November Newsletter--Bible Belt?

Pictures: Kids at an outreach to military children listen to a puppet skit presented by me and a CEF volunteer.

God provided this studio apartment (view from the front door) I am enjoying during my internship.

The CEF of Kentucky team includes Kari and Randy Ash, Audrey and Nathan Hamilton, and temporarily me.

The day after I arrived in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, the amn changing my oil assumed my Kansas license plate meant I was one of many soldiers overflowing the towns surrounding Fort Knox. When I told him I was actually here to intern with Child Evangelism Fellowship, he asked if I was Mormon. He said his mother was Mormon but that he was pagan. Not exactly what I expected from one of the first people I'd conversed with in the Bible Belt.

Nor did I expect the mindset exhibited by neighbors who, after discovering I was a missionary and telling me they'd been Christians all their lives, informed me they hadn't been to church in twenty years and offered me a beer and a cigarette. (After I declined, their next offer was Kool-Aid).

While the area phone book does list almost 150 churches, I'm surprised by how small their congregations are, and the area is filled with children who have never heard the message of salvation. Twenty-seven Good News Clubs are currently reaching children in Kentucky with this message. But we want every child in the state to have the opportunity to hear, a goal that reminds me of Jesus' statement about the ready harvest and the few workers. CEF of Kentucky has a team of just five people. That includes me, a person here only temporarily, with the goal of learning an idea of what I'm doing.

But through all this, I see glimpses of God's kingdom: I've listened to several children pray for salvation, I've helped teach the biggest Good News Club I've ever been a part of (with 60 children), I've witnessed the joy on children's faces after correctly looking up a Bible reference, and I've seen the dedication of our team who moved from other states to reach these children.

In addition to teaching at Good News Clubs, I've also taught at several teacher trainings. I've participated in my first committee meetings, learned the answers to many of the questions people ask about CEF, and learned how to use details like the filing system that keep the ministry working. I will be in Kentucky for about seven more months, continuing to gain experience and continuing to pray for more and bigger and farther-reaching glimpses of God's kingdom.

Praise God That:

There are 27 Good News Clubs reaching children in Kentucky.

I can work at this internship, seeing how to build up new ministry and learning from such a talented team.

Before I even arrived, He provided a studio apartment with wonderful Christian landlords, despite the high demand for housing near a military base.

Please Pray That:

I can learn and gain good expereince during my internship, as well as being helpful to the ministry in Kentucky.

God will provide more staff for CEF of Kentucky.

Children in Good News Clubs will believe in Jesus as their Savior.

August Newsletter--I Should Have Worn A Helmet

Pictures: Children play with a parachute during a 5-Day Club in Boston; a teenage student counsels a child for salvation during a 5-Day Club.

Never before have I been asked by over 70 people per day about the welfare of my nose. I'd taken a break with the teenagers who were attending a two-week training in which I was participating as a teacher, dorm mom, and guest missionary. After hours of learning how to teach Bible lessons, counsel children for salvation, and teach all the components of a 5-Day Club, the teens were ready for an active game. They had picked a game best described as team tag. Someone from the other team was about to make it across our line, so I sprinted full force to tag him, failing to notice that another teammate was coming from the other direction with the same gaol. We definitely gout our opponent out, but in the process the side of my head collided with my teammate's shoulder, toppling us both. The most visible result was a nose bleed that persisted off and on for acouple days. Of course the black eye and swelling that followed also attracted a lot fo attention. Someone said the changing colors of my eye reminded him of a blooming flower; I was reminded more of a rotting vegetable.

I didn't realize until six weeks later that my cheek bone had been fractured in two places. My body had already healed enough on its own to prevent the doctors from doing anything else. The sides of my face are no longer completely symmetrical, but the injury helped me appreciate God's family. The concern that these youths showed at an age when the normal teenager is self-consumed reminded me that the good I see in other Christians is always a sampling of the God who is living in them. I was also able to see God's power working in their lives as teens who had never taught children before learned how to use a Bible story to present the Gospel message and make applications for saved children. At one club, a student was teaching children the sotry of Naaman, who was told that the only way he could be healed of his leprosy was to bathe in the Jordan River. As he was explaining that similarly there is only one way to Heaven, one of the kids exclaimed, "So Jesus is like our Jordan!?"

