July 2025

Madison YWAM Mission Trip 

My late entry isn't due to writers block or a lack of events to cover, rather the opposite!  We got home from Madison, WI with the high school youth group mission trip on Friday, and I'm just getting the chance to record it all now.  There was so much that happened in this eventful week, and these youth and leaders are the highlight.  Each person grew in their own way as we all dove deeper into Christ's calling of the commission and what it means to leave it all behind and focus on the kingdom. 

We started each day with a training session that focused on the call of John, James, Peter, and Andrew as Jesus instructed them to leave their nets behind and follow Him.  We looked at different things Jesus called them to leave behind and what that means for us.  We also looked into scripture of those called by Jesus who didn't give up everything to follow Him and what they were afraid of leaving.  It was an insightful study that concluded at the end of the week with asking the students and volunteers what God is calling each of them to surrender to follow even closer behind Him.

During the afternoon, there was a variety of activities.  We began the week with a scavenger hunt in downtown Madison that encouraged gospel-focused conversations.  I loved watching as students in my group jumped immediately into Christ-centered conversations.  One of the scavenger hunt challenges was to find someone riding a bike and take a picture.  I instructed my group that in order to take the picture, we need permission first, and while it was only a one-point scavenger hunt item, a student in my group made that his top priority.  It was comical to watch him try to flag down bikers and move to different areas of the sidewalk in hopes a biker would be passing by.  Finally, after a couple of hours downtown, he was able to signal to a biker who stopped for him.  I explained that we were a church group doing a scavenger hunt and asked if we could take a picture, and he agreed.  He then asked more about what we were doing in Madison and the group and I began talking.  This really interested the bike rider, and he shared how he believed there had to be something greater, but that each religion seems to explain it for themselves.  Still, with every point he made, he would then contradict himself saying he has seen miracles in people who believe in God.  It was an interesting conversation, though unfortunately, as it was at the end of our time, I explained we were already late to meet our group.  He asked, "Where are you headed? I'll walk with you all."  He joined us on the walk back, continuing to chat and ask questions.  When we arrived with our group, a few others from the rest of the team joined in the conversation.  I took a copy of the gospel of John we had been using in conversation with people and and went to John 3:16.  I circled "the world" and wrote in this man's name, saying that because he is part of the world, this can be a personal promise for him.  He happily accepted the Bible and wanting more information, I connected him with one of the YWAM staff members who wrote their contact in the front of the Bible. 

The next day, we went back out on the streets of Madison and shared Christ with people and brought some bagged lunches to the homeless.  Some of the kids were just itching to share Jesus with others that they started talking to people before we even dismissed them!  When we returned back to the whole group after that day, a few of the kids were already talking about getting together back home to continue evangelizing.  There was another surprise, our biker friend from the first day had contacted the YWAM staff and came to say goodbye and thank us! We are praying he remains connected with the staff and will become connected with a church in the area. 

While the first two days included more street evangelism, the next two days were focused on service projects.  The group I was with on our first service project day went to a summer daycare at a low-income housing center that housed mainly refugees.  I connected with a couple little girls from the Middle East, and we spent the time painting and making bead-lizards (my 90s-kid talent got me some "cool points" with these little kids)!  The time went by incredibly quickly, and I loved looking around the room seeing the youth connect with these kids in a variety of ways - board games, card games, crafts, conversations, and all was accompanied by smiles. 

When we arrived back to the center where we were staying (an adorable little schoolhouse transformed into a team mission center) one of the leaders had noticed the front garden was in need of some TLC.  We asked the group of students after a full day of serving if anyone was interested in helping, and we were pleasantly surprised that nearly all the youth and leaders came out to help!  One of the students who is extremely filled by hard work said, "This is the project I was waiting for!"

To start our last full day in Madison, we went in the morning to a nearby city to for a prayer walk.  While we had been in the car, the students were playing a game of listing food that starts with every letter of the alphabet, starting at A until they can't think of more and then changing to B.  Another leader and I took advantage of this game and during the prayer walk asked the students to play the same game listing the attributes of God.  It was such a powerful way to be present in adoration of our Creator in the entirety of the pray walk.  

