It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, it's not Christmas. It's time for Jr. Girls' Class to start up again!

Tonight was our Joy Club kick off. Our numbers were a little down in class tonight, but we hope to see them grow. It's so wonderful to be teaching these girls the truths in God's Word again. It brings such great joy to see them understand something and put it into practice.

I took just two pictures tonight, but thought I'd share them with you.

Stacey and I have been partners in crime for the last three years. I'm excited to begin the fourth year teaching with her. Carrie is joining our team this year and we are excited to have her as part of our class.

Refreshment

This weekend, our church ladies had our second annual retreat. It was such a special time. It's only the second time I've attended a retreat since working at camp and it was such a blessing to go. We had close to 50 ladies attend. Most only came for Friday night, but those of us that stayed the entire time were extra blessed.

One of the things that I learned this weekend is to take off my blinders. We see each other every week at church and greet one another, but I have been so oblivious to the needs in the lives of others. Church sometimes becomes this polite place instead of really digging into the lives of others. This weekend opened up many opportunities for the ladies to share and we have many that are hurting and going through difficult situations. We spent some good time in prayer and encouraging one another.

We also had so much fun. I have included some pictures to prove it! I would highly recommend a retreat for your church ladies. It really does a lot to help bond your group to one another and to our heavenly Father. Enjoy the pictures!

Here is a group shot. All of our sessions were done by our own church ladies. I even did a session this year. I gave a short testimony and some direction on prayer. God has really been so good and I'm glad I had the opportunity to share what He has been doing in my life.

We played the very fun "Reindeer Game." Yes, those are stockings on their head. We also played our traditional "I've Never" which is always a hoot. I think Kathy Taylor had the only injury this year. The rest of the time was spent in groups with board games.

Yes, this picture was posed, but Mary did a fantastic job leading our singing. She picked songs that were very appropriate for our theme and they fit right into the sessions and testimonies.

So here I am. The song needed a little help, so I volunteered to ham it up a bit. I'm sure the ladies will appreciate my not putting other pictures on here. Sometimes what happens at Ladies' Retreat needs to stay at Ladies' Retreat.

Teaching Is Learning

I think one of the reasons I am so passionate about teaching the Jr. Girls Class is all that I learn in the process. I am so thankful that God's Word is living, challenging and exciting (my favorite word in class). Tonight was an especially good challenge.

The lesson was from Luke 7:24-27 highlighting the wise and foolish men. They both have hearing in common, but what sets them apart is the doing - obedience. We also looked at the example of Levi/Matthew in Luke 5:27, 28. When Jesus asked Levi to follow Him, he asked no questions and made no demands...he just did it. Our example of the foolish man was the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-23. His love for himself was greater than his love for the Lord. In verse 23 it says that he was greatly saddened when he learned he would have to sell all his wealth. This is where it really gets good. As I was teaching it, I realized that he wasn't sad because he would have to part with his possessions. Would he have still felt that sadness if he had obeyed? I don't think so. Obedience brings joy and freedom.

I had written on the white board the words, wise and foolish. Most of these girls have been in church right after birth. They have all the knowledge and hearing - they just need to start the doing. I asked the girls if I handed them a marker where they would have to write their name. I know that at times I would have to write my name under foolish, but my goal is to live my life making those choices that would please Him. I don't want to just be a hearer, but a doer also.

Where would your name go?

Funny Jr. Girls Story

We have a set of twins that attend our class, Danielle and Deidre. They are absolutely identical, so we have a hard time telling them apart. Stacey and I got together and prayed for our girls this last weekend. When I prayed, I asked that the Lord would help me tell the girls apart. I don't want to see them as "the twins," but as individuals with individual needs. They came in late on Wednesday and lo and behold, they had glasses! And the glasses were different!

I told the class that we pray for each girl and what I had specifically prayed about the twins. I was excited that God had answered my prayer. Well, Deidre raised her hand and said, "So basically you blinded us." We all laughed so hard!!! We have so much fun in our class!

Why do I do this?

Yesterday, I had a moment of panic. Am I ready for a dog? Do I really want the responsibility? What if she barks too much and I have to get rid of her? What if my allergies freak out and I have to get rid of her? What if I can't train her? What if, what if, what if? I think you get my point.

I called Stacey, Bekah and my parents. They all really helped in calming me down, but here is my point. (Okay, this isn't my point here, but why call them instead of praying first...I did pray too, but not first...okay, now on to my real point.) Why do I freak out when I get an answer to prayer? I have wanted a dog for a long time. I get tired of going home to an empty house. I have always loved it when we had dogs growing up. I knew that with my housing/work situation it just wasn't possible. But I kept praying about it.

