Good Bye 2011-2012 School Year

Last Wednesday we said 'goodbye' to the 2011-2012 school year. And I have to admit, it was a great year! We talked about so many amazing things such as: Israel, emotional scars, serving God in everything we do, basics of our Christian faith, being the hands and feet of Jesus, crazy stories in the Old Testament,etc. Our events were so much fun: Acquire the Fire, over-nighters, boomers, laser tag, hiking, basketball, BBQ's, swim parties, 25 hour famine, winter camp, etc. But, by far, the best part was just being together. That is why we do all the teachings and events, so that we can be in community together -- and we are all better when we are in community together! Kaylyn and I love our students and are so incredibly blessed to see them grow up in faith. I am so excited for what God has planned this next year! We will simply stay the course God has put us on and continue to pray for His guiding and leading, because He is the one who is in total control.

Blessings,
Danny & Kaylyn

Character Matters

This month we have been doing a series on different characters from the Bible.  Kaylyn talked about Mary the mother of Jesus and the struggles she went through being pregnant and the kind of faith she had.  I talked about King Solomon and the fact that the wisest man to ever live lost sight of God and his wisdom could not save him.  And last week Ryan taught on Jael and how she killed an evil man to save Israel.  He also mentioned how the judges would deliver Israel, but they would continue to go back to their old ways of turning from God.  In all the stories you see that God wants us to be near to Him as He is near to us.  When we get comfortable we often get lazy, which causes us to forsake God.  Even the greatest of people fall when they take their eyes off Jesus Christ.  Our prayer is that we learn from these stories and keep our eyes, hearts, minds and thoughts on God.   

If you want to read these passages for yourself (which I encourage), check out:

Mary -- the gospel of Luke
King Solomon -- 1 Kings, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
Jael -- Judges 4 & 5

Grace and Peace

James & Key Chains

This last Wednesday was another great day in an even better month.  Our Do Something series has been so amazing and we have already raised almost $3800 for Beautiful Gate!  Can you believe that???  People have been buying shirts and pies like crazy and I am blown away.  During youth group we broke up in groups and talked about how the world can only see our faith by our works.  The discussion came out of James 2 ( I suggest reading it).  People cannot see our hearts, but they can see our actions.  That means that if we claim to be Christians, there should be evidence of our faith in the way that we live our lives.  And, because of all this we are supporting BA to show the world that Jesus loves them and that He cares about everyone... especially those in need.  As we talked we also had the students making keychains in the colors of the Lesotho flag.  We gave these keychains out to everyone at church on Sunday.  God is definatly blessing the efforst of our students and I can only imagine what he wll do in the future!

For all those who have been supporting us, thank you so much!  Your generosity is a gift from God.

Do Something = Beautiful Gate

Last night we started our April series Do Something.  We have really been looking forward to this one.  This month is all about getting out there and making a difference.  We have decided to put our efforts towards supporting Beautiful Gate.  BG is an orphanage in Lesotho, Africa and they need our help.  This month we are selling BA shirts, selling pies, doing a 25-hour Famine and anything else we can think of to try and hit our goal of $2500.  But, after last night and everyone getting excited, we agreed to raise the goal to $3500!  And, just since Sunday we have raised $1200 so we have started strong!  Our prayer is that God expands our minds and shows us that there are no limits within His Kingdom.  All we have to do is be willing to put in the time, sweat and prayer and then watch God work!

The Lorax

 Just a reminder that tomorrow night (3.28.12) UpFront Student Ministries is going to Harkins Theatres to see Dr. Suess' The Lorax.  The cost is $8 per person and the time is 6:30-8:30.  It is going to be a blast and you don't want to miss out on this one!  Be sure to invite a friend and we hope to see you there!

Welcome to Africa!

Last night at youth group was amazing! We had Bryan Geurink from Beautiful Gate in Lesotho, Africa share with us. He talked about the orphans they work with and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. He also talked about how he ended up in Africa, a place he never thought God would take him too. It was such a powerful night and I think we all walked away challenged and desiring to go to Africa one day.

As Bryan talked about the kids at Beautiful Gate I was reminded that we all need love. Everyone desires attention, care and someone to talk to. Another word for this is community.  In one sense, we are all orphans who have been taken in by none other than Jesus.  He is the one who says to us, "though you have been rejected by the world, I run to you with open arms."  Jesus loves us and cares us like no one else is capable of. 

During the month of April our youth group is going to try and "Do Something."  We will devote our time, money and energy to helping Beautiful Gate.  I am so excited for what is going to happen!

 

Balaam's Donkey & other fun things

Last night was another great night! We talked about Balaam's Donkey (Numbers 22) and how he let his greed blind him from what God's plan was. Kaylyn challenged us to think about those things in our lives that blind us to what God is offering us. In light of the the teaching, we played Pin the Tail on the Donkey and I have come to the conclusion that we should play it much more since it is so funny to watch! And to top it of,f we have some girls sing with the worship team for the first time and they did amazing! It was such a fun night and I walked about feeling very blessed to be part of it.

Make sure to join us next week as Bryan Buerink from Beautiful Gate in Lesotho will be speaking and sharing his story of how he ended up in Africa! I am sure it will be another great night. See you next week!

Danny & Kaylyn