It’s nearly impossible to believe that 6 short weeks ago, I was preparing to embark on a summer of many adventures, and yet here we are, looking back on the memories of the adventures. It’s over for another year.
Before I can officially stop blogging for the summer, there are a few people who need to be thanked.
First off, my Heavenly Father: Thank you so very much for this incredible opportunity to serve you once again. Thank you for the children in my clubs that you revealed yourself to these past weeks and for each child I had the privilege of meeting, whether your child or not.
My fantastic family: Thank you for supporting me in this adventure yet again. Thanks for being here for me on the weekends when I got to come home. Thanks for praying for me and texting me and worrying about me and loving me. You all are actually the best.
My CG, Elfrieda: Thank you once again for committing to praying for me every day. This is the third summer out of my four that I’ve had you as a CG and every year it means even more to me. I pray God blesses you so richly because of your faithful prayers for me and other CYIA this summer.
My billets this summer: Thank you for welcoming me into your home, and making me birthday cakes, and taking me horseback riding, and on other adventures, and making me feel so at home when I was missing my family and my home here in Regina. I feel like I’ve gained 5 different families over the past 6 weeks and all over the province. I hope you all don’t mind if I come visit sometimes.
Mr. D, Kristen, Tyler, and so many more who have given so much to this ministry: Thank you for sharing your vision with us and allowing me to have a part in this ministry too. It’s an amazing blessing.
There are so many other people I’m missing…but basically I want to say thank you so much to each and every one of you who prayed for me, or supported me, or hosted a club, or billeted someone, or anything. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Here’s some fun numbers from my summer if you like that sort of thing:
- 5,766 kilometers driven
- 236 children taught
- 19 children accepted Christ
And I guess, with that, I’m signing off for another year. This was my fourth summer and I’m already looking forward to next year. Yesterday Kendra totaled up how many weeks she’s taught overall so I thought I would too. 22 weeks of teaching kids about Jesus. I am so blessed to have gotten to do this. Lord willing, I’ll see you next summer!
Posted By: Rose Williams
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Week 6 is completed! I can hardly believe it. I made it back safely from Estevan, driving from Weyburn to Regina in the car that broke down on the way there. A new battery was put in at Weyburn, so it made it to Regina with no problems. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me during the drive!
Here’s how my clubs finished:
Club 1: This club went from 6 kids to a total of 17! I found it really neat that they kept bringing friends. Not too many of the friends stayed for more than a day, but they heard the gospel message. Nearly all the children were 6 or 7 years old, but they were great listeners and really engaged in the club. Two girls made decisions for Jesus while doing their lessons! One was the hostess’ granddaughter, and the hostess told me she asked her granddaughter is she had asked Jesus in her heart, and she said she had the day before! So I’m pretty sure that counts as a mailbox decision!
I said this club could pie me if they got 20 kids, but they were so close so I let them do it. The kid who was doing it kind of threw the pie and it missed… Oops. Then another kid tried and he got more whipped cream in my hair than on my face!
Club 2: This club was in Bienfait. Unfortunately, neither of the kids I was hoping would come back did… The unchurched boy and the girl from down the street. I may never know what seeds have been planted, I can only pray that God will water them! The other kids in this club were really fun to teach. One girl made a mailbox decision for Jesus! I also let this club pie me. The kid did not miss and whipped cream was all over my face! The hostess had a barbecue after which was fun.
Club 3: The total kids at this club came to 15. It didn’t grow that much, but they brought a few friends on Thursday. One girl who came on Thursday did her lesson and memorized John 1:12 for the Friday club! I was impressed because not many kids try to tackle that verse. Another highlight was a four-year-old girl reciting all of Ephesians 2:8 and 9, even though she only had to memorize part of verse 8! I gave her two pass-it-on cards for that!
There were no decisions in this club, but I am confident seeds were planted and despite being late on the first day, this club was really fun to teach.
This whole summer I have felt as though God’s hand has been upon me in many ways. I wasn’t at training because of quizzing internationals, and then when I got back I had four days with a partner to learn everything, and then it was on my own for the next five weeks. I was more than a little bit nervous! But God has been with me every step of the way, during travels and teaching.
