October has been an eventful month so far and I am sure it will continue. All our scheduled weekly programs are up and running and It is good to be back into a routine.
This year we have tried to narrow our focus and concentrate more on a single group/area of kids/teens. Last year was spent scoping out and finding out just what was already available in the Sunnyslope community for kids and teens and partnering with those established ministries.
Now that we have a good overall picture we have narrowed our focus and are trying to establish some of our own programs. This means getting to know a smaller group more personally!
Monday nights we have started a small Teen Night/Bible Study group. AJ is leading this group and we do have one other volunteer helping (PTL). We have anywhere from 8-10 Teens on a typical Monday Night. I have been so encouraged by there interest in the Bible. On the first night I had a teen ask me about how I had become a Christian and several others wondered if we could talk about the Bible more! They are ready and willing to listen...are we ready to share!
Tuesdays are spent preparing for our crazy Wednesdays :) and visiting the kids we pick up for Kids Church on Wednesday nights. Sometimes I wonder how effective it is to go door-to-door visiting these kids and handing out fliers every week when they mostly already know that we are having Kids Church the next day. It's not so much the reminding them about Kids Church as much as the physical interaction. We have been picking up several of the kids we visit and taking them to the library or park after visitation and just the one-on-one interaction is so valuable to gain there trust!
We were unable to go on our visitation rout this week and Wednesday night we had a less than average amount of kids at kids church and many kids asked me, 'why we didn't come visit them'...so I really do believe this menial, sometimes tiresome, task speaks/ministers to the kids more than we realize!
This year we are continuing our Good News Club at Sunnyslope Elementary. We had hoped to find another church/ministry to take on this club so we could start a new Good News Club at the Dessert View Elementary school where most of our Wednesday night Kids Church kids attend...however we were unable to find a group willing to do this. So we have continued at Sunnyslope and are praying God opens up the door to get into Dessert View Elementary next year. (Anyone feeling called to Phoenix)
Good News Club is part of Child Evangelism Fellowship and is an after school club that teaches the salvation message each week threw verses, songs, and Bible stories.
Kids Church on Wednesday nights is a partnership that Aim Right has been facilitating for the past year with PV Mennonite Church. We have enjoyed getting to know the people at PV and seeing there heart for unchurched, at risk kids. (We have been attending PV as our home church since February 2012) AJ leads the opening assembly time with usually a Bible story, object lesson, or sometimes relay games. We sing some lively kids songs then break up into classes. I have been teaching the youngest class of 5-year-olds to 3rd grade. Which is usually about 20 kids. This was my first week giving up my role as teacher and just helping...(I have learned, pregnancy sometimes makes you a little less patient with kids )
We are very thankful for Evie Beckler who recently moved to Phoenix and has been helping with many of the PV programs. She will be teaching my class Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings...PTL!
Thursday and Fridays AJ continues to work for Kroph Woodworking. I was able to quit my Orthodontic Assistant job last month and have been anticipating baby Miller's arrival any day now! (Due 10/27)
Friday evenings AJ has continued helping a local ministry, Prodigal's Home, with there neighborhood ministry which consist of facilitating games and serving food for the families in the Sunnyslope area.
Thank-you all once again for your continued prayers and financial support, it truly means so much to have family and friends who believe in the things we are involved in out here in Phoenix! May God repay you with many many blessings!
Also just a few pictures from a recent outing with some kids on Fall Break.
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