So couple weeks ago I taught in Yorkton SK with Julia and we really had an awesome week! It started off pretty quite with only a few kids at each club, but everyday more and more kids started coming! Our first club only had 1 kid the first day and 0 the next so I felt pretty discouraged but by the last day we got 6 kids (one of them had the same name as me!) and 2 decisions!! Our second club was in Melville SK and started off quite big and ended off even bigger, we had about 19 kids there and 5 decisions! Our third club remained with a constant 3-4 kids but they loved every minute of the club.
My fourth week I was at home helping my sister with the wedding so I didn’t teach that week, but last week I went to springside SK, and that VBS was a huge bundle of fun and busy! It was a morning club so I would get up and go teach for 2 hours straight with the VBS group being split into two, then go back to my billets where I would not move for a solid hour afterwards 🙂 I was lucky enough to go to people’s houses for supper and get to know the community a bit. I stayed at one family’s house for the afternoon and spent the whole time cutting and peeling beans, so afterwards lets just say I couldn’t really look at beans for a while haha. On Friday they come and talk to me and give me a container with sugar cookies shaped like green beans! They tasted pretty good but the thought that went into that really made my day! I got to know many of the kids and families in that town and had a lot of fun there!
I’m exited to see what God will do with me for the last week and please pray that I will finish the last week off by continuing to teach the kids about Jesus and his amazing love for us with great enthusiasm!
I’d like to say thanks to my awesome cee-gee who has prayed for me this summer, there have been times when all I want to do is quite and not do anything, but after a while of talking to God and waiting, I feel like a new hope has been placed in me. Your prayers and support have encouraged me more then I can say.
Well, let me tell you. I want to start off by apologizing for not blogging near enough. Sorry Al! I’ll try to do better. Here’s a quick update on the past few weeks and some prayer requests for next week.
Athabasca
I had a lot of fun teaching this club! It ran from 11:30-5:00 on Calling Lake Reserve. There were 56 kids, and they were lots of fun. Best of all, I got to help lead 4 children to the Lord. Teaching with Willard as my partner was a blast! Thanks for praying for the kids in this club.
Fort McMurray/Anzac
This was a great week of 3 clubs with lots of church kids. This was the first time 5 Day Clubs have been held in Fort McMurray. Talking with church leaders after the club, it sounded like they were eager to repeat the process next year. Many of the kids were from solid Christian homes and had already made decisions. My job was primarily to have fun, provide additional teaching, and encourage them in their faith.
Elbow/Outlook
Because of the long weekend, this was a 4 Day Club. It was nice to have a bit of a break at home over the weekend. There were only two clubs in this week and the first one had plenty of adults helping, which made it really easy on me. The kids seemed to be really engaged, and I’m hoping the lessons they learned this week will stick with them in the long term.
Leader/Fox Valley/Burstall/Sceptre
This is where I’m going to be next week. Please pray for 1) Energy – This is going to be 4 clubs with lots of driving, but I still need to give everything I have at every club. Pray that I don’t get burned out. 2) Salvation – I haven’t had many kids make decisions since Athabasca because I’ve been with a lot of church kids. Pray that I would be able to lead some kids to Christ next week. Thank you very much for your prayers!
Posted By: Andra Ramstead
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Hey 🙂 (This is about July 27-31 week)
My clubs all went well but on Monday and Tuesday after and before club i was just not feeling it. i was exhausted, i just felt like complaining, and i wasn’t happy. i realized on Wednesday that i had not been spending time with God. yes, i was doing devotions every morning, but i learned that that is not the same as spending time with God.
so on Wednesday i decided to spend time with God. i started waking up 2 1/2 hours early for my clubs the rest of the week so that i could wake up, get all my stuff ready, and then have lots of time to spend with god. even if it was just sitting on my bed in the stillness of the morning after reading my devotions.it really helped me to focus on God.
from Wednesday and after, my week was FANTASTIC!!!! i had renewed energy and joy. i loved my clubs and had a blast doing them. i came home each day happy, and i know that that was only because i made sure to spend time with God each morning.
i titled this entry a fool walks away because no matter how many times i learn this lesson, i keep on having to learn it again. when i spend time with God i have joy and the lords energy, when i don’t i feel weak and unhappy. yet after a little while i start to think that i can do it in my own strength and then God reminds me, “haha no you cant!”
i am a fool a lot of the time, and I’m so happy that god reminds me of that so i can get back on track with him 🙂
P.S my clubs all went amazing! God was along side me the whole time, helping me so much!! Again i had a HUGE club with 45 kids which is one of my biggest fears, but each time God takes away my fear and gives me peace. Thank the Lord!!