Well, lo and behold...God answered yes and very unexpectedly too. I went through this when I was offered the job here too. I was excited and really wanted it and prayed that Pastor Phil would call. Then the call came and it really freaked me out! Once again...all the "what if's."

Bottom line, it's worry and it's sin. God doesn't answer prayers and then leave us hanging. Stacey gave the application after our lesson last Wednesday night. She gave everyone a piece of paper and they had to find verses to battle against a particular temptation. Well, for my devos this morning, I did the assignment and had to write down worry as my temptation. I have never thought of myself as a person that struggled with this, but if I'm honest with myself I really do.

I'm thankful for God's Word. Not only does it help expose areas of our lives, but it also gives solutions. So maybe you need to take the challenge. What temptation are you battling? Write it down and find some scripture to help.

Jr. Girls Class

I have no pictures to show you since I never remember to take my camera with me. Last night, we had a fabulous class time. The size of our class doubled in one night. Please pray that the girls that visited will continue to attend.

Our theme this year is Jr. Girls Boot Camp. We have pink camouflage behind the verses for the semester all over the room! We divided the girls into teams this year with some fun incentives. Last night we let them pick their team name and they designed flags. We have the Pink Bombs and the Blue Tankers. I'll try to get pictures to post soon!

Several of our girls from last year have not returned. We have called and sent letters, so please pray that they are able to come back. We want God to continue to have an impact on their lives. I do realize that God can do that without us, but we truly love them and want to see them back.

Jr. Girls' Program

Wednesday night was our Living Lights Program. We always like to write a fun skit for the girls to perform. This year we did a news cast of Elijah on Mt. Carmel and the prophets of Baal. The girls did a fantastic job. And yes, Elijah was played by a girl.

This is a picture of our entire class before the program began.

Here are our two news anchors, Hillary and Jamie.

Then we move over to reporter, Samantha interviewing Elijah with his servants in the background. (Check out the stuffed cow on the altar.)


Now it's on to reporter, Abby, and the prophets of Baal. Aren't those prophets cute all wearing black and pink!

I am so proud of these girls!!! Praise the Lord for two girls that were saved this year and one that has decided to be baptized. It is such a blessing to teach them and try to instill in them a desire for the Word of God. Stacey will be their VBS teacher and we pray that they will continue to grow and have a desire to please God. Thanks for all your prayers!

Check out Stacey's blog for our group silly picture! I think she's going to try to post a video of the skit as well.

Bowling Party

Stacey and I had a bowling party for our Jr. Girls on Saturday. We had 10 girls come and we invited Brooke (pastor's wife) along to help as well. It was a great time!!! Please continue to pray for the girls that are unsaved and for the other girls to continue to live lives that please the Lord. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

We were missing one of the girls in this picture since she had to come late.

Wow! Can you believe Brooke and Stacey would pose like this? Maybe it's because I asked them too.

After bowling, we went back to the church for pizza and games. I forgot to take pictures there...oops. Just trust me...we had a great time.

Jr. Girls Update

We had such a wonderful time in class last night that I thought I would share. We have been doing one-on-ones with the girls and thought it would be fun for them to get to know us in the same way.

They all asked us several questions from our favorite food to why we go to Faith Baptist Church. The girls really loved that they had the chance to ask us questions.

Stacey and I each gave our testimonies as well. We wanted the girls to see that we also had to come to that point in our lives when we accepted that we were on our way to hell if we didn't accept Christ's free gift of salvation. We also talked about other areas where we surrendered to God - baptism, obedience, etc.

I love sharing with others what God has done in my life and hearing the stories of other people. Leave a comment to tell me what God has done for you!

Cancelled

Because of a winter storm, we had to cancel our slumber party. We are disappointed, but God knows all about it. He has other plans in store for us. I know that my immediate plan is to clean my apartment. :)

Thanks for your prayers. Please keep praying for our girls. God has great plans for them.

Slumber Party

Hey Everybody!

Guess what we are doing this weekend? Stacey and I are having our Jr. Girls over to my place for a slumber party this weekend. We have 8-10 girls coming!!!!! We are so excited for this.

There are three girls that are not saved, so we would love to have you pray for opportunities for us. We are having the party on Saturday to Sunday so the girls that don't attend church can try it out.

I'll post some pictures after the party!

Season of Prayer

Due to Halloween falling on a Wednesday night, we only had one girl come to class last night. At first, Stacey and I were very disappointed. We have been running 10-12 girls recently with all the visitors and it has really been exciting to see them learn. The one girl that did come joined another class for the evening.