I have felt more than a few times as though an angel’s hand has been on my car. This summer I’ve done far more driving alone than ever before. Psalm 16:1 has been my prayer: “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” When I was driving to Estevan (before the car broke down) on the single lane highway, I noticed none too soon that a truck had crossed the center line and was in my lane, heading straight toward me. I slowed down and started moving to the side, and the truck swerved back into its lane just a second before we passed each other. If I was any closer to the truck when he started to wander to my side of the road, it could have easily been a head-on collision, but God kept me safe! Then when my car broke down I was very close to the Ryans, who recused me, lent me a vehicle for teaching in Estevan. I was nervous to drive it because it was a big SUV and very new and shiny, and I was terrified something might happen to it! But I returned it without a scratch, and Mr. Ryan put a new battery in the CEF car so I could make it safely back to Regina last night!
I may never know the seeds that have been planted in these kid’s hearts, but I thank the Lord for the chance He has given me to teach these dear children. As I taught them, I’ve realized now that God wants these kids to know Him, and He’s using me to do that! They may make decisions, they may not, I may never see them again on this earth. But God knows their hearts and that is far more important than the numbers.
Thank you to everyone who has read these blog posts and been praying! I urge you, pray for the children that have heard the Word this summer. Pray that it would take root in their hearts and lead them on a life of following Christ the King. To Him be the glory!
-Rose
Posted By: Nekaelly Sandstra
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Wow. The end of all 6 weeks is already here! I didn’t think they would go by this quickly!! I had a good, but long and tough week, and here’s an over-review of how it went.
Club #1- This club reached 10 kids, but 5 of them were 1-year-olds who never really listened. The other 5 were 3-year-old girls and my 10-year-old sister whom I brought on Friday. On the first day, it was just the hostess’ children and I, and the girl was shy and didn’t really want to listen at all. At first, she kept trying to run away during the songs and verses, but then she came and paid great attention during the stories! Apparently she talked a lot about me and the clubs after I left every day! The second, third, and fourth days were harder because more kids came, which meant their focus was more on, “Let’s go play!” instead of listening to me. But on Thursday, their listening improved as they listened to the verses and the stories. I also did a lesson with the two 3-year-old girls that were there, and they did really well and were a lot more interested! Friday was the day when the club did a 180 and turned around. The moms took all the 1-year-olds outside to play, and I had two 3-year-old girls inside. Instead of the usual one song, one verse, and half story I usually get through with their attention on me, we did 4 songs (2 of which we did twice!), the Tony story, 2 Bible stories (Philip and Saul), the Wordless Book, and a lesson!!! Of course, I simplified details for their understanding, but they paid attention the entire time, learned a lot, and had a lot of fun!! I’m glad that God allowed me to plant seeds in each of their hearts over the week, and that after persevering they are starting to germinate! 🙂
Club #2- This club reached 8 kids, and it was quite fun to teach with ages varying from 3-10. All of them were churched, and at first I was worried because they seemed a bit unexcited and quiet at the first club. But as the week went on, their smiles grew bigger as I told the stories and sang the songs! Thursday was particularly neat because I stayed an extra half hour to help the kids memorize their verses. Three of them finished all of their verses that day! I really enjoyed teaching this club, and I hope their passion for God continues to grow.
I had a few hour break in between clubs, and three of the days I spent reading my new Bible and highlighting verses. The first time I went to a park that I thought was beautiful (off Regina Avenue and Montague Street), and read through most of 1 Corinthians. However, I made the mistake of bringing a Sprite with me (funny/embarrassing story here), and when I took a sip, two wasps went straight into my mouth!!! I quickly spit them out and stomped them before they could get away, but I could feel that one of them had partially stung the top of my mouth. It wasn’t a full sting, but there was a little pain where the wasp tried to sting me…not sure exactly how that happened. But it didn’t seem to swell up, and ice cream cooled the pain. It seems to be fine now, as if nothing happened. I feel that if it had been recorded though, it would have been one funny video! 😛 That’s why the second time I stayed inside DQ instead and read all of 2 Corinthians. The third time I read Galatians and part of Ephesians while helping my sisters memorize verses. It meant a lot to me just to find some quiet, alone time to spend in God’s Word and encourage me to keep going through the long week.
