Disappointments and Praises

For most of you who are on our email list, you know our week was disappointing because no children came to our 5-Day Club. We invited the children, we saw them playing outside right up until time for club, then they would all disappear.

I think Satan has a stronghold on this neighborhood because of the "Lighthouse Chapel" across the street from us. This used to be a Salvation Army Church, but about 10 years ago, they sold the building to the group that is in it now. They worship angels, stars, and many other things; they have seances and psychic fairs.

Please pray for us to be lights in our neighborhood.

The praises - Philip has his first job in his field of study - computer-aided drafting. He is working for Attack Race Cars - a shop that builds drag race cars for one racer. He will be drawing the smaller parts used to build up the car. Not only will he work full time, but after three months, he will receive health benefits! they are willing to work around his schooling. But the best thing of all is that his boss attends a good church in Charlotte and so the work environment will be nice.

JOanna is teaching clubs in Hesperia this week (near Newaygo/Fremont area). Pray for her as she teaches four clubs a day. Next week, she will be teaching clubs in Laingsburg - a little closer to home but still staying with others for the week. The following week, she is in Wayne County (Detroit area!)

Bethany won't have any clubs to teach this coming week, so will mainly work at the daycare.

Doug has jury duty this week in Mason, so the car juggling will be interesting.

I hope to get some pictures of clubs up soon.

End of club

Today was day 5 of the 5-Day Club I taught here in Lansing. There were 13 children enrolled, all but 3 were from Tanzania. All week long I have been praying that God would help me relate the truth of His Word to the children. Although none of the children responded to the invitation, that I know of, several of the children said today that they do believe in Jesus as their Savior. Whether they made that decision in club or at another time, I do not know but God does. Some of the children did say they attended church in Tanzania.

I found a "chick" tract in Swahili on-line that I printed and copied for the children, and John 3:16 in Swahili. I trust that these two items will further explain the gospel and the boys and girls will come to know Jesus as Savior if they don't already know Him.

I thank God that I was able to teach this club this week.

5-Day Clubs

This week, both Bethany and Joanna are teaching 2 clubs each, and I am teaching one club. In the club I teach at 3:00 most of the children are from Tanzania and speak Swahili. Our missionary project is raising money for a car for Kathy Gleckler who is a CEF missionary to East and Central Africa of which Tanzania is a part. In fact, they had their first CYIA in Tanzania last year to train young people in that country to teach clubs. We have a song in Swahili that we use when we teach about Kathy. The children in my club love that song because it is in their native language. So, I dug through my tubs of CEF materials and found two more Swahili songs to use today in club.

Please pray for me that I can know how to relate the truths of the Word of God to these children in a way they will understand. They have been in the Lansing school district for a year so do know English and can read it, but I am not sure how much understanding they have. They do not know what "sin" is, so I went on the internet and found the swahili word for it - kosa. To say "we sin" is tunakosa.

Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will have a picture to share with you.

Summer ministry

This week we did not have 5-Day Clubs scheduled because of the holiday, but we did take the young people who went to CYIA and SMA on open air, sharing the Wordless Book with children that we met on the streets. Many children or their parents did not want to listen to the story, but 17 people did (14 children and 3 adults) and 7 prayed to recieve Christ as their Savior.

Next week we start clubs, although there are only 5 scheduled. Bethany, Joanna and I will each be teaching in separate clubs, using others who went to training. Our schedule will be interesting, but now, one of our vehicles needs exhaust repairs - that if we had the problem area replaced would be $1000 (for a car that may be worth $2000.) We are hoping to get a cobble job done that would be considerable less $.

Looking ahead - Joanna will be teaching clubs for Shoreline CEF (Ludington, Newaygo area) the week of July 21, then in Capital Area - in Laingsburg- July 28, and in Detroit the week of Aug. 4.

Bethany will teach morning clubs, then work at the daycare in the afternoons.

Philip and Bethany are trying to get their fall schedule figured out. Please pray for them. Bethany needs three classes to complete her course of study but may need to take each one separately. Pray that she can take at least two of the classes concurrently, so then she can be done in two semesters.

Philip has one class left for his associates and is applying to Laurence Tech for his Bachelors, but can do most of the work at LCC. He has an appointment with an advisor next Thursday.

Joanna and I are in the process of planning her Senior Year of High School.

Doug continues to work at the State Office doing his duties as Director of Administration.

We would like to get up to Tustin/Cadillac area sometime this summer. Please pray that we can figure out when, where we would stay, and have the $ for gas.

Thanks.

Maryann