Stacey and I decided to spend the time in prayer for our girls. Our goal is to first of all, see them all have a personal relationship with Christ. After that, we want them to be continuing to grow in that relationship. God doesn't make mistakes. Even though we very much missed the opportunity to open the Word with them, it was such a sweet time of fellowship with each other and with our Lord as we prayed for each one.

God is doing some great things in our class. Please continue to pray for them. Many come from unsaved homes, but that does not mean that they cannot grow to be young ladies that will serve the Lord with all their hearts.

The Angels Are Singing

Luke 15:10 - "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

I just want to thank all of you for praying. One of the girls in my class, Hillary, got saved last night!!! She tends to be hyper and easily distracted, so I was praying all day that she would be calm and focused during our one-on-one time. I have never seen her so calm and focused. She was so ready. Praise God!!!!

Thank you for praying and please continue to pray for Haley.

Jr. Girls

Here are some pictures from our Wednesday night class. We had a visitor this last week and another girl that came last year, but hadn't yet come this year. We hope to continue to see our class grow. Pray for Stacey and I as we begin our one-on-one times with the girls this week.


This wall has all of our verses for the semester on it. Our theme is "Detecting God's Ways." Our theme verse is Ps. 119:11.

All the great decorations are courtesy of Stacey. She is amazingly creative.

Two Paths

I was teaching my Jr. Girls class on Wednesday night and the lesson was continuing on with Ahab and Jezebel. At the end, I asked the question if those two lived a life that pleased the Lord or not. The girls gave an emphatic, "No!"

One of my girls asked a very profound question, "How can someone love God when they are little and then turn out so bad?" This came from one of my girls that I'm sure is not saved. Our memory verse was Matthew 7:14, "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Wow! This was the perfect question to ask!!!! I was able to talk about the narrow way and the broad way. Just as Ahab and Jezebel chose the broad way, they had that same choice to make. Jesus is the only way that leads to Heaven.

Please pray for the two girls in my class that need Christ. Pray that they choose the narrow way.

Can't Wait

Well, many of you will be surprised that this is not another Birthday greeting. I'm actually going to write something. Now you can pick your jaw up off the floor and start reading.

Tonight begins our Wednesday night kids program at church. This will be my fourth year teaching the Junior Girls Class. Most of last year's class was promoted to youth group. I begged their parents to hold them back a year in school so I could have them one more year, but they didn't think that was a good idea. I will miss them very much. I pray that they have learned much and apply it to their teen years. We have about seven new girls joining us this year. I'm very excited to see what this year holds.

Stacey Ryal is my right hand helper. I'm so thankful for her. She has great ideas and is wonderful with decorating, crafts, etc. She does a great job teaching the verse and comes up with great game ideas as well. I am so thankful for all her help. Without her, our class would be a plain white room.

We are taking on a spy/detective theme this year. We want the girls to see the importance of digging into God's Word for answers. It was neat when Stacey discovered that every one of our memory verses has the word way in it. Isn't it neat how God brings things together so perfectly?

We have at least three girls that we know of that have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior. We are going to be doing some one-on-one times with them each week. Please pray that this gives us an opportunity to talk with them about their need for Christ. Pray for the girls that are saved as well. I know some of them need to also take some steps in their walk with God. Pray for Stacey and I as we lead them. We so desire for them to have a passion for God an His Word. This means that we must have that same passion.

I'll try to remember to take some pictures tonight to post. Thanks for praying!

Joy, Joy, Joy

I named this post as such because I'm writing about the thing that brings me such great joy. On Wednesday nights at church, I teach the Jr. Girls Class. I have had this honor now for three years and I absolutely love it!!!!

My desire is to cultivate in my girls a passion for the Word of God and to live for Him. I tell them that the Bible is the most exciting book in the world. Every week I get up and they say, "We know, this lesson is going to be so exciting." There was a week when I was gone and when I came back the next week, one of my helpers had them look up other words for me to use besides exciting. It was a pretty good list, but I guess I'm stuck on the word.


This year, we have started our devotion charts. I printed up a little booklet for them to write their devotions in for the week. They get to put a sticker up on on their chart if they had their devotions every day that week. (We do allow one grace day.) I want them to get in the habit of being in God's Word when they are young. They have really done a great job!


Five of them will be moving up to youth group next year and I will miss them so much. I pray that they apply the things they have learned and as they grow physically, they also grow spiritually. I also look forward to the new girls coming up. The responsibility of teaching these girls humbles me greatly, but it is honestly one of my greatest joys. I love you girls!

Here we are in front of their devotion charts. Back row: Me, Ansley, Regan (twins - I hope I put them in the right order), Samantha, Linda, Stacey. Front Row: Hillary, Janette, Jenna and Trudy. Nicole and Lydia are missing from the picture.

Silly shot

Crew Time (working on their books)