Club #3- This club reached 14 kids, and I got to bring my 6-year-old sister all week to this one! 11 of these kids were unchurched, and 6 of the unchurched kids lived in a foster home across the street. Some of them have been coming to 5-Day Clubs for years, while it was some others’ first time. The first club was tricky because the kids who have been to clubs before were saying things like, “I don’t like this song,” and “The Tony story is lame.” This made the other kids feel as if the club wasn’t great either, and I prayed that they would all come back. They all did come back, except for one girl who always has to leave before the club starts, and they became a lot more excited about the club and did lots of verses and lessons!! On Thursday, I also had two kids accept Jesus- a young boy and a young girl!! On Friday, I was able to give those two and the foster kids Gospel of Johns, because none of them had Bibles. Please pray for all of these kids, that they will continue to be encouraged by the hostess’ family who invites them to VBS and other activities, and that they will continue to grow spiritually and learn more about God. This morning, I also was able to help my 6-year-old sister accept Jesus into her heart!! It meant a lot to me to do that with her 🙂
This week was tough because I was out all day every day, and there’s a lot going on at home and personally. But God helped me finish my clubs strong, and I am excited to see everyone tonight at Welcome Home! Let’s all pray that the rain and wind lets up more so that I have an easier drive into the city this afternoon.
Two passages that stood out from my Bible reading this week were 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. The first one reminded me to give everything to God’s glory because I cannot be doing all of this for my own glory, and the second one was a great encouragement to persevere through the week. I won’t type them out, because that would take a while, but I encourage you to look those up and see what God wants to show you through that.
God bless y’all as we reflect on what He has done this summer!
This likely won’t be my last blog post but I just wanted to write a quick update about how my clubs went tonight…
Lebret had one new little boy, so the total registered was 15. The kids had a lot of fun and especially enjoyed the Little Rascal story. The host family kept the hackey sack and they were all super excited about it.
Balcarres had 21 kids today, but the total registered was 23. Much bigger than last year so that was awesome. I’m already hoping I get to go back and teach there again next year. We did a draw for the frisbee/baseball and the little girl picked the baseball, much to the delight of her 11 year old cousin who desperately wanted that baseball for himself, haha. I handed out every single last one of my Meet the King books and had exactly enough, and lots of kids said verses to me tonight too. Also, our prayers for a less-restless-night were answered. They sat and listened well and focused really well almost the entire time, so thank you for that.
Tomorrow when I have more time I have a long list of thank-you’s to go through, so stay tuned 🙂 thanks everyone!
This week has been loooooooong, as evidenced by my title. Well actually, for me the week has been going by rather quickly. However, for the kids in my clubs, I can see the week is starting to wear on them. They’re getting tired and restless and it’s showing in their attention spans. Especially in Balcarres, the younger kids are starting to talk a lot throughout the club and roll around on the floor and basically just zone out while I’m trying to teach the stories. I know that a week of activity like this can get really tiring, so please pray for the kids, that God would help them to focus for one more day so they can really get the most out of the club.
The clubs did go pretty well again today. Three boys from my VBS in Balcarres ended up at both my Lebret club and my VBS today, so that was kind of funny. There was also two new kids in Balcarres. Like I said though, a lot of the kids are getting really distracted throughout the entire time. Some kids are coming late and that really throws everything off so please pray specifically for my Balcarres club that the kids would be able to pay attention tomorrow.
Thanks so much everybody!
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today went really well, and I’m not as tired today so thank you to everyone who prayed for me. It’s crazy to think that tomorrow is the last day of clubs so I absolutely want to end off strong. God has been doing some amazing work and this week I’ve been so excited to see how these kids are beginning to understand for the first time.
Club 1: So with this club we have 9 kids who have come and it’s exciting to just encourage them in their walk. Doing Pilgrim’s Progress from last year was the perfect story for them, because it talks about the journey of our faith. Honestly by going over the story again I’v been greatly encouraged too. It’s going to be hard leaving this club cause their these kids are the best, but I know that God will use them to do amazing things even at their young age. (:
Club 2: With this club we had 16 kids here today, and I felt like I was trying to yell over them at points. But when they were focused, they were attentive and engaged. There was a girl who put up her hand yesterday during the invitation and because of the short travel time I couldn’t talk to her yesterday or today. She had come to a club Shamus and I taught last week and she didn’t want to talk to us about it. So pray that tomorrow I can speak to her and that the Holy Spirit will do a work in this girl’s heart.
Club 3: At the beginning of this week these kids were hard to teach. But as the week has gone along it becomes more and more evident that this club is needed. All the kids are unchurched and I mean completely unchurched. But it’s cool because these kids are being to understand and they seem to like the songs a lot which is awesome. Due to the lack of attention spand we have been playing games with them to start out. So one boy came up to me and asked if we could listen to the CD while playing hide and go seek. Clearly these kids need some love shown to them and this club had shown me that. I found that my heart wasn’t entirely in it and I was kinda wishing for a more tame club. But right away I prayed that God would just change my heart to have a burden for these kids like He does, and honestly I’m now pretty sad to leave them tomorrow. But I know that the work we have done here has not been in vain, so continue to pray for these kids.
