March

'Give thanks in everything, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

We are praising God for who He is.  For we know He is faithful to complete the work that He has begun in us.  He calls us to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances-- for He remains worthy.  And His Word remains unchanged. Join with us in giving thanks and praise to our God- the King of Kings!

This church, Efesus, has a growing youth group, and we wanted to encourage and train the youth in sharing their faith.  Here we are facilitating an evangelism workshop with them just before we send them out to practice.  One side role-plays a believer sharing his faith while the other side acts as a skeptical stranger.  Afterwards, we led them through some follow-up questions to see how we can improve the way we share our message with others. 

We used a questionnaire format for them to start conversations with those they encountered at a local grocery store.  They were nervous at first, but when they had finished with one, they were eager to find the next. When we left, they were full of excitement from sharing their faith. 

Later in the month, we held an outreach event at a nearby skate park!  Young people filled the place, curious to see the outcome of the skate competition.  After the competition, and before we awarded the prizes, a youth group we partnered with presented a drama representing  Jesus' power to save us from all that the world throws at us.  

After the drama, we presented the gospel message and led the onlookers in prayer for salvation.  We also were able to pray individually for the six winning competetors.   They were touched by God's Spirit, and several of them visited the church that weekend.   Pray with us for the youth in this community  to crave the Truth of Christ Jesus and run after Him. 

We also pray for the youth groups to continue to grow in their understanding of our God and to be bold in sharing the good news with all those around them. 

My husband's heart for the lost is so evident that this same church invited him to share a three-week class on evangelism with the congregation.  Our desire is to stir up the church in her understanding of the responsibility she holds in carrying out the Great Commision.

God opened a door for us to teach Biblical truths at this public elementary school.  A pastor friend of ours enters schools with a team to apply fluoride and provide basic dental care.  By the relationship he and his team built, we were able to present two key principles:
'Life and death are in the power of the tongue' and 'Respect is treating others the way you want to be treated'

We led them in a declaration of using words of life and forgiving those who had hurt them with their words.  The kids and their teachers were very receptive!  We are praying for more opportunities to impact these young lives with the Truth. 

To conclude our month, we were invited to give a children's outreach lesson in partnership with a church that organized a shoe-drive for kids in their community.  Here we are praying with them to give Jesus all their fear and worry and to receive His life instead.

We praise God for His greatness.  That He never stops working to draw all people to Himself.  Thank you for praising and praying with us-- for His ever increasing glory!  For His provision.  For His will to come to completion here on this earth!