Saturday, March 8, 2008

March Newsletter

March already!

It's been an interesting month since I last wrote. Particularly in the past week, the weather has been erratic -- sultry heat one day, and snow the next :)

I am enjoying getting to know the girls in the Freshman Girls and Sophomore Girls Bible studies that got started in January. As I shared in a previous newsletter, the girls are at so many different levels in their relationship with God. Some are from non-Christian backgrounds; some just received Christ/rededicated their lives to Him in the past couple of months; and some are growing Christians. One thing is common to them all-- they are all hungry for spiritual things.
I have been reminded over and over again not to rely on my own understanding; to step back sometimes and allow God to work on the hearts of the students since He knows their needs better than I do.

Sometime in early April, we will be having a "March Madness" basketball tournament as an outreach. It has been a very fruitful outreach in the past, and we are excited about this year's event. The tournament is usually held in the gym at Newman Smith High School. Teams sign up to compete about a week or two in advance, and about 120 or more students gather on the selected day to play or to cheer. During "half-time", SV student leaders share their testimonies and give a gospel presentation.

We are also gearing up for Getaway, a summer conference in Colorado (June 14-20). You may remember my report on last year's Getaway conference. It is exciting to see students who received Christ at the conference last year actively recruiting their friends and classmates to come and experience God this summer. We held one informational "Pre-Party" last Monday, and we hope to hold another one sometime in April. Our first fundraiser for the conference is on March 29th --the students will be sponsored to build a house for a single mother and her daughter!

Please pray about the events we have coming up, and also pray for the new Bible studies (there are also a couple of new boys' Bible studies). I particularly want to request prayer for three freshman girls who have not yet accepted Christ, but are searching; ask that God would break through barriers and reveal Himself to them.
I would also appreciate your prayers for focus, patience, and energy as God continue's to unfold His plans in His own ways and in His own timing. I'm glad to be a part of what God is doing, and I'm glad you're a part of it as well!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love you Simi! May you be blessed beyond measure MY African princess! The joy of the Lord is our strength! Amen.