Club 4: We had no kids come again and we decided to just play on the play structure with the host’s daughter. His son had some friends who came to the park, so Grace and I decided to start the club. The moment we were about to their mom called them back home so that was pretty disappointing. We went ahead with club anyways when there were 2 girls that came to the park. The one girl was on the swings as Grace was telling A Little Rascal, and listened to every word she said. Please pray that tomorrow we will be able to talk to this girl and at least give her a package.
As I was preparing for Pilgrim’s Progress this morning, there was a part where Pilgrim asked Evangelist if there were more trials they were going to have to go through. Evangelist tells Pilgrim that will be the case but to “..Be faithful even to the point of death, and [the King] will give you life as your victor’s crown” Revelation 2:10. I want to always be faithful in the things God calls me to no matter how hard it may be. This summer has been one of my hardest ones, but I’m so thankful that as I look back that it was only through God any of that was able to happen. And I want tomorrow as my last day to be the exact same. As this summer comes to an end thanks once again to everyone who has prayed for me. I’m been so blessed to have that kind of support throughout the summer.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Crystal Durell
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Today was a super awesome day! Two decisions, and I gave both kids bibles! One girl, her and her sister have been coming the whole week. On Monday they said they weren’t sure if they were coming back, but they’ve made it back every day since! But they never got to hear the end of Zacchaeus’s story… until today! They finally got to hear it! (Praise the Lord) And the oldest one asked Jesus into her heart. She’s from an unchurched family and I gave her a bible. It was so wonderful to see her make that decision. I think she’s wanted to do it all week, and we finally got to do it today!
Another boy in my second club also asked Jesus into his heart. (Woot woot!)
Its sort of sad to think that tomorrow is the last day of clubs… but I’m glad God has let me see him in action. This was such a good summer. Tough, but very rewarding. The best part about being a summer missionary, is being able to see God’s hand at work, and I can’t wait to see and to hear about what God will do on the last day, and I’m very greatful. I can’t do anything without God, with out Him, this would be impossible, but all things are possible through Christ! I can say honestly that it was none of my work, I just obeyed, and God gave me the best steats in the house!
God Bless!
Kids Quotes:
Me: does anyone know what Romans is?Girl: romance? Is like when you’re in a relationship?
Boy: (insert name here) and I promised eachother that we will never EVER get married!… (hostess and I were kinda laughing at this one)
Me: Maybe one day you won’t mind so much. :3
I don’t know why, but I’ve always just really liked reaching the halfway point of things. I guess it just helps me to see measurable progress through a task. Like the end of week 2, I was happy because with the two weeks of training before teaching, that got us halfway through the entire summer. And then with the end of week 3, that got us halfway through the 6 weeks of actual teaching. And Wednesdays were always good days because that’s the halfway point at each week. This halfway point is sort of sad though. It really is the most bittersweet feeling as we wrap up this summer. I’m going to miss teaching so much.
My clubs today were basically the exact same as yesterday. The same kids came and they listened almost as well as yesterday. The Little Rascal story got a bit long for their attention spans in both clubs today so please pray that tomorrow they’d be able to focus the entire time. Actually, I’ve noticed by the end of the club, a lot of the kids are getting really restless, even if they’re still sitting quietly. So yeah I guess prayer for tomorrow would just be that they would be able to listen to the whole thing and I could make it exciting so they won’t be bored.
Thanks again for all the prayer as the summer gets closer to ending!
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey I won’t lie but this week has been stretching me just cause I have no energy and it’s been hard to go into every club with enthusiasm. So please pray that I can keep going and do my absolute best at each of these clubs, cause I can just see how much these kids need love shown to them.
Club 1: So at this club we actually ended up being late this morning and that was entirely because of traffic. We left at our usual time and took our normal route but traffic was badly backed up. After being on the road for 1 hour, we finally made it with only 30 minutes left of club. I won’t lie I was pretty frustrated heading in but the kids were absolutely great. Because the kids here have all been to a 5-Day Club on their street this summer we decided to do our extra story from last year, Pilgrim’s Progress. As I was getting to the part about Pilgrim meeting Apollyon one kids spoke up and shook his head saying:
“That’s the Devil’s work.”
Honestly, that was the best response I have ever heard to any story. And it’s awesome because the kids are all engaged and listen super well. So pray that we will be able to encourage these kids in their faith.
