20180315 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family, I am so excited to tell you that I will be visiting California again this summer. I am especially looking forward to seeing those of you who live in Orange County. I will be there for 2 weeks. Let's get together for coffee or ..... I would really like to see you! I long to share my heart with you in this newsletter. Thank you for reading! Rise to Shine         At first, our students were shy, even scared and the students at Rise to Shine were even more scared. By the end of the morning, both schools of students were laughing, playing and blessing each other. The sight of our middle school students serving in a poor, village school literally brought tears to my eyes. I’ve been praying for this. I’ve been hoping for this, and now it’s a reality.         Rise to Shine is one of the schools KICS has taken on to bless, encourage and strengthen. It began as a Christian ministry to assist orphaned, abandoned and poor village children by providing Christian education at little or no cost.         Three different schools were visited by various groups of students and teachers. Our group of middle schoolers went to Rise to Shine. Teachers also were able to bless. The head teacher came to me asking for ELL ideas. I sent him worksheets, activities and e-books. I am excited to partner together with these teachers and students.         As you look at the pictures, the big kids and the ones with blue or KICS shirts are KICS students. The younger ones in maroon uniforms are Rise to Shine.

I love this picture. The little girl shows it all in her facial expression. The young man is a KICS middle schooler who was very shy at first but really enjoyed his time at Rise to Shine. Mentors come in all sizes and ages. Sometimes the body of Christ waits until children grow up to give them an opportunity to serve, and in doing so misses a lot of the gifting and abilities of the younger generation.

Having fun with the "big kids" Since our group was responsible for playground games, we played good ol' American schoolground games. Students had a lot of fun. Just a little love, a lot of time and a sincere heart is all it takes to win these kids over. One of our boys teaching Rise to Shine students. A perfect mentor. My passion My passion is to take Christian young people who love Jesus and train them in service. We tend to tell kids they're too young to serve and then when they become adults they are not longer interested in serving. We have lost them.  Middle school kids will try anything once. If they have a good experience they are "hooked" for life. If they have a bad experience, they will never try it again. I love seeing the expression on kids faces when they realize that God has used them in someone's life. They realize they are important to the Kingdom, God has a plan for them and God can use them. It changes the way they see the world and the way they see themselves. I want to be a part of raising a generation of young people who care-who are not afraid to serve, to teach, to disciple, to get the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. Would you pray with me about this?