In addition to the training I helped with in Kansas, I stayed busy over the summer working at at training in Michigan and acting as a team leader and teacher in a 5-Day Club ministry in Boston designed to connect 30 churches with children and families in their neighborhoods and provide them with training to begin weekly Good News Club in their neighborhood schools. This week I moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky where I will be interning with the Child Evangelism Fellowship state director, Kari Ash, for about nine months.

Praise God That:

Over 2,000 children heard the Gospel and over 200 children were saved during the initial week of ministry in Boston.

70 teenagers and young adults in Kansas and 70 in Michigan have been equipped to teach children, along with other youth all around the world.

Please Pray That:

God will grant wisdom as I learn and work in many new areas in my internship.

God will continue to provide opportunities and workers for the pioneering work that CEF is doing in Kentucky.

A Few of My Favorite Things

pictures: I help raise the flag of Burkina Faso at the CEF headquarters prayer plaza.

Some of the CMI students take a study break.

"A room full of strangers coming together

Trying to live with this Missouri weather

Learning to teach about Jesus our King

These are a few of my favorite things.

When there're practicums

When the words don't come

When I'm sleep deprived

I simply remember God's promise to me

I can do all things through Christ."

These words, just part of a song set to a The Sound of Music tune and performed by many students, pretty accurately describe my experience at the Children's Ministries Institute(R). In March I returned to Child Evangelism Fellowship (R) headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri to complete the last five weeks of the institute and graduated in April. Each morning at the institute we gathered for devotions and prayer, followed by five classes on a variety of subjects such as ministry strategy and leadership essentials.

We also taught weekly Good News Clubs in area schools, and some of us were able to help with the children's programs at area churches. Since CMI students are housed in dorms in the headquarters building, the fellowship did not end when classes did. Although it was hard to go our separate ways after connecting with people from all over the U.S. and other countries who shared a love for God and a passion to bring His love to children, I am excited to be one step closer to ministering to the children in Burkina Faso.

While I was at CEF headquarters, I also received exciting news that brought me even closer to the goal. A budget correction and some new donors had vaulted my support level over the 90% mark. I now need to raise just $250 per month.

Thank you so much for your partnership!

Chelsey

Praise God For:

• All of the partners in ministry, like you, who pray and give!
  

• My graduation from CMI.
  
  

Please Pray That:

• God will give me wisdom as I help train youth to teach 5-Day Clubs for children. The training will take place May 31-June 12.
  

• God will provide workers and church partners for a pioneering ministry event in which I will be participating in Boston July 19-31. CEF workers from around the country will gather to teach 5-Day Clubs and train church partners to continue children's ministry thoughout the year.
  

• God would provide the remaining 7% of my support.

Teacher?

The founder of CEF, Mr. Overholtzer, wanted to be saved at age 12, but was told he was too young. When he accepted Christ as an adult, he accepted his predecessors' views on child conversion. Until one day he read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon that said, "A child of five, if properly instructed, can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult." Skeptical, he tested the theory on two neighborhood girls, who readily received Christ. Shocked, he told them not to tell anyone and waited to see what would happen. Some time later, the girls' mother visited him, saying that even though her daughters had not told her anything, she had seen a big change in their lives. The ministry of CEF was born.

Over 70 years later, I joined CEF for a missions trip, ignorant of the statistics that 85% of today's Christians accepted Christ by age 14 and clueless of the importance of reaching the age group most successsful at adopting faith like a child. It wasn't long before I saw how eager children are for God and heard many more stories about how the changed lives of children can be the strongest witness for adults. Still, I had forgotten that the children I teach could also touch my spirit.

