Slingshot Saturday

Last May, the staff of CEFOntario was challenged to consider a new idea in reaching kids. The weekly Bible Clubs of "Good News Clubs" are an incredible discipleship ministry that Child Evangelism Fellowship has run for 70 years. However, in Ontario, Good News Clubs have been declining in number rather than growing over recent years. Yet it's so easy to go with what has worked in the past rather than working to develop something new that may work better.

That is what has led us to consider "Slingshot Saturday" a once a month "mini day of camp" that has been run effectively for several years by a staff member and his church in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Consistently, once a month from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm games, Bible teaching, lunch and various activities are held. Also, once a year the kids have the opportunity to attend a week of CEF Ontario's Camp Good News. The goal is to reach kids that are not being reaching and may come from difficult home situations.

It's scary and exciting at the same time to think about re-working the way we are use to doing ministry. However, it is SO worth the work if it will effectively reach kids with the Gospel and develop relationships through which discipleship can happen.

Please pray with us as we consider launching some of these programmes. Please pray for:

• Wisdom and Direction as to how the Lord would want this to look in our area
• The right location(s)
• Quality volunteers that love the Lord and love kids
• Children that need to hear about the Lord and be loved
• The Holy Spirit will bring understanding to the hearts of the kids

Framing Party

What an encouragement it was to have a bunch of friends and family come over for a framing party! We were so thankful for everyone that was able to make it and sacrifice their Saturday. The rain was an annoying hindrance all day however so not as much was able to be done as we had hoped.

David's Uncle Chris drove over 1 1/2 hours to come and help!

By lunch time enough joists were put up that some plywood could be slapped over to make a dry spot to eat.

Elaina made such a cute picture sitting on a joist happily munching on her chips.

By the end of the day, half of the joists were up!

Elaina, the blanket burrito, was ready to go home with her mommy and brothers after picking up her daddy after lunch.

Leanne, Jen and I had fun stapling Typar on. We decided that we like staple hammer guns. They're very fun (as long as they're not jammed).

There's still light up there!

House Progress

After the ICF was installed we painted it with green sticky goop and then put sticky blue sheets of "Blue Skin" all over the walls to waterproof it. Then pipes were laid down to direct the water and then back-filled. Notice the 6 foot wall from the footing to the top.

 

See any difference?! It's amazing to be able to walk around the edge and inside without being in water and in the midst of tons of frogs.

The back use to be over 6 feet deep! The only sad thing about the back filling was that our cool cement writing got mixed in with all the dirt.

When I saw the front wall go up I finally realized "We are building a house!" It really hasn't looked like one until this point. Do you like our double door and big windows?

Our friend Andrew came and worked with David for Thur and Fri to get things ready for the framing party. They put the knee wall up and the center beam. What an incredible blessing it was that Andrew gave up so much time to help!

Cool Concrete

Here's some pictures of the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms)before they put it up last week and the concrete being poured today. The ICF makes up 6 feet of the foundation wall. It was so cool to watch! It's actually starting to look like a structure!

ICF up close

 

My fascination with cement trucks was renewed! I think they are so cool!

 The cement truck dumped into the pump truck which lifted it way up and a guy used a remote to control it and pour it in the middle of the ICF.

Pouring in the Cement.

The guys work more cement in the second time around. FYI: The reason the front wall is shorter is for the walk-out basement.

Footings!!!

The frame for the footings.

The footings are done!!

Up close to the footings. Progress is happening!

Summer Training Institute

Game Practice!

We made everyone eat with a random kitchen utensil...ahh the fun that comes from leading the meals.=]

Demo Club

 Security Checks on Canada Day. Anyone not wearing red and white or their nametag was required to do "community service" and do the dishes. Security was tight because Queen Elizabeth came to visit (aka Queen Elizabeth Kinney).

Debbie, another CEF staff worker that is American and married a Canadian found this flag so on the 4th of July, she and I, the "American Dignitaries" came to promote peace between our two nations. I finally got to celebrate the 4th of July after 3 years!!!!

North Team 2010

Notice the name "North TEAM" given to our group this year- our kids insisted that this year's group could not call us mom and dad and could only be a team not a family. =] (Even though Grace is actually Daniel's sister...I'm not sure how that works out). Please pray for these 5 teens as they'll be teaching over the next 6 weeks. R & G will be together for 4 weeks, then R & R will teach for the last 2 weeks. We are delighted by the team we have.

This week the girls are in Whitefish and the boys in Port Sydney and Orillia. I'm driving kids from our Good News Club to the Port Sydney club so it's nice to be able to focus on discipline issues without having to teach. Please pray for these kids to come to be convicted of their sin and to come to know God personally and be changed by Him!

Please pray for the teaching teams as they're discovering "real" kids present many more challenges than the chairs and trees they practiced teaching at training.

North Family Reunion

It was SO amazing to be at the Summer Training Institute and to have 3 of our 4 "kids" there with us (our team from last summer). Since last year, Belle moved from Thunder Bay to southern Ontario and been adopted (in all ways except legal) by Ariel's family and finally for the first time in 17 years has a family! The neat thing is that Belle was sent back to Thunder Bay for the summer to teach clubs, so has gone full circle in a way since last year! She is so changed from last year- her incredible joy-filled spirit and love just bounces out from her now...it's amazing what love can do!

 The girls still call us "mom" and "dad" and even came to say Good-night and get a hug every night at training.

Daniel was so changed spiritually after last summer that his sister decided to come out with CEF this year!

 We were just missing Greg for a full reunion.

Building Updates

Here Karen, I've finally remembered to post a picture of David's latest project - a wood shed. I'm amazed by this crazy husband of mine, he made the posts of trees he cut down and he used his chainsaw to make the boards for the sides out of other logs. He also did this whole thing (it's 10 ft x 8 ft and 10 ft tall) all without a ladder!
** We can apply for our building permit tomorrow!!!

This is my project- I finally have a garden again! I really missed it the last 4-5 years! It was sort of a test this year to see if anything would actually grow in dirt that use to be a forest floor.  Yay for fresh, healthy vegetables soon!

We have grass growing!

New Tents!

CEF Ontario bought two 10 x10 tents for the Orillia area to use for the Fairs to replace the well used Good News Storyhouse trailer. I can't wait to see what the new banner looks like debuting the new name "Discovery Zone". Please pray for the volunteers that will run it for Canada Day, July 1 and Woodville Festival, July 10 and share the Gospel with kids through puppets, face painting and stories.