Christian Adventurers

Reaching Youth for Christ

Newsletter

Summer Intern: Abby Martin

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       Hi! My name is Abby Martin, and I am about to start my third year as a student at Liberty University. I am double majoring in English Education for grades six through twelve and Christian Leadership and Church Ministries. This summer I have had the
opportunity to intern with Christian Adventurers and it has been such an exciting journey. I have been going on mission trips with Christian Adventurers since 2018 and it has become such an important part of my life. I have made so many friends and
memories while being on these trips and I also have grown closer to the Lord because of my summers spent on trips with Christian Adventures. I jumped at the opportunity to be an intern this summer because of the impact they had on me when I was in high
school.

       Similar to past experiences on the mission trips, the Lord is still teaching me so many things through my time this summer with Christian Adventurers. One thing is the importance of sharing His love with people around me. We know that one of the last things Jesus told us to do while on earth was to share the gospel and tell people about Him. Obviously, the great commission is important and our call as Christians, but sometimes it can be a daunting task. I have always been kind of shy so it can be hard at times to put myself out there, but this summer God has been teaching me how to come out of my shell a bit and start sharing with those around me.

       I had the chance to do all the lessons for the kids at a local camp that we did at Positive Attitude Youth Center and that was really a helpful experience for me because it helped me to become more open when sharing. It also gave me a chance to see how what we say to young children can really impact them. While at PAYC I gave the kids a challenge to memorize the different parts of the gospel story for points for their team. In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting many of them to memorize it or even remember that I gave them this challenge. On the last day of camp, I had around ten kids come up to me and tell me the different parts of the gospel story which really blew me away and excited me. Even when we feel like we haven’t made a big impact we have left a small seed whenever we share with people about Jesus.

       Our trip to War West Virginia also gave me such good insight on the importance of sharing God’s goodness. The trip to War has always been so impactful to me and one of my favorites. This year was a bit different because it was my first time going as a leader instead of a student and there was a learning curve. At the beginning of the trip, I was really focusing on trying to prove myself and I quickly learned that something like that shouldn’t be your focus. Our focus should be on pleasing God, not the people around us.

       The experiences that I have had this summer will stick with me as I go back to school in the fall and even when I get a job in ministry one day. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have had this summer and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!
                                                                Abby Martin

Mark’s Message

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 As many of you know my dad passed away recently. He was a man who lived over 81 years and drove a truck until the truck company he drove for closed at the end of this past February. He had lived a long, healthy life, but for the last 3 months, he struggled as his health failed and he passed away due to cancer. I want to thank all of you who have called, sent text messages, emails, sent cards, and have prayed for me and my family over the last few months. As good of a man that my dad was, I believe he only came to know Christ in his final days. I am thankful for the hope I have in Jesus that I will see him again one day. This gift of God’s grace has given me great comfort. 

       There are a lot of ways I and others see my dad in me, but since he only came to know Christ in his final days, I can’t say he was one who influenced me the most spiritually. However, God saw fit to put other Godly men in my life when I was younger to help teach me, train me, encourage me, admonish me, believe in me, mentor me, love me, and simply be there for me. People like Don Lyerly, Steve Hinton, Charlie Churchill, Bruce Readling, Gerry Steedley, Eddie and Gene Beacher, Steve Roberson, Phillip Thomas, Grady Ingle, Steve Foster, Garry Baldwin, and Mark Stewart. I can’t even begin to tell you how at some point one of these men have impacted my life. There have been countless others who have come alongside of me to encourage me or speak words of life to me that have given me hope. 

       As I remember each of these men, or fortunate enough to get to spend time with them, I am always reminded that all they did was pass the baton on to me to give to the next person in the race. Obviously, those men were very influential in what I am doing today. I wouldn’t be here writing this article if it weren’t for their influence. The men on that list aren’t as young as they used to be. Some are retired or nearing that stage in their life. More and more I see the importance of taking that baton and following in their footsteps. I need to be looking to do what these men did for me, and what Paul did for Timothy and instructed him to do when he said in 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will also be qualified to teach others”. This is our goal at Christian Adventurers. Thankfully, I am seeing this in some young people who have been a part of this ministry (our summer intern, Abby Martin being one). We praise God for that. 

       Is there a young person out there that you can speak an encouraging word to? One you can love? One to help not only believe in themselves but more importantly help believe in an all-powerful  God who can take something little like a few fish and loaves of bread and do a great miracle with what they have if they only will offer it to God? You never know how God will use your words, your time, your giving to impact someone, and you may never know the impact that person will have for eternity. 

