Summer Encounters with God.

I was 15 years old when I first went to Youth Camp. To say that I was totally unprepared for the experience would be an understatement. It seems that year the camp was desperately short of staff for Kids camp. They we’re so in need of staff that the DYD, we called them D-CAP back then for “District CA President” which was short for “District Christ Ambassador’s President”… yeah, DYD is much better, called his mother-in-law for anyone who might have a pulse and was a Christian to come help. A short time later I found myself on a Greyhound bus bound for Marianna Florida and the West Florida Camp Grounds.

After that amazing experience where I saw kids as young as nine years old being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called into the ministry I was hooked on Youth Camp. Every summer afterward I would go and spend as many weeks as I could as a staffer at kid’s camp then a camper at teen camp. When I was old enough I would spend five weeks during the summer at camp as staff for both kids and youth camps.

It was at camp where God changed my life so amazingly. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at youth Camp; I was called into the ministry at youth camp; and I was directed to Southeastern to prepare for the ministry at youth camp. Perhaps you or a member of your family had a summer encounter with God.

Unfortunately many of our Missionary Kids do not have an opportunity to have a those Summer Encounters with God. During the time they are on the field there is no youth camp, and when they are back in the states itinerating they are traveling many long miles with their parents to help raise their budget to go back to the field.

Anna and I are so excited that in July of 2010 we will be having the first ever Southern Europe MK camp! As you can imagine it can be quite a logistical challenge to coordinate a camp for the various countries where we have MKs. The cost of getting the kids to camp can be quite a challenge as well. However our Area Director has approved a special project account for us to be able to help our Missionary Kids with events such as camps, retreats and ministry trips.

Can you help a missionary Kid have a Summer Encounter with God with a onetime gift or a monthly pledge? Could your youth group or kids church “adopt” an MK and sponsor them for their Summer Encounter with God? Perhaps there are some people in your church willing to help. If so, you can donate through your church, please specify that you would like to help SEMK (Southern Europe Missionary Kids) Account # 2509156 (class 60) 9373. Or you can call Contributor services toll free at 1-877-840-4800. When you call be sure to give them that huge account number 2509156 (class 60) 9373.

Through your financial help and fervent prayers, we believe that this July 2010, many MK’s will have a Summer Encounter with God! Thank you!

Staying Connected

In an effort to communicate with our friends, family and ministry partners we have migrated our email newsletter management to Mail Chimp. If you would like to be sure that you continue to receive the our latest news and updates, or if you have an alternate email address you would like for it to go to, please complete the form below. Only your name and email are absolutely necessary, but the other information is helpful to Anna and I as well. If your email is already on our mailing list, when you submit the form it will result in an error stating that your email is already on the list. Rest assured that this information is only accessible to Anna and myself and we will not be sharing it with anyone. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Here is the link http://europeyouth.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1bdc6cd2a8f99797bc49b369d&id=b604fd2ae6

Another Season of Transition

The last few months have been very busy. We recently completed another term of language school and the children are now finished with school for the summer. Thank you for your prayers for our Southern Europe retreat in Italy. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet our missionary kids and their families. In a short weekend the MK’s shared with us their desire to have camps, retreats and ministry opportunities.

We continue to form friendships with our neighbors. As we listen to their struggles we are able to show His love and pray with them. One evening while talking with my dear neighbor, she asked how a loving God could allow pain and suffering. She said she knew I would tell her the truth even if it was hard to accept. It was an amazing opportunity to go through scripture with her and allow the Spirit to reveal the truth.

We now enter another season of transition. Language learning will continue, but now we begin to organize and plan ministry for the upcoming months. There are many areas that need prayer. First, the school that our children attend, Evangelical Christian Academy (www.ecaspain.com), is in need of teachers. If you have a burden or know of someone who has a heart to work with missionary kids this is a great opportunity. Next, we need wisdom, creativity, and funds as we plan retreats, camps and missions trips for our MK’s. Finally, we believe that God has brought some amazing families in our lives that need Him. Pray with us that their hearts will continue to be open to receive the truth.
~Anna

The Mission Field Needs YOU

In Madrid there is a school for Missionary Kids called Evangelical Christian Academy (or ECA for Short). If you are a teacher and you love Missions and MK's ECA can use you! You wanted to know how God could use you on the Mission field right? Well here's how! Contact ECA through their web site http://www.ecaspain.com/eca/ or drop me an email for more information!

Sunday at the Police Station.

