"A Move for a Better Life" The
beginning of February brought a big change in the life of a family that I have had the privilege to meet with weekly since
the fall of 2001. Lillian and her girls, Nadalie and Stephanie, moved to Waterbury, CT. This was a move to a better life,
a life that put them closer to family and also better schools and neighborhoods. Before the move Stephanie had not attended
school for the last year and a half. She was hanging out out with people that had gotten her involved in drinking, drugs and
smoking. A week after the move I talked with an excited Stephanie. She shared with me how she loved her school and how she
thought she was going to graduate. The other exciting thing is that Lilly is giving all the glory to God! They are attending
church as a family for the first time. What a blessing! Because Waterbury is only an hour away I can still visit them once
a month and be involved in their lives.
Weekly Bible Study Each Saturday I have been having an individual Bible STudy with two girls that attend
Camp Joy. We are studying the book of James. It is a time that all three of us enjoy. We read through the book and discuss
it as well as have a great time of fellowship. Please pray for Tyler and Lay Lay as controling their anger is a daily struggle,
whether it is giving their teacher attitude or getting into a fight and breaking someone's nose. We are studying how to handle
situations God's way rather than their own way.
ZinelleZinelle is one of the moms of two of
our Camp Joy children. They also attend our Thursday afterschool program. Over the last few months I have had the privilege
of sharing the gospel with her. Her heart at first was very closed. Because she had been involved in a cult for several years
she did not believe a lot of what the Bible says.. At Christmas I gave her a copy of The Case for Faith. She said she
would not read the Bible, but she would read a regular book about Christ. She has been reading it, enjoying it and has been
coming with many questions about what she has read. Pray for her to continue to be open to hearing the gospel. Pray also that
God would give her patience with her son. She has a hard time with Zollen, who can be a huge handful with a lot of behavioral
problems. that constantly overwhelm Zinelle.
Thursday Night After School Thursday nights at East
End Baptist Church in Brooklyn have been going very well. We have a consistent number of kids each week. We are beginning
to study the Fruits of the Spirit. One group that has been coming consists of about 10 boys that are 13-17 years old. They
started coming each week so they can play basketball in the gym. One of the requirements for them to play in the gym
is that they arrive at the church at 5:30 p.m. so they can participate in the Bible study portion of the evening. At first
they were a huge distraction, but they are now actively participating in the Bible study time and leaving with more than just
a fun time in the gym. Pray that will continue to come and not just hear God's Word, but also apply it to their lives.
2nd Annual Beautiful for God Retreat Spring has come and it is time to paln the next "Beautiful for God" retreat. I am exited because it was definitely
a huge success last year and the girls still talk about it to this day. As I look toward this year's retreat I will be focusing
on how the girls portray themselves to others. The theme of the retreat is: Yourspace, Myspace, God's Space. I am excited
about this theme. I will again be bringing the girls that sign up to the mall and teaching them how a godly girl dresses.
Last year's retreat was a success because of your generous giving and also your prayers. I would like to ask for your
help with this retreat as well. First of all pray for the girls that will attend. Pray that their hearts would begin
to open to what the Lord would have them apply to their lives. Secondly, if you would like to help financially
with the retreat you can send a check written to Children's Bible Fellowship with Beautiful for God written on the
memo line.
Looking Ahead This summer I have the amazing opportunity
to concentrate more on the ministry I have in the city. I will be able to partner with churches to begin building a bridge
from the kids' camp experience at Camp Joy to attending a "kid friendly" church in their own neighborhoods. This has been
a burden of mine since I began ministering to children in New York City. We will be holding weekly and in some cases bi-weekly
children's programs in neighborhood churches during the summer to introduce the kids and their families to the churches in
their neighborhoods. This summer I am planning to be in two different neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx and one neighborhood
in Queens. I also will be able to involve the different missions team groups that come throughout the summer in this ministry.
I will be spending one day a week upstate at the camp getting the kids pumped for the things they can do when they get back
home. Pray for the planning that will need to go into the summer as well as for the two summer staff members that I will be
hiring. I am excited to see what God is going to do this summer in New York City!
I want to thank you all for your prayers and support! I feel so blessed. Thank you for your notes of
encouragement and e-mails that I receive periodically. It certainly is much appreciated! The ministry opportunities her are
positively endless and God keeps opening more and more doors to share the gospel to so many people. Some days I don't even
know how I fit anything else in. But God is faithful in giving me the rest that I need. In May I will be able to take a short
break before I gear up for a non-stop summer by going to the Urban Youth Workers conference in Los Angeles. I will also take
a few extra days to visit another great city of the United States and have a time of refreshment.