Prayer Requests
That I will continue to fight against the Devils temptations. Many days I start to forget how important teaching these clubs are and I start to let myself complain and get grumpy, but I need to decide each day who I will serve. I know that the Devil is trying to hinder me from telling all these people about Jesus Christ.
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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This long weekend, I had the great pleasure of going to a wedding (don’t 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 Grace’s 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. “Conveniently” 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, “God gave me the gift of silliness.” 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 – someone who is willing to go against the grain of “normalcy”. 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. I’m not trying to say that it’s God’s right to show me revival because I ask, but instead of recognizing His sovereignty in situations that are disappointing, I feel relief because I didn’t have high hopes in the first place. This is horrible! God is good, He is awesome, and He’s been slowly, but surely, destroying this skewed view that I hold of Him. I’m nervous, but excited to see what He will do next.
Prayer Requests:
– That the families we spoke to would attend club tomorrow.
– For travel. Monday’s are my worst because I frequently exercise my Lauren Ryan giftings… (I get lost).
– For energy.
– And that I would see the people that I work with through His eyes.
Posted By: Quin Sawatsky
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Hey people, just a quick update on how the rest of how Will and I made out on our week in Blaine Lake area. Â It’s been a pleasure teaching with Will, being able to build off of one another’s storytelling ideas and just generally encourage one another.
Club 1
We had the same kids consistently throughout the whole week.  A few of them were older and were eager to help with the club, so we allowed them to help with actions and prizes and things, more and more throughout the week. On the second-last day of the club, two of the kids put on nametags and pretended to be Will and me, which we played along with until we needed to teach… and then the last day, nearly everyone was “Will 1, Will 2, Will 3,  Quin 1,” etc.  So despite their attempts to steal our identities (they were later saying that they were going to teach the next club), the club was a lot of fun and I can really see some becoming CYIA workers in the future.
Club 2
This one was a smaller club (we had 8 total kids who came) but I think they really enjoyed the club. Â And my prayer is that, as in all clubs, we were able to encourage these kids in their walks with God for those who already knew Him, and plant seeds in those who don’t know Him yet.
Club 3
Club 3 was lots of fun.  All the Mennonite kids tended to show up like a half-hour early to the club, which meant we got to just play and hang out with them!  Of course, this meant we had to find a way to keep them from running around the entire church, and from screaming at the top of their lungs, so we did some impromptu game-organization.  We had promised the kids that if they reached 23 kids we would let them “pie” Will, and if they reached 25, they could pie both of us. They only got to 20, but because they were genuinely inviting friends and we had the pie supplies anyways, Will volunteered to receive a pie from each child present (14 of them) and took them in the face like a true champion. So while this was the rowdiest bunch we taught, they really engaged with the songs and stories and I pray that the messages will stick with them.
Club 4
We never did go back to the reserve, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean there won’t be clubs there again in the future. Â I still don’t know what God’s plan in all of this is, but I’m trying to just trust Him with it from here out.
A few things I would appreciate prayer for: I think it’s supposed to be rainy these next few days, so pray that wouldn’t deter kids from coming. Pray for energy for me as I teach my 4 clubs this week, and for wisdom and joy throughout.
OK! That’s another wrap-up post. Thank you for listening and for praying.
-Quin
Posted By: Rose Williams
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So I got back to Caronport safely after my trip to Warman for the week. Driving there and back was the longest distance I have ever driven by myself, and it went well, although I did get rather bored. But I made it!
Week 3 of clubs has been a good week that had both blessings and challenges.
Club 1: This club got up to 13 kids, and I had said if they got to 15 they could pie me, but I let them do it anyways… And it was fun! Then, surprisingly, one of the kids wanted to be pied as well! So there was lots of whipped cream and messy faces on Friday. I had a lot of fun teaching this club, and as I mentioned earlier, one girl made a decision for Christ! Pray for her, as she doesn’t go to church.
Club 2: I only ended up getting to do this club three times, as there were no kids on Monday and Thursday. The kids that came the other days were unchurched, and though they sometimes  struggled with not paying attention, I hope some seeds were planted. On Friday, something cool happened, though. There were only two kids (the two who were good at paying attention!) and during the Saul story the girl asked if it was a true story. I told her yes, and then afterward I showed her where it is in the Bible. Both the kids were interested and asked if there were more stories about Paul/Saul and if Noah’s ark was in the Bible, and a few other questions. It was really great to see that they did absorb the teaching, and the club was held at their grandma’s house, so I know that if they have questions they can talk to her.