Later that day, we served by cleaning out three storage units owned by the food shelf for families in need in the community.  The storage units hold children's bedding and beds for children they learn who are sleeping on the floor.  I had so much fun sorting through and organizing the bedding with my team, and I was amazed at how engaged everyone was during the entire serving time.  Later, we asked the leader of the food shelf how many children they service with beds and bedding.  She said they access the storage unit pretty frequently as they serve 6-7 kids a month. 

During the week, we introduced a new game that we called "Underground Church."  It is essentially the game of Mafia with roles of the underground church trying to find the "informants" who are turning in members of the church.  We had such great team-time playing this game for multiple evenings, and we loved seeing the students discuss what a real underground church would be like and research the most persecuted churches in the world.  It was impactful to see how this game caused a spark discussion that focused then on praying for the persecuted churches worldwide. 

The final evening, the YWAM staff had a couple application activities for us to participate with as they asked each of us to write something to "cast on the net" as Jesus calls us to let go and follow Him.  We then each retrieved a stone from water with a truth God says about His children.  We brought the net with all the items written out to the bonfire in a symbolic act of burning these things that had been weighing us down.  As dusk rolled through, we were greeted by many little fireflies!  A group of us enjoyed this fantasy-like evening as we caught fireflies and watched as they glowed on our fingertips.  It was a great evening seeing these students spend with their friends, mentors, and soaking in God's promises. 

Toddler Tuesdays

With a toddler time right before Independence Day, we focused on what freedom means.  Some of the kids tried their own definitions of freedom, though none of them could really understand this big concept on their own.  Finally, one student said freedom is when someone does something bad and is punished and someone does the same thing and isn't punished.  For the age of these young kids, this was the best way to understand "freedom."  I embellished on the child's response saying that we are blessed in America because we have freedom to worship Jesus and in other countries, they are in trouble if they worship Jesus and could be put in prison by the police.  One of the preschoolers said, "that's sad," and we all talked about how freedom is something to celebrate this Independence Day!

Big Machinery and Little Construction Overseers at Church

Later this month, we looked at the parable of the lost sheep.  We talked together about how being lost can be scary and referred back to a lesson last month on things that make us scared.  As we read the story, the toddlers considered this lost sheep and without hesitation, said the obvious solution would be for the shepherd to go look for the little sheep.  When we reached the part of how the shepherd found the sheep and carried him back to the pen, I passed around a stuffed animal sheep and asked the kids to show how they would carry the lost sheep home if they were the shepherd who had found him.  Each child took a turn hugging that stuffed sheep - each child gripping the little sheep tighter and closer than the last.  It was such a beautiful display of how Jesus carries each of us He loves back to the safety with the Father.  

Student Link

My co-leader and I have been loving the extra time these girls want to spend with each other and with us.  It is always so fun for us to think that just six months ago, none of us knew each other, and now these three are best friends! We have been meeting outside in the nicer weather at parks for picnics and then playing some rounds of pickleball - which ends up being more comical than competitive with this group!  

We had a couple birthdays on our Student Link Team in July!  We embraced these summer birthdays at one of our favorite, frequented summer place - the pickleball court.  We know as summer comes to an end, we will be losing a few of these team members as they pursue ministry schooling as they continue in their calling to all God has for them.  It is exciting to see where they will go in these next parts of their journeys, and we treasure the times we still have a team together. 

Youth Group

One of my favorite ministry joys this season is with these 6th grade girls.  I am beyond blessed by them and their joy and desires to spend our Wednesday evenings together to study scripture.  A couple of the girls have brought some friends to join and when I introduced myself, one new friend said, "I know who you are!  All my friend ever does is talk about church and the people there!"  I love the heart of these youth to already be sharing Jesus with their friends.  

As a Student Link Team, we took on leading evening games for one youth gathering this month.  With all the different ages represented and the continually changing weather forecast, our ideas were vast and flexible.  I enjoyed seeing all the students participate and involve everyone in the games.  The unity in this youth group is fun to witness, especially as these new 6th graders involve themselves with the activities of the "big kids" and fit in so beautifully. 