Mark

“Now to him who is able to do far

more abundantly than all that we

ask or think, according to the 

power at work within us”

Ephesians 3:20

Pointed In The Right Direction

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Cheif’s Corner

       As I was cleaning out my truck, I came across some photos from 1998 of several retreats we had taken with the kids in Christian Adventurers. Now, almost all of them have families of their own. Time seems to stand still when I look at all those faces and remember what a great time that was. God has allowed me the honor to minister to and invest time in the lives of children, teens, and now adults over the last 41 years. The Lord always knows best and has been pointing me in a direction that some really don’t understand. Tow people over the last month have asked me if I still work with Christian Adventurers! I have taken a position of cutting back my hours some. But, the reports of my full retirement have been greatly exaggerated! I am still “All In” with the mission and work of Christian Adventurers. I’m just trying to spend more time with my family. I heard a person say, “No amount of money could ever buy a second of time”. How true that is! Ministry is a difficult job. Ministers spend a great deal of their time trying to meet the needs of those under their care while their family gets what is left over. Mark and I both have been burning the candle at both ends and are in need of someone with fresh legs to work with us. Beginning September 1st, we will have an intern working with us! We are stepping out on faith that God will provide all the funds we need and more as we take this step in what we feel is the right direction! We still keep our vision alive of one day having our own gym facility. The drawings show depict what our building will look like. I am always praying for The Lord to bless us with this building. In the meantime, we are resuming our search for a building to least that offers offices and activity space for some of our programs. 

       I need to raise some funds to help with the intern we’ll be adding in September. He will be raising support as well. As a result, we are sponsoring a Mini Golf tournament at the Putt-Putt Fun Center on September 27 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. We’re calling it the “Battle in Burlington”. I am asking people and businesses to sponsor in the following ways:

Diamond Tournament Sponsor- $500

Gold Hole Sponsor- $200

Silver Hole Sponsor- $100

Bronze Hole Sponsor- $50

       It’s going to be a great night of fun. I’m expecting a big turnout. This tournament is for all ages and skillsets- Novice, Amateur, and Professional. Details will be on the Christian Adventurers Facebook page and on our website caministries.com this week. If you want to know more about how to enter the tournament or details on being a sponsor, email me at creecht21@aol.com or call 336-212-0194.

~ Terry Creech~ 

“Every good and perfect gift is from 

above, coming down from the Father

of the Heavenly lights, who does not

change like shifting shadows.”

James 1:17

 

 

41 Years and Still Better Than Ever!

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 It’s hard to believe 41 years ago God gave Steve Austin and myself the vision to begin a journey that has reached more people and shared God’s Word in more places than I could ever have imagined. Who am I that God would bless so much? There have been some difficult times, but I choose to only remember what great things the Lord has done for us. Someone once said, “ When hard times come, remember that “Life Happens”. I am so glad to know that when “Life Happens”, God is right there with me! I am not alone! Many times I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

But, my answer to that is, “How Exciting!”

Always looking for the Miracle!

Terry

Mark’s Message

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The Covid-19 situation has brought about a lot of changes in how we do ministry
and quite honestly has often been a hindrance. Therefore, I feel thankful more than
ever when we can carry on with things as close to normal as possible. One way
that has been possible for me is to be able to coach a few of our sports teams. So
far this fall, I’ve had a fall league basketball team, and school soccer and
basketball team. It is my goal with all these teams to share Christ with each of these kids and be a
positive influence in their life. God has given some good opportunities through this to share His
word. Although I’m still limited in how much time and all that I can do with these kids, I know
God’s word isn’t limited. It will accomplish its purpose and will not return void.
I love coaching, and to be able to share God’s word in that setting is one of the reasons why I
enjoy it so much. However, it’s also seeing young people grow in their sport, and if they are
fortunate and talented enough, to be able to win a championship at the end. There’s nothing like
watching a team as they celebrate. Seeing the joy and happiness on their faces brings about a great
feeling. Our Soccer team was able to do that this year, and it was great seeing the guys celebrate,
parents take pictures, and so forth. Surely championship teams are excited about a championship,
but I think it’s more than that. They have been on a journey TOGETHER. Sports gives you
something else that has been missed by so many during this pandemic. That is the idea of
camaraderie. It’s a sense of family. It’s a band of brothers (or sisters) who have been together on a
journey, and they have trained, pushed each other, picked up, and encouraged one another along
the way. Some of the strongest friendships are formed through sports. You often hear the thing a
retired player misses the most about playing, is the locker room. It’s that togetherness, sense of
family that we were created for. The bible calls it fellowship.
In addition to the sickness, and deaths Covid-19 has brought about on so many, there is the
emotional toll it has brought about as well. I saw a special report on the news recently that talked
about the suicide rate since the start of the pandemic. It spoke of the suicide of a young teenage
boy. His parents were interviewed, and they said they had no doubt that if their son was in school,
he would be alive today. Regardless of this one specific case, there is no doubting how important
it is for us to have the fellowship God created for us to experience. This is one reason why we recently offered a time for our mission team to come together. It’s why God doesn’t want us to give
up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing (Heb.10:25). The writer goes on to say
it’s so we can encourage one another as we see the day approaching. In these difficult days
when there are so much disagreement and divisiveness, it’s our desire to give that encouragement to
the young people God sends our way, and share the hope of the abundant, eternal life that comes
through Christ.