News

Crazy times we are living in for sure! It’s unlike anything I or many of us have ever seen. When I think about Covid-19, it intensifies some of the things that so many teens often struggle with. Honestly, it could even describe a lot of adults as well (including myself). These struggles and trials are a reminder of the importance of what God has called us to do here at Christian Adventurers, and why so many of you are partners with us in this ministry prayerfully, and financially.

One area that comes to mind is Fear. There is so much out there (media, etc. some factual, some not) that if we aren’t careful it can paralyze us. When we think of fear, so much of what we are afraid of is really the unknown. It’s one of the great weapons of the enemy. Whether one is afraid of physically getting the disease, or if their family will have enough money (with parents out of work) to pay the bills during this crises, these are thoughts and emotions that can control their life and ours if we aren’t vigilant in fighting against it. The virus aside, I often encounter students who are afraid to pray out loud in front their friends or tell someone about their faith. Many are afraid of being rejected, or maybe not being able to follow through on their commitments to the Lord. I John 4 says “God is Love”, and verse 18 says “there is no fear in love, but perfect loves drives out fear…”. It is our goal to show and share that love with people young and old here locally as well as on our mission trips. Because of God’s grace and your help, we’ve have been able to do that with kids and adults throughout this area as well as in 3 other states.

Another reason this time is so hard for students, and people in general is because so many feel isolated. Even in the day of social media, there still is something about face to face time and being with your friends. Being social (not just on a media device) is how God created us. Some are more social than others, but we all were created for relationships. We were not created to just for ourselves, but for the good of others as well. One of the great things about Christian Adventurers is that God has allowed us to provide an avenue, and a “safe place” for students to come together to build positive, godly friendships. Whether it’s through our weekly meetings, our sports teams, or through our mission teams, we see friendships that are eternally impactful and last a lifetime. Most importantly, we praise God for many who have come to know the greatest friend anyone could have and that of course is Jesus. He is the one who will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

Lastly, a big struggle during this time and in the life of a teenager is that of the future. I keep hearing questions like “when will this end?”, “will we go back to school?”, “will we be able to have a graduation ceremony?”, “will I be able to start college on time”. Many already struggle with life decisions such as college, a future mate, or simply facing the next day or “are my parent’s going to make it?” Obviously, we can’t predict what tomorrow holds, but we do tell them about the one who holds tomorrow. It’s more than a cliché, it’s the truth of God’s word (Ps. 139:16, Job 14:5, Jer. 29:11-13). God has a plan for them. One of hope and a future. This hope is not just for this life, but for all eternity if they put their faith in Christ alone for salvation (Eph. 2:8-10). This is the message of hope God has given us. We so appreciate all of you who continue to stand with us through your prayers, encouragement and financial support. It allows and assists us in sharing this life changing message during such troubling days. We know these are challenging times for all of us. If we can be of assistance to any of you (especially our senior citizen friends), please do not hesitate to call us. It would be our privilege to serve and help you anyway we can.

Mark

Throughout scripture, we see where God not only encourages us to pray to Him but that He will also answer us. I think of Psalm 91:14-16, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 7:7-12, and John 15:7 just to name a few. I know that many prayer promises are conditional. If we meet God’s conditions, then He will answer our prayer. We serve a very gracious, and loving heavenly Father, who wants to bless us.

One of the ways He has blessed us this summer is by answering our prayer for more workers. As you can tell from this newsletter, we have a couple of summer interns (Jonathan Lunceford, and Josh Stewart) working with us this summer. In addition, we also have Jordan Tate who is now part of our full-time staff. Praise God for answering our prayer for more help!

These guys have already been such a blessing to us, and a huge help. They will be keeping busy this summer with our 3 mission trips, plus 4 local camps, and our weekly local ministry with a group of young men. There is no way we could do these things if we didn’t have them.

So many of you have been faithful to give to this ministry, and some have even supported these men in addition to what you already give financially. I thank you for investing in their lives, and in the many additional people that we will be ministering to because of them. I am already seeing the profitable return of your investment with the additional ministry that God has given us.  Ultimately, it is an eternal investment that thieves can’t steal, nor will moth or rust destroy it (Matthew 6:19-20).

I want to finish this short article with how I started. Considering how God answers our prayers, I ask that you please pray for the numerous lives that will be touched by these guys (along with Chief, and myself) sharing God’s love and the good news of the gospel with them.

 

Mark

I don’t know a lot about Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female African president, but I like one thing she’s famous for saying. She said “if your dreams don’t scare you, then they aren’t big enough. The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them”. What you see on this page is a drawing of a gym someone did for us. It’s long been a dream of ours. We have plans drawn up, the land has been donated, but it is still far beyond our capacity. However, we are still dreaming and believing. Some may say it’s not possible, but with God all things are possible. It’s not only possible, but it’s needed. When you go fishing, you want to go where the fish are biting. If someone wants to reach kids, then they should go to the local gym, ball field, or local park. It’s hard to get something like this off the ground, especially with all the ministry we have going right now and are planning for the summer. This may be our busiest year yet! I could take up the rest of the page with all God is doing through this ministry. That is why we are in the beginning stages of forming a building committee to make this gym a reality. There are several ways you can be involved. You can serve on the committee, pray, give monetarily, donate your services, or share the need with someone else who may be able to help us. I know we have a way to go to make all of this happen. I look forward to the day when the gym becomes a reality. When that happens, we will all stand back and give praise to our all-powerful, faithful God.