Club 3: On Thursday this club was canceled because on another event at the church, which lead to a pretty rushed episode of A Little Rascal in order to finish it, but I don’t think the kids noticed! When sorting through lessons, I noticed there were 5 mailbox decisions! There were 3 in club decisions on the first day, and at every club hands went up to receive Jesus, but I was only able to pray with three of them because it took a long time to hand out prizes with some many kids. Since all the kids were churched, I am confident that they with continue to grow and learn more. Praise the Lord that they took that step of further commitment to God!
So that was the clubs in Warman and Saskatoon! Pray for the kids that made decisions this week, and for those unchurched who got to hear the gospel.
Next week I am back in Moose Jaw! Keep praying for energy for me in teaching, safe driving, and that’s God’s Spirit would be working through me and in these kid’s hearts.
-Rose
Posted By: Nekaelly Sandstra
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So this week ended off well, and although I am tired, I have a lot to praise God for!
At my first club, the young boy who had accepted Jesus at the beginning of the week continued to show great enthusiasm for everything and often cheered when I talked about God or shared about salvation. Â He also did all of his lessons and was very excited to earn the comic book! Â I also gave him a Gospel of John, because I don’t think he has his own Bible. Â His mother had brought him to clubs because she wanted him to start learning about Jesus, so I hope and pray that they will find a church to become involved with and not let the learning stop here. Â This club got to 6 kids, and it was very fun to teach!
Our second club got to 4 kids, but continued to be a struggle to teach because Danae, Abby, and I would often have to make sure that the kids paid attention. Â However, on the last day, the brother and sister who specifically struggled with paying attention brought a friend- a boy who was unchurched and had never heard much about Jesus. Â He listened very intently to the entire lesson and raised his hand to accept Jesus!! Â So Danae led him to Christ, and it was so neat to see how God brings kids to follow Him in ways we don’t often expect. Â Another encouragement for me is that the one girl who always walked away from us during club showed a great interest in the Wordless book that I brought. Â I was able to explain it to her, and she mostly understood what I was saying. Â So that was neat as well, and I hope that she will understand even more as time goes on.
Our Filipino VBS ended with 38 kids!! Â It was so much fun to teach them all and to encourage and laugh with them every day. Â Although 35 of these kids were churched, they learned a lot of new things over the week and did very well in paying attention. Â I was also encouraged to see many of them memorizing verses, bringing friends, and handing in lots of lessons! Â We also had two decisions!! Â One was a mailbox lesson decision on Wednesday, and I went up to the girl later and congratulated her for accepting Christ!! Â The second was a younger boy who had raised his hand after the Bible story, and he seemed to understand as he prayed with me. Â He was happy to hear that the angels were having a party for him in Heaven!!
All in all, it was a challenging but praiseworthy week for me. Â I was challenged because (1- I found myself often lacking energy and focus, and (2- I also found myself pressured in different ways over the week- as a Christian and as a person. Â But my focus always returned to God’s purpose to lead these kids to Christ for His glory, no matter what may try to hinder me. Â Praise God for what He is teaching me, for the 4 decisions we had this week (5 if you count one from Danae and Abby’s morning club!), and for the many lives that have been touched by God this week, mine included.
- Prayer Requests:
- For me to regain energy and focus over the next two days
- For practice and peace as I go for my license again on Thursday morning
- For Danae and I as we prepare to teach in Regina this upcoming week
Wow, three weeks gone and three weeks to go!  God bless y’all! 🙂
Nekaelly
Hey everyone! This week was long and rough but it was worth it.
My first club yesterday had 14 kids, bringing our registered total to 15. This hostess lives on a farm and every day the kids got the chance to ride horses and play with kittens and it was just super fun. Today we only had 6, but since we had enough for the football we did a draw and the little girl who won was super excited.
At my second club yesterday we had almost all the 7 kids come back, even though they had to postpone a birthday party to be there, and we had 5 new kids today (which I wasn’t expecting at all, so that was awesome!) bringing us to 12 total. We drew for the hackey sack and they thought that was awesome.
My third club had one little girl yesterday, and at first today we had the same two from Wednesday come back. But it was really funny because there was a little boy across the park, in a tree. He was calling to the girls, asking them who they were, and they replied “It’s us, your neighbours, you know, the ones who live next door?” Then he asked “Who’s that tall girl?”
And then the following dialogue ensued (remember, we’re yelling, across a park, to some kid in a tree) :
I said, “My name’s Olivia.”
“Olivia who?”
“Olivia Mile. Would you like to join us?”
“Why don’t I know you? And I can’t, because I’m playing mantracker, and I don’t want to get killed.”
“Uhh, you don’t know me because I’m from Regina, not Tisdale.”
“Oh. How old are you?”
“Just about 18. Are you sure you don’t want to come? It’s lots of fun!”
“Oh. Well, I’m 10. What are you doing?”
“We’re having a bible club, with stories and songs and prizes.”
“Can I just have the prizes and then go home?”
