaged and the front of his left is too. He didn’t come to VBS because he had a melt down today at home and apparently had to wear a helmet so he wouldn’t hurt his head when he hit it on things. Please pray for this boy and this lady taking care of him. So we taught the club, and yesterday they were distracted during our part of teaching. But today they did really good and were engaged especially in the stories. Many of the kids are unchurched here so pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to soften their hearts. (: At a point while Shamus was teaching he asked what the name of the boy from A Little Rascal was. This boy put up his hand and said: “His name was Tony…Tony Stark!” I tried to keep from laughing, as he thought that we were learning about Ironman. I’ve enjoyed this crowd and getting to know them.
Club 3: This club is in the park in the evening. Now park clubs have always been harder for me because of my experience a couple of years ago. I taught in a park by myself, and there was a lady there who wasn’t happy my hostess and I was there. But we headed out and I just had to face my fears of teaching in the park. So we ended having 4 kids, including this hostess’ 2 kids, and it truly was a preschool club. We didn’t have batteries for the CD player either so whenever the kids seemed really energetic, they would chase Shamus around. It was a great way to lose energy. Now there was a 4 year old girl there and just felt like there was something there. So I felt like I should pray for her as the club went by. After I had taught the Biblre story I asked if anyone wanted to accepted Jesus and she put up her hand. I went through the Wordless Book with her, but her parents wanted to go. The thing was that it was actually okay just because she made comments during club that showed she didn’t fully get it. Like that she was a angel and stuff so this seemed entirely new to her. I felt like it was better for me just to explain the Book to her rather than try and add an extra number on the stat sheet. I was glad to know that a seed was just planted, so just pray this girl will continue to understand.
This morning I read a passage in Psalm 127:1 which says “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” I can’t start trying to build my ministry in the way I want it built. It won’t produce the fruit it would with God. Rather I have to let God do it instead and this club just reminded me of that importance. (:
God Bless,
Gwyneth
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