Today started out like any ordinary Sunday... running around at the last minute to find a kids lost shoe, ironing the shirt that's more wrinkled than Methuselah, and rushing out the door 5 minutes late. We've only been to this new church a few times so we use the GPS (affectionately named Tommy)to get there and back. (Being a country boy, I don't do Cities very well).

We get to the church, park and find a seat. The sermon was a Narrative delivered by an Argentine lady in the role of a little girl. It was well delivered, and I even understood it was about David and Goliath! When we left the church things got a bit more interesting. (You're wondering about the police station part aren't ya).

We got to the car only to discover that someone had smashed one of our windows and ransacked the car. The made of with Tommy, Josh's Nintendo SP and a bunch of games he just bought yesterday at a Rastrillo (think community yard sale), and my ipod recharger / play thru the radio thing. On a side note, when we leave stuff in the car it's well hidden, event the cables and mounts. But now we'll leave nothing in the car.

You know, Christians are awesome people, and our Missionaries are super awesome. I asked Mark Cannon what I should do. This dude, who is suffering from kidney stones by the way, asked help from two other christian brothers and the three of them escorted Anna and I to two police stations to file the report (turns out you have to go to a different type of police depending if your, mugged, robbed, etc.) In the mean time Ellen Cannon, Marks awesome wife, took the kids home and fed them Sunday lunch/dinner. When Emily Cannon (Mark and Ellen's beautiful daughter) found out that Josh had his SP stolen she gave him her SP... dudes, I almost cried. Then one of Josh's friend's, Stephen Jolly, came over and gave him a game!

So tomorrow we call the insurance and file the report and see what's covered, and then try to get the window fixed. But in spite of everything, God is in control.

Remember when I mentioned the clutch died on the car a week or so ago? That same day when it was repaired I met our neighbors. Today he came over and helped me with some stuff around the house and his kids played with ours and Anna and I visited with them for a few hours at house! God is opening all kinds of marvelous and wonderful doors. So a window got broke, so Tommy was kidnapped (GPS-napped?) and I'll get lost every time I look at Madrid, so what? God is at work, and he's opening some really cool doors.

Missonary Adventures (Part 4)

What does your intrepid missionary do when his STL vehicle is in the shop and cup cakes must be delivered to a classroom full of ravenous, foaming at the mouth, first grader, Missionary Kids? He improvises, overcomes, and adapts!

Here you see your missionary displaying his indomitable spirit as he shows of his custom made Cup Cake Delivery Device (CCDD) made from high quality material that was liberated from a nearby dumpster and attached with zip-ties. The only thing needed to complete the CCDD is a little duct-tape.

However the maiden run of the CCDD was postponed. Just as the CCDD was to roll into action, two of our AG Missionaries (Shawn and Deb Gaylen) drove in and rescued, I mean, picked up Anna to safely deliver her and the goodies to the famished MK’s.

But seriously… what did missionaries do before STL? We’ve done a lot of walking, & bike riding over the past few days. THANK YOU STL, youth pastors, pastors and Students for all you do!

God at the Panaderia

We rejoice over the opportunities for ministry that have opened in our little town. In October I ran out of bread as we were preparing to go on an outing to a castle. Tony & Josh went to our local bakery, but the bread wasn’t ready. Tony began to help the baker and talk with him while he waited. As he was preparing to leave a Spanish lady walked in and heard his Spanish and wanted to know how long he had been living in Spain and where he was from. She then asked if he would be interested in coming and possibly helping at the English school she recently opened. She soon called us and we scheduled a time to meet. The school was started so that children in the community could come and receive help with English grammar and conversation. Since January I have been teaching a small group of Spanish children age’s 11-13 English conversation two nights a week. Tony tutors teens one night a week. A wonderful friendship has been formed with the director of the school. My friend is a wife, mother of three children, successful professor and attorney. It would appear that she has a wonderful life. Recently she shared personal heartache her family has experienced. With tears in my eyes, I listened as she poured out her heart. She said I was different than her other friends and wanted to know if the Assembly of God has helped me. It was the perfect opportunity to share with her about Jesus. The hour was late but she looked at me and said, “Anna, I don’t think it was an accident that I met Tony in the Bakery that day, it was His plan that we meet.”

I stand in awe at how God orchestrates every step we take. We have recently moved and found that our friend lives around the corner. We are also building friendships with other Spanish families in the neighborhood. Please agree with us in prayer that the Spirit will continue to lead us and that we will continue to find favor with our neighbors.