SYATP Creekside and Bartrum Trails

See You At The Pole at Mandarin High School

Mandarin High School "SYATP" Event

This morning at 7pm about 100 students gathered together to pray for the world, our country, their campus, their friends, and families. It is such a powerful demonstration to see them taking a stand and praying together in unity. Student Venture wants to come along side these young adults and offer support and resources to help them reach their campus for Christ! Our goal is to Win them to Christ, Build them up in their Faith, and Send them out to reach others for Christ. We prayed for students who do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ to start asking questions among their peers today because of what they saw this morning.

JV Football at Creekside
Another cool ministry thing that happened today was the JV Football Team Talk at Creekside High School. We served watermelon to the whole football team after practice today while Ken Vensel, the director of SV, gave a motivational talk on being a Champion.

Student Venture Meeting Thursday Night

pictured here with Greta and Kimi from Creekside HS
and below is how we start and end the meeting in prayer.

The students get on the faces before the Lord and pray for their friends and families.

Students lead worship and usher in the presence of the Lord!

Christine, SV staff in the middle pictured below with Katie and Gracie from Bartrum Trails High School.

Katelyn asked Jesus into her Heart on 9-11-09

On Friday, September 11th, I met a 22 year old on the beach named Katelyn who just moved to JAX one month ago! She approached me reading a book ("Connecting" by Larry Crabb) and I thought she was going to evangelize to ME!! She was just so cute and tiny, I couldn't believe she was stopping to talk with me. We discussed books for a bit and then I found out she was waitressing at Logans, just graduated from college in Maryland, and lives with her mom for now. She is looking for a job as an interpretor for the deaf. As we got to know each other, I realized she was at the same crossroads of life that I was at age 22. My testimony tied in perfectly with exactly what she was going through. So, I gradually shared my testimony and the Gosepl with her. I found out she has a Catholic background and does pray often. She even prayed on her way to the beach that day. When I invited her to begin a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, she said, "Yes," and prayed to accept Christ right there on the beach! I even let her finish the prayer as she wanted and she prayed in her own words thanking God for what He was doing in her life. She gave me a hug and asked for my phone number. We exchanged numbers and will get together this week to continue our conversation! Please pray for our new sister in Christ, Katelyn!!

This experience reminded me that God is at work here and I’m at the right place at the right time.

I will also be training a new staff girl named, Christine, (pictured here) who just graduated from a Christian College in Atlanta, GA. She is temporarily living with us until she finds a roommate. I’m so grateful to have another co-laborer to work along side me! She is so much fun to have around that Steve and I are happy to have her here!

In just six weeks, God has raised 30% of my monthly need in order to do ministry full-time. I was able to purchase the supplies I will need for Bible studies, but I still need more partners to help me! If you are interested in joining my team, you can give online at http://give.ccci.org/give/View/0437644

Hello Ministry Partners!

In just three weeks, God has raised 25% of my monthly need. I am praying for more partners to help me report to my assignment full-time! Thanks to the funds that have come in, I was able to purchase the supplies I will need for Bible studies. I keep a “Ministry Kit” in my car at all times that is full of new Bibles and journals for the girls, pens, supplies for illustrations to my lessons, and of course the Bible study lessons.

School has started and I had the opportunity to teach and share my testimony at the Student Venture meeting already. I visited Bartrum Trail HS to meet students and faculty where I was blown away by this $62 million dollar facility!

Once my team is developed I will be going to Bartrum Trail and Creekside HS to give motivational talks to the cheerleaders, athletic teams, and student clubs. We invite them to come back to an outreach where I will present the Gospel. In the past, I typically saw at least 10% of the students who have not been to church, pray to receive Christ at that very first meeting! It is wonderful to witness God open the hearts and eyes of His children to receive His unconditional Love and Grace! From there, I will follow up with each student and invite them to get involved in a Bible Study to further their understanding in their new relationship with God. We also encourage them to attend a local church.

Steve and I found a great church we like very much called Christian Family Chapel. A student, named Hannah, shared a testimony about what God taught her when her mission trip to Haiti was cancelled. She realized that she had been preparing herself to reach the Haitian people for Christ over the past few weeks, but she was not reaching out to people right here in her own community. She decided to dedicate the next 10 days that she would have been in Haiti, to do ministry here in Jacksonville. So, Hannah and three of her friends went to the beach and shared the hope of the Gospel . They stepped out in faith and planted seeds with 12 individuals. Her faith has grown in those 10 days and she is ready to continue this life of surrender no matter where God sends her.

It’s students like Hannah that get me excited about the great potential of this next generation!

Thank you for making a difference by investing in Campus Crusade for Christ to help me impact the lives of young people both now and for eternity. Thanks for your continued prayers and support!