June 2025

Chicago XJ - Mission Trip

Experience Jesus (XJ) is a youth discipling and evangelism event hosted by SonLife at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  This is the second year of XJ as they started up again after Covid, but I knew the mission by its former name SEMP (Students Equipped to Minister to Peers) as I had attended SEMP in 2009 as a high school student.  When I was invited to come as a trainer to XJ, I felt I had come "full circle" as SEMP had been the catalyst for desiring to go on short-term mission trips to the Czech Republic.  I was excited to be a part of this mission again!

In the morning, the students participate in two training sessions about Foundational Christian Truth (Anchor Training) and Evangelism (Net Training).  I was a co-trainer for the Net Training as we taught the students how to cast "nets" in the relationships they have to share the gospel with their friends and family and then do some CPR - Cultivate the relationship, Plant seeds, and Reap the fruit of discipleship.  I had so much fun teaching and encouraging the students and youth pastors!  We shared many stories of our own ministry experiences, but mainly looked at Jesus's model of ministry and focused on how He reached the lost.  We looked at stories like Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, and the Woman at the Well along with others and then applied what we saw from Jesus's example to our own lives.  The students were phenomenal!

Neither my co-trainer nor I are very tech-savvy, but we managed with a few hiccups - the tech support staff was amazing and even awarded us a "Most Improved" certificate at the end of the week!

Between the stories, discussion questions, and video clips, we had multiple interactive games for the students to push them outside of their comfort zones in speaking and sharing while also giving sometimes a silly and fun atmosphere! There were about 200 students and youth pastors (about 15 youth groups) represented at this conference from all over the United States.  The larger youth groups were often divided into multiple classrooms to mix them in with other students.  It was fun to see the students try different seats in the classroom throughout the week to talk to new students as they became comfortable with one another.  On the final day of class, the students all wrote letters to a friend they had been praying for all week.  As they had learned much during the week, we challenged them to continue sharing their faith at home and ask their friends for a time to meet.  We are praying for God to continue to work in the hearts of these students as they return to their homes and have these conversations with friends and continue to share the gospel. 

In the afternoons, the students went with their youth groups out onto the streets of Chicago and shared their faith with people in the city.  On the first day, I reached out to one youth group I had connected with in my class and asked if I could join them for their outing and, since then, they became my "adopted youth group".  I joined them most of the days and had some really great conversations with people out on the streets of Chicago.  I rejoiced as students I was with said "that was the first time I prayed for a stranger aloud!" or "that was the first time I shared my testimony!" and "that was the first time I told someone about the gospel!"  It was clearly the Holy Spirit working and their hearts were passionately going deeper and deeper to seeing the lost people of Chicago each day.  There were many times we sat with people for an extended amount of time and just heard their stories.  We prayed for a homeless young man as he went to a job interview, prayed with a group of high school foster kids who were coming from their mom's funeral the day before, prayed with a couple as they asked Jesus to give them a sign to soften their hearts as they desire to make Him Lord but overthinking kept stopping them, prayed with a man whose brother has terminal cancer and only months to live, prayed with a fisherman who has anxiety and just wanted Jesus's forgiveness, and prayed with a young man as he desires to raise his three-week old baby to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior!

One afternoon, instead of joining the youth group out on the streets of Chicago, I joined the SonLife Team as we took to Chicago on bikes!  It was a wonderful time, and I really enjoyed the change of pace halfway through the week and getting to hear from many other stateside missionaries about their ministries.  It was a blessing to be able to connect with the other trainers and hear their encouragement also. 

Youth Group

As of June 1st, I am a co-discussion group leader for a group of 6th grade girls at church!  I am so excited for this upcoming journey with these young ladies and have been ecstatic getting to know them and jumping in with all their energy!  We took first place in our summer kick-off event against all the older grades (7th-12th), which really set the bar high for competitions in the future with this group.  What I loved about that first night was hearing the girls talk after the program.  As we looked into the wisdom of Proverbs, the speaker touched on many points and I watched as the girls frantically took notes in their Bible margins and whispered to each other "there's so much good information!"

