April update.

This was a busy month! We had one of our "Fun Days" and an overnight trip with a bunch of our Adventure Club kids. Fun Day happens about four times a year, its when we are open to the public with rides, shows, petting farm, playground, horse rides, carnival games, and other stuff.

I was put in the petting farm, a not so popular place since much of what someone does is walk around and make sure the people don't hurt the animals so the animals don't hurt the people but I had fun with it. It was also a opportunity to share the gospel.

I took out lots of the animals, like the six foot snakes, for people to hold and asked them "where in the bible are snakes mentioned?" This was the start of the gospel - we have a sin problem. Going to our pigs, I could compare the uncleanness of them to how God sees sin on us and make them think "would God let uncleanness into heaven?" We have a Cross Back Donkey, a donkey with a natural cross on his back. There I was able to tell of the story of Jesus and the cross.

Creation testifies that there is a God and He is good. Other ways, like looking at a mother hen and how she protects her chicks when people come close. Jesus testifies in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34 of His (who is God) love for the nation of Israel who rejected Him. A mother hen will get between you and her children, she will open her wings and cover them through troubles and throughout the night. She will not let let them out of her sight.

I once saw four chicks wonder into the goose pen. The mother walked all around trying to get into to where these massive geese were. When I tried to get them out she tried to get in, even trying to take me on! God loves us more than this mother loved her babies and He is so much more powerful than any dangers we face - even then dangers we get ourselves into.

Adventure Club is our followup program, we have four clubs in three schools in grades 5 and 6. Every Tuesday I went to Cleveland Eneus with Laura Danenk where we lead on average 12-15 kids in a discipleship time. We bring nature's lessons about God to the kids in fun ways. I loved the lesson on God's character most because the kids got it!

We looked at His names in Hebrew and Greek, each one, unlike our names, is about who He is or something He does. By the end of the class, they were thinking of new names for God based on what they knew about Him; loving God, good God, helpful, cares for us, always near us and other names that come from the heart of child.

Most of these kids came to our ALC Camp (just down the road) for two days of camp. Our theme was "Running the Race" from Hebrews 12:1-2. It was the Kids Olympics, lots of games; goat chasing, swimming, cabin competitions, etc. But it was the teaching within the games, bible sessions, cabin competitions, that we worked for hardest in these kids. Even in our cabins late a night when issues between campers needed to be handled with all the cabin, we were able to show them Christ's love and patience.

If you haven't read it a million times within my posts, showing Christ's love is our goal. They may have heard about Christ, maybe even go to a church that preaches Christ, but many of them have not seen Christ. Everyone here will throw a "Praise Jesus!" or a "God is good!" phrase into their conversations but they can also do that and in the next phrase say something totally un-Christ-like.

We have a term here "we love on the kids" because they may not have seen Him yet. That's what we do, from sharing the gospel to giving a hug. That's our mission in all we teach. Please pray for us.

-Doing all things in His strength.

-Needs for more teaching staff next year.

-Housing needs with more staff that will come when you pray with faith that other pray need above :)

-Summer Camp: staffing for summer, many kids to come, growth for them hearing the word.