“Umm, I think it would be better if you came to the club to get the prizes”
“Oh. Well I’ll be right there.”
This 10 year old boy then proceeded to get down from the tree and run over to us just as we were starting the first song. He stood there and watched us quizzically while we sang and then listened intently while I explained the contest. When I got to the part about bringing friends, he said, “What? I want buttons! Can I go get some friends?”
I told him he could, so he ran off and after we had reviewed our memory verses he came running back with three other 10-11 year old boys. At first they all were looking around suspiciously because they didn’t want to “get killed” in their mantracker game, but they all sat and listened, spellbound, while I told the story of Tony and they loved the song, and they all were enraptured by the bible story also.
I was so surprised at their participation because at first glance they definitely did not seem like the type of kids to enjoy the club. But they loved it and they all thought the prizes were totally awesome. One boy especially seemed to really listen to the bible story and I think even though he didn’t accept Christ, he definitely understood what I was saying and I’m going to be praying for him. They all asked if there was more to the club, and I was sad to tell them it was our last day. I did tell them that there would be another club next summer and they should come to it. They all seemed pretty disappointed that they had missed it all week, but now I’m already praying that this club can get rebooked next year and these boys will get advertised to.
My last club didn’t have any kids again yesterday or today, so it was really too bad. But at least the four came on Monday and even if they weren’t super interested, I know they heard, and they have the lessons and bookmarks so I know that God can use even that to reach them.
This has been a pretty crazy week, but it was good. I’m so excited to get home tomorrow to see my family and then set off again on Monday for another week. But we’ve made it halfway, so that’s really exciting.
I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to you all for praying for me. This week started out hard but by the end it was super fun, and 5 kids accepted Christ. So, thank you so much. See you again next week!
Posted By: Danae Durston
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Hello Everyone,
I am going to put my prayer requests up top, just in case you don’t have time to read my whole blog (I still would love it if you did though haha)
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- For continued strength and enthusiasm as I teach.
- For my next week, as I have a feeling it may be tougher week.
- That the starter in my car wouldn’t give out, AND that my power locker keychain thingy wouldn’t die, as it has a few times but revived itself! haha what happens when it dies is I have to open through my trunk and crawl up to the front to get my door open… I know, probably a comical picture.. haha but please pray it doesn’t die on me 🙂
I am so sorry, it has been awhile since my last post, but as I tell you about my last two weeks I believe you will understand.
Okay, first of all I would like to start with my week 2 when I was put at Echo Lake Bible Camp (near Fort Qu’appelle), Lipton, and Dysart. I was really hoping I would get this set of clubs because I believe camp clubs are like the best and I’ve never actually been to one! I left Sunday afternoon and after getting lost and ending up in Lebret (which is in the opposite direction from Fort Qu’appelle). But, after stopping by a friends house, texting a friend who was near by and knew the way, I made it in time for supper!
That evening I had my first session with the kids during evening chapel so I played some on-the-fly games with them which was super fun! Over all my time at the camp was super fun! I didn’t know anyone my age so I sorta just clung to the kids who I had become close with. The club, overall, was a little hard to handle since I was by myself and had 50 kids ranging from grade 1-6. Haha, after the kids were dismissed I would just lay on the stage for a few minutes to catch my breath. I had 7 sessions with them overall and did games for one and quizzing for the other, which the kids loved!
My club in Dysart was really fun! I only had 4 kids who came on Monday and then 2 for the rest of the week. But the kids were cute and consistent and listened well! I even got to Dysart without getting lost!
In Lipton I ended with 20 kids! This club was really fun and I enjoyed it very much! The kids listened very well and had a lot of fun as well! The last couple days I had 3 thirteen year old boys… It was very interesting teaching to guys that aren’t that much younger than me and are definitely bigger than me haha. Also, I had identical twins who tried to trick me in which one they were haha so that was fun in attendance!
This past week I am in Regina with Abby and Nekaelly, which has been fun! They would teach one each in the morning at 9:30 and then I would pick them both up and I would join them to teach at 1, 3-5, and then Abby and I would teach at 6:30. Â God really gave me the strength for these clubs since I was absolutely exhausted from the camp (but very tan!!!!) These clubs have been smaller except for the Fillipino VBS which has been SO much fun to be there again this year!!
Over all they have both been very good weeks and have FLOWN by! I continue to not understand where my strength and enthusiasm come from but God brings it out of no where!
Thank you for your time to read this blog post and your prayers, You have no idea how thankful I am. There is not one of us workers who could do this without God and your prayers!
Danae
P.S. I am solid on my standard driving. But please pray for the starter in my car, it’s a little rough and sometimes takes me multiple tries to get it running.
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 drive 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!
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