Club 2: The kids here are awesome and I feel blessed getting to teach them. They calm down during the stories and listen so well. Yesterday I had one unchurched girl and she said:
“I really liked the story of Zucchini.”
I tried not to laugh but at least she enjoyed the stories. I do have 2 boys at this club who don’t really listen and I taught them both last week. Please pray that they won’t be a distraction as Grace and I teach them.
ChangChang Adventures: So our travel time between these clubs are way too close, and it’s almost impossible to make it on time. So on our first day we actually took the wrong way on the freeway and had to reroute later on. I was so stressed out and we ended up being late as a result. ): But today we made it there before the club actually started which was a major win for the ChangChang’s.
This club has been an adventure of it’s own because the kids have been off the wall. We had one boy who brought a pocket knife to club the first day and was whittling a stick. These kids hit one another and there have been points where I wasn’t sure if we would have to call a doctor. But today the distracting kids weren’t here and we only had 4 kids. All these kids are unchurched and on the first day they all had no clue what a Bible was. We have just gone over a song, contest and Bible verses just because they honestly don’t understand. But today went a lot better and during it they asked some good questions like how Jesus got up to heaven, and how we could talk to him if he’s in heaven. It was awesome to see them being engaged so continue to pray for these kids.
Club 4: This club has been in the park and for the last 2 days we haven’t had any kids. The 2 that came said their grandmother was coming to visit so they weren’t sure if they could come back. So we just hung out with our host’s kids and to be honest aren’t too sure on what we should do. Please pray that more kids will come and for God to guide us in how we should handle this situation.
I’m so glad to see God working in the lives on these kids and how this summer has gone. I can’t believe it’s almost over but I’m praying that every single worker will finish off strong.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Rose Williams
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I can’t believe I only have two days of teaching left, but I’m pleased to say this week has been going really well, and I have some really great kids who are excited to learn!
Club 1: More and more kids keep coming, which is really cool! Attendance is from 6 on the first day to 15 today! However, some of the kids who came as friends haven’t been coming back. There have not been any decisions and most of the lessons I get back tell me that kids have already asked Jesus into their heart. But they are listening well, and I’m praying that they will grow in their faith through club!
Club 2: One girl at this club made a decision for Jesus while doing her lesson! Praise God! The hostess of this club has a 3-year-old who is absolutely adorable and does really well with listening and sitting still. I don’t think there is anything cuter than her being so excited to tell me her memory verse! And if you were wondering, the girl who walked by and came on the first day hasn’t come back. Pray that she would! There are seven kids who regularly come to this club.
God’s fingerprints on my words: There is a boy at this club who came on the second day and today. He doesn’t go to church, but he listens very intently, especially when I’m talking about Jesus. Before all my clubs, I pray for God to speak through me and give me words. Well, today when I was teaching the Noah’s Ark story, I intended to use Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” during the invitation part. As I was going along, I accidentally used it earlier in the story. I kept going, and about the time the rain was starting to cover the highest mountains, this boy had to leave. So he wasn’t there for the invitation part.
As I thought about it afterwards, I realized this boy got to hear that the Bible says you have to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved, even though he left early. And he also said he’d try to do his lesson and bring it back tomorrow, and since he is 7, his lesson outlines the plan for salvation and gives kids a chance to accept Christ. Pray for him! I’m going to ask him tomorrow if he has a Bible and I’ll give him one if he doesn’t. I prayed for God to speak through me, and God knew that boy was going to leave early. God’s fingerprints were all over what I thought was a mistake! Praise the Lord!
Club 3: I think there are 12 kids or so coming to this club, some younger ones, but they do well with listening. At the end of this club, my CD played refused to pray “Do You Believe?” I don’t know if that song has a scratch or something, but it kept cutting out 3 or 4 seconds in. So I lead the kids in a round of “Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday” acapella, which they liked.
The joy of the Lord is my strength! I know I’ve talked a lot about the joy of the Lord spurring me on this summer, and I’m happy to report this week I have been feeling so joyful in doing God’s work! A quote from Amy Carmichael has been my prayer this week:
Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will, O Lord our God.
Pray that us workers would be zealous as we serve the King in these last few days, to give it all up for the sake of children coming to know Him.
Thank you for your prayers!
-Rose
P.S I haven’t heard anything about the DJ Honda after the breakdown coming here on Sunday (See last blog post!), I’m still using the Ryan’s vehicle. Please continue praying that it would be any easy fix so this car can continue to be used to do the Lord’s work!
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