In December as I concluded a weekly Good News Club lesson on Elisha, I told the children that he died and went to be with God. One child raised her hand and siad, "So he didn't really die, right? He just moved." The next day my grandmother died, and this girl's words came immediately to mind. These children are not just students, but are my brothers and sisters in the Lord, my comrades in battle, and my encouragement to trust God and His promises.

Praises and Prayer Requests:
I will raise support and teach a Good News Club in Indians for the next few weeks.

March 15-April 16, I will complete the Children's Ministries Institute at CEF headquarters in Missouri.

On April 18, I will return to Kansas to continue raising support.

We are working on my possible role in summer ministry, including the chance to serve as a guest missionary at Kansas' CYIA (a ministry in which teens receive training and then teach 5-Day Clubs for children) and to participate in Boston 2010 (a ministry in which CEF workers from all over the country will gather to ignite long-term CEF ministry in Boston by partnering with local churches to teach 5-Day Clubs). We are also working to set up my U.S. internship (the next step toward beginning my ministry in Burkina Faso), which will likely be in Kentucky.

Please join with me in praising God for these opportunites and praying for His guidance.

World's Worst Beggar

pictures 1) A group of us pray for children around the world at the Children's Ministries Institute.

2) Some of the teachers get involved in a Nerf war.

3) A group of us perform a skit demonstrating age group characteristics.

I've taught kids that God answers prayer three ways: yes, no, or wait. But occasionally I try to make a loophole. Last year I begged God to provide enough support that I could begin training in January 2009, thinking a forced yes/no answer would improve my chances. God still went with wait.

I did attend the first seven weeks of the Children's Ministries Institute(R) this fall. I learned how to teach toddlers, challenge children in spiritual growth, teach adults to teach children, and much more. Just as profusely as I had begged God to put me in the spring class, I now thanked Him for "ignoring" me. Our fall class prayed together, sought God together, and shot each other with Nerf guns, and I thanked God for putting me in this group at this time. Even the teachers were impressed with our class.

I began praying that I could finish all of CMI with this class and then begin the next step of my preparation (internship). I painfully accepted God's no and returned to raising support. I guess I have a habit of begging God for smaller blessings than He has planned.

I am in a support-raising lull. Support and ideas for how to raise it are coming slowly. Still, I want to prepare for minstry by seeking God, studying French and books on West Africa, and doing all I can to glorify God in this time. David was anointed king twenty years before his enthronement. I haven't yet spent twenty years preparing for my ministry (God, please no!), and though sometimes the slow progress makes me doubt my calling, I've decided that since the Bible tells of wait-ers like David, Abraham, and Joseph, God will have to do a whole lot more than make me wait if He wants to guide me somewhere else. Now I just can't wait to see how His plan will turn out better than mine!

Praise God That:

I was able to attend seven weeks of Children's Ministries Institute.

God always has something better when He answers prayers no or wait.

Please Pray That:

God will provide ideas and opportunities to raise support.

I will trust God's timing and be able to use this slow time to prepare for ministry.

I am currently at 64% of my regular support goal.

He Turns Shootings to Shoutings of Joy

picture 1: I teach the missions story.

picture 2: One of our clubs demonstrates how much fun they had during the week.

"Little Rock has the highest per capita murder rate in the nation," the police officer explained. As CEF workers from 26 states sat in our training session near the clubs we would teach in Little Rock, the officer continued, "But crime has decreased recently. Now there are only eight, ten, maybe twelve shootings per week." Only? I thought, I come from a place where one shooting per year is a lot. Why didn't I do more research on Little Rock before I decided to come? But it was too late now, and I was realizing how much the children of such a city need hope and love. I had joined 105 other CEF workers for a week of teaching a total of 90 5-Day Clubs. Each of the 30 teams partnered with a local church that hosted a concluding rally for the children and their families and will continue in long-lasting ministry to the children. By the end of the week, I hadn't witnessed any shootings (except by marshmallow gun), I felt like a part of the Spanish-speaking church family with whom my team partnered (even though my attempts at Spanish usually ended in French), and I had to resist the urge to beg the 50 children from my clubs to come home with me. A girl named Cynthia said, "I didn't believe in God before I came to club, but now I do." A boy named Jordan exclaimed, "I'm coming to church here Sunday." Noah and Ryan read the entire comic book version of Luke in three days. As I returned to my regular work of raising support, I prayed in the words of Chris Tomlin, "Greater things have yet to be done in this city." And I wondered what part these kids would have in those things.

