Child Evangelism Fellowship Chicago

Good evening and blessing to you all,

Pastor Mike and Theresa, thank you for your prayer on Saturday, it is a blessing to have this wonderful support system, I thank God for you everyday. You all have made this journey positively joyous, and I can’t express how grateful I am to have the Lord place me with my Birth family who Prays with and for us constantly, my Crossroads family, and my CEF family. After we spoke, we did have a situation that required God’s grace.

Please pray for Jordyn. Late Saturday evening she was having trouble breathing and I had to take her to the emergency room. It was a scary time for both of us as the hospital was 18 miles away and it was dark and raining. The Lord gave us the strength to make it and get the care she needed. We do not know what brought it on. The Doctor diagnosed her as having musclespasm as her lungs swelled making it almost impossible to breathe. They had her on a breathing machine and it opened her passages within 10 minutes. The Doctor also gave her an inhaler, and antibiotics for the inflamation or infection that resulted from this incident. We are to follow up with her primary care doctor for further evaluation. Since we will be down here for three months, we found a Pediatrician in the area. The Doctor indicated that this may be a temporary illnes and the prescriptions may clear up what ever caused the inflamation, or if there are reoccurences, it may be that she has asthma. Perhaps climate, perhaps something she ate, perhaps environmental changes with our new living quarters…it is unknown but she is feeling better.

On Sunday, Praise God, we were able to attend Church and give thanks for his grace and mercy. Everyone down here is reaching out and praying for us and we are grateful. Jordyn is getting more and more comfortable with school and making new acquaintances. We had a wonderful surprise today, Ken and Sharon (Chicago’s Local Directors) came down and stopped in for lunch, it was beautiful to see loving faces from home. We are so blessed and so excited at this opportunity to grow in Christ. We are learning so much and looking forward to sharing all that we learn with all who will hear.

Today in class, we had 6 children come in for the Teaching Little Children class, and they took part in a full GNC lesson for ages 2-8, this was much different from the GNC we normally teach, the language was totally different, but the message was the same. This class involved more activities due to the attention span for this age group. It was awesome, and challenging. All that you do for older children had to be changed so that the younger group received and understood the message. WOW!!!!!!!

Attached are some fun photos Jordyn on her first day of school waiting for the bus to go to her new/temporary school Warrior Ridge Elementary, she misses her Teacher and friends back home. Also, see two photos of the children and the Instructors. See the children as they lay on cots experiencing what it would feel like to be like the lame man, Lazarous. How about that for teaching.

We Love You all and Miss You,

Angela and Jordyn
636-297-6673

P.S. Theresa, here are our five verses for the week.

Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:14, John 3:15, Acts 16:31, 2 Peter 3:18, 1 Cor 15:3 and 4, Romans 3:23, John 3:16, Eph 2:8. Wow, just sending these verses to you gets me all excited remembering what they mean.

Jordyn and I are doing just that! Taking deep breathes as we start this wonderful journey at CMI – Children’s Ministry Institute. Please continue to PRAY for us, it is challenging to be away from what we know as home, our family and friends. The good news is that we have been welcomed and we are making new friends and making this our home for the next three months. God knows what he is doing and I don’t question Him. Just looking forward to the wonderful work he is doing in me.

It’s the weekend and guess what, I have lots of homework. Today in class we went over how to deliver the wordless book to preschoolers. If you think it should be easier than delivering to the older children, I’m here to tell you, it isn’t. It takes a lot of thought and preparation, you have to speak in a language that they understand, which also involves so many other factors to create a package so that when the invitation is given they know what has been presented to them. What an awesome experience. One that I look forward to sharing with our younger children.

I am also excited to share that on Wednesday, I will be teaming up with other CMI Instructors and students, for the GNC at Warrior Ridge Elementary School here in Warrenton, Missouri. So to my team of Leaders back in Illinois, I won’t be out of practice.

Love ya and I’ll check in soon.

Hello and Greetings to you all! I just want to say a quick “Thank you” for being so kind and welcoming me into the CEF team of Chicago!!! You all are a great and wonderful team and I am privileged to be a part!!! The meetings have been so helpful lately and I really appreciate all you do for the children’s souls of Chicago!

