November 2014 Newsletter

Amy and I had the wonderful opportunity to get back to the Midwest and spend some great time with so many friends, family and loved ones. Stops along the way in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Tennessee allowed us to draw from God’s wellspring of love and care. We enjoyed wedding celebrations with awesome people in Omaha and Kansas City and a rivalry football game in Lawrence, Kansas on a sunny afternoon with family and dear friends. We also had dinner with a wonderful mentor couple, Tom and Lynn, who poured more life into us than what we ever imagined. Sometimes God will take us away from our routine and our own chaos to see what really matters the most. Time with others mattered to us and got us to thinking about what to do in the time when we got back home. This got me to thinking about the next comment I’m about to make.

Amy and I with our dear friend, Toni,
at the KU/OSU game.

Rick (old boss) and I during the recent visit
in Kansas City, a true blessing!

Amy and I with my family back in Iowa during our Midwest visit.

Normally when I cross paths with someone who asks how things are going with the ministry at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, things usually trend toward the weekly attendance at Club. Sure it is exciting to share what is going on at both of our locations with our teenagers and the uprising in attendance. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s not the only thing.

In the recent weeks, Amy and I have spent some great moments together visiting our kids in special moments where they shine in their passions and strengths. One evening was in Savannah watching a couple of our Hunter middle school girls, Clairah and Alyssa, participate in their first volleyball scrimmage for their school. Their sports teams are in the developing stages and this was a monumental event to see how far the kids have grown in their abilities and we got to share in that moment!

Clairah (far right) with her friend and Alyssa next to me after their volleyball scrimmage! 

Amy and I with Alysia and Austin
at the Long County Football Game
....which was COLD! :) 

Another shared event was where we decided to pick up Austin and Alysia from Fort Stewart Club to hang out with them as we watched a mutual student compete in the color guard for their football halftime show. This young lady attended camp with us and has a heart of gold. She’s passionate about life and has poured herself into this new talent and for us to see her in action was such a moment for Shelby.

Shelby and I after her halftime
performance for the flag corps.

Bradwell Institute's band during a bitter
COLD day'scompetition!

Ethan with us after his team's game.

It isn’t enough that we know our kids are involved in specific activities, but when we get to physically see them doing it, that is where the sparks fly for our teens. This is certain for quite a few of our local high school band members who shared with us about their band competition right before state kicks off for them. Amy and I not only made it up to see them in the blustery cold wind – yes it was THAT cold in southeast Georgia that afternoon, but we also made it up earlier in the morning to watch one of our Hunter youths play in one of his final soccer tournaments in the Savannah area.

Recently, Desiree (name changed for privacy), a girl from Hunter followed up with me after she shared she had been struggling at home with life changes and all. It wasn’t enough that it blew me away a 7^th grade teen wanted to grab my ear to visit about some deeper things, but this young lady admitted where her physical anger was getting the best of her and how it might be bad for her to be thinking that way.

Our dear friends, Tony and Michelle.

The daily grind of full-time ministry can sometimes be exhaustive. We have been praying earnestly for a mutual couple for God to put into our path and grow relationally and spiritually as we work with our teens. As of late, Amy and I had the wonderful moment to sit down and have dinner with an amazing couple, Tony and Michelle, who lives locally in Hinesville and does youth ministry at their church in town. Interestingly enough, this couple also understands the value of relational ministry. Tony once commented to me after the guys marathon day and said that he knew we ‘got it’ in relational ministry to teens. It was a breath of fresh air to sit down with them over a meal. Before we knew it, we’d been visiting about life, ministry and whatever else for three hours!   

It is true that our weekly efforts matter because they lay the foundation for us to be able to be readily available to hear when our kids want us to plug into their activities or lives when we’re trusted. Please join us in praying as our leaders spend time outside of the weekly ministry routine and that our hearts and ears are open when these teens desire for us to live life with them.

Thank you for being part of our life. Life on life matters, especially to these teens.