Praise God That:

Over 1,800 Little Rock children attended clubs with over 250 salvations.

Even though I am short on support, I have received permission to attend the first 7 weeks of CEF's Children's Ministries Institute in Warrenton, MO (August 18-October 9). This training may actually help me raise my remaining support.

Please Pray That:

The children in Little Rock will stay connected to their host churches and will grow in their relationships with God.

God will continue to provide support and opportunities to raise support even as I focus on training instead.

May Newsletter--ABC News: Ministry Style

I am currently at 52% of my regular support.

Picture 1: During the CEF conference, I was able to rest from raising support and enjoy a few hours in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

Picture 2: The regional conference provided an opportunity to meet CEF workers from several countries.

My main work continues to be raising financial support for my ministry, both in Kansas and Indiana. I also attended CEF®’s regional conference the first week of May. CEF was blessed with an excellent deal through a Christian group that allowed us to have the conference on a Caribbean cruise. Here are some ABC’s about what I’ve done since February.

I have:

· Applied for Little Rock ‘09 (CEF workers from across the U.S. will gather in Little Rock, AR for two weeks this summer in an effort to greatly increase outreach to children in this city. We will teach several 5-Day Clubs (similar to Vacation Bible School) and train teachers from partnering churches to continue children’s ministry through the rest of the year.)

· Behaved like a pre-schooler (Conference work-shops covered topics from pre-school-friendly Gospel presentations to training new leaders.)

· Called churches regarding possible support

· Directed the drama of Peter escaping prison (During one church presentation, I directed children to act out this story that illustrates the importance of praying for other believers.)

· Eaten escargot (The cruise included meals, with the option to try the unusual and fancy. At least it tasted better than it looked.)

· Folded 300 letters

· Given ministry presentations at churches

· Hosted an African party (My Hoosier housemates and I hosted a house meeting to present my ministry to a group of mostly college-aged individuals. And they all thought my African food was more edible than escargot!)

· Implemented a new strategy for raising my remaining support (Now that I’ve talked to 600 people/families and 500 churches, I decided to send letters to people I talked to over half a year ago who never responded, asking them to reconsider partnering in the ministry.)

· Jet skied (We had some free time in Jamaica.)

· Kept records of ministry data (Sometimes I feel like I need a secretary.)

· Labeled and stamped 300 envelopes

· Mailed ministry information to churches and individuals

· Negotiated (We bartered for crafts at a Jamaican market.)

· Prayed for my prayer supporters

· Quizzed myself over French vocabulary

· Regularly reported activities and ministry progress to CEF headquarters

· Stuffed and sealed 300 letters

· Turned an inappropriate comment into time for testimony (As my conference roommate and I were leaving the Jamaican market, vendors kept pushing us to buy more. I told them, “I have no more money,” and a man standing nearby (jokingly?) said, “I’ll give you money.” We ended up talking to him about how God is in control, even amidst pain. It was certainly the most interesting way I’ve ever started a conversation about God.)

· Visited Hell (This small town in Grand Cayman Island is known for rock formations that look like they belong in Hell. It was a good reminder of how important it is to tell children about the Way to Heaven.)

· Worshipped with CEF workers from Russia, Guyana, the Bahamas, and many more places

· Zipped down a water slide at Margaritaville (Yes, that was all we did there.)

Praise God That:
· I have achieved 100% of my prayer support goal and over half of my financial support.
· I was able to attend the CEF regional conference.

Please Pray That:
· I will raise 80% of my financial support by August in order to reach my goal of beginning the Children’s Ministries Institute this fall.
· Many CEF workers and Little Rock churches will be able to participate in Little Rock ‘09 and establish continuing children’s ministry that will reach many children.