I am looking forward to all the TCE classes, 5-Day Clubs, GNCs, workshops, etc…with ya’ll !!!!! God bless everyone!!!and GO TEAM!!!!! YEAH!!!!

Blessings in the Lord,

Kara Lancaster

Two days ago I got the privilege of teaching adults how to conduct a party club, a Good News Club program designed to help the kids celebrate Valentine’s Day.  I had a blast teaching adults (to teach kids) a synced-up version of “Jesus Loves Me,” and teaching the “Valentine’s Day verse” (Mark 12:30:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”)  The theme of the workshop was teaching children how to love God with “all your heart;” to illustrate this phrase, I showed a picture of a runner whose expression denoted concentration and struggle; then I advised the teachers to imitate the runner as if he were only putting part of his heart into the race–by “running” around the room like a lame duck!  The teachers were incredible learners and it was exciting to see how gifted they are.  It was a privilege to introduce them to a new Bible lesson they can teach about three Bible characters who loved with all THEIR hearts (Hannah, who gave God Samuel; Abraham, who gave God Isaac; and GOD, Who gave US Jesus).  This Bible lesson explained the reason behind Jesus’ death and resurrection (to take the punishment for our sin so we can be adopted into God’s family).  The lesson ends with Jesus’ resurrection and breakfast conversation with Peter beside the Sea of Galilee: “Do you love Me, Peter?”  At this point, the teachers will ask the kids, “Do YOU love Him?”  The teachers will challenge saved and unsaved kids to find specific ways to love God with all THEIR hearts.  And all this is done in an easy-to-understand, captivating way!

I sit in awe today as I reminise on our All Mighty Lord and Savior. He is incredible beyond all we could imagine. His will be done!!!! Thank you Prayer Partners, Thank you Donors, Thank you Team workers, Thank you Crossroads family, Thank you CEF family, Thank you friends and family, and Thank you God!

This week at Good News Club, we had 15 students as we began our 5-week lesson about Patriarch’s. Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called…obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” That is the memory verse we taught this week. The teaching goal is “tust God to keep His promises.” We know that he will because His word says so, go ahead and read it for yourself. Try Romans 8:28, and should you need anymore assistance, please call on me I welcome the opportunity to share God’s wonderful message. We encouraged the children to stay in God’s word everyday and speak to him everyday, that is how you form an intimate relationship with Him. It is great to see that the children were receiving the message and understanding it. As we asked our review questions, they were able to answer correctly. Here is one of the questions. “What does it mean to trust God’s promises? They answered “depend on God to do what he says.”

It just brought joy to the Leader’s hearts. God is working and each day, we can see His loving grace pouring down on us.

Thank each of you for your prayers and for partnering with me. Your Love gifts provided me an opportunity to attend the Children’s Ministry Institute in Warrenton, MO. January 20, will be the first day of a three month series of courses. I will keep you posted on this spectacular Biblical growth opportunity.

Ok my friends, I’m going to lay down and have pleasant dreams about our Savior, and the wonderful life he allows for. Please continue to pray for the children that as we continue to teach them, they begin to look even futher into God’s word so that they may be more Christ like.

Love ya, and as always check back for more updates.

Angela

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you!

These thanks come from the depths of my heart. I want to say Thank you for your PRAYERS, thank you for your SUPPORT, thank you for your FAITH, thank you for your WORK, and thank you for your LOVE.

God’s word says “Love each other as I have loved you”.
May our love continue to flourish in 2010.

In case you ever wondered, insanity + pillow fights = “We Three Kings.”  At least, it did during the Bible Club/Christmas Party I got to help teach last week.  After the screaming had died down and the pillows had stopped flying, but before club officially began, several of the kids and I gathered on the stairs and sang songs like “Country roads, take me home,” and “You belong with me,” and ending with “Twelve Days of Christmas,” and “We Three Kings.”  About fifteen minutes later, I was teaching them the story of the Three Kings.  When I asked for volunteers to act out the story, they all raised their hands and jumped up and down.  I picked three–who, to their chagrin, were assigned to act as camels.