I've been reminded of the little joys with this group as they engage in the activities and when the games are over, they are quick to make up a new game all on their own!  They invite upperclassmen to join them, and I'm learning so much as their leader.  Specifically, I've learned I should mic one of my students because she is nearly constantly saying something comical; I've learned how much sugar gives one of my girls a sugar-high (and it isn't a lot...); and I've learned some 6th graders don't have a concept of age as they've asked if I'm a teenager or 50.  Looking forward to this fun, wild, blessed ride with this group this year! 

Our first summer event outside of regular youth group time was a Nerf War with all 6th through 8th graders, and I had so much fun with these ladies!  They are tough and strategic - we filled the hoodie hoods and pockets with extra ammunition and regularly checked in with each other to leave no soldier behind.  (In the battle, I broke two nails, got two minor cuts, and had a bruise for a couple days, but it was all worth it!)

Student Link

Summer schedules bring new commitments, but these high schoolers and young adults are still focused on their Student Link commitments!  We are finding times that work to meet and trying new places, but are always so happy when it works to gather and encourage each other.  I am so proud of the ways these girls have grown in these five months as they desire to seek God more! 

We concluded our weekly morning prayer now that school is out for summer, and we celebrated by bringing donuts to a few high school students on their final day.  It has been a great reminder this season to focus on praying for teenagers in this community and in our churches.  I recently heard how one student focused ministry calls their ministry the 9 Month Mission as they work with high school students as they are lights in their schools during the school year.  I used this phrase to encourage a couple students this semester and pray God will continue to use them as they meet with their friends over the summer months too!

Toddler Tuesdays 

We are continuing in our theme about emotions with the toddlers.  Last month, we stated with the emotion "angry" and this month, we looked at "fear".  After reading a book about a character who was afraid and connecting it to our own worries, the toddlers listened to the story of Peter walking on the water.  As I got to the part when Peter started sinking, I asked the kids what they thought would be a good prayer to say when they feel afraid.  One child said, "maybe just 'help me.'"  I told them that is exactly what Peter told Jesus and Jesus did help him when he was afraid in the water.  We made floating Jesus and Peter crafts and the kids continually tried to sink Jesus and Peter, even making little waves to try to keep them under the water, but, without fail, the foam characters floated back to the surface despite the preschoolers' and toddlers' efforts.  They were all excited to have try out their new "bath toy" at home too!

Madison and Czech Teams

I am looking forward to two upcoming mission trips in July and September as I will be joining the high schoolers on a mission trip to Madison, WI, and helping lead a team of young adults back to Czech in September.  Our Madison team had a team serve day as we helped prepare VBS (Vacation Bible School) at one of the church campuses.  It was a great time to get to serve together and also help out the staff in their final days of preparation for the busy week ahead. 

I enjoyed chatting with a few members of the team as we completed tasks and learned lots about their strengths working together as a team throughout the serving day.

Little break by the campfire... 

With everyone back for summer, we were finally able to meet as a whole team in person for our Czech team meeting!  It was so fun to have everyone together around the table as we are often used to having a couple people call in online to join.  We made a quick promo-video to share with the students in Czech as we are all really looking forward to seeing everyone, and then did a team building activity.  I led the team through a leadership strengths team building activity as we looked at the importance of our strengths and how to use our strengths together.  We were all really happy to see that there is a very large and balance variety of strengths represented on our team, and we felt we could communicate well with each other in the story challenges that were given.  I am so excited to see how this team will share the love of Jesus with a community that is so close to my heart.

May 2025

Dubai

About a week before needing to fly out for training at a conference, my aunt and uncle called to ask if I would be available and willing to join them on a trip to Dubai.  They had realized two couples who had planned to attend this important training would be unable to attend because they did not have care for their children.  My aunt and uncle quickly reached out to me knowing my heart for children.  We arrived in Dubai and made it to the hotel in the middle of the night.  In a couple hours, I was an awake and thankfully without jet lag as I quickly met five children and took them on our first outing in the city.  They were the ideal group of little travelers, and we had many joyous memories together at the Children’s Museum, the aquarium, looking at attractions at the mall, playing in the hotel room, and swimming in the pool!  It was wonderful to be able to bless these kids and their family in this way.  

 

On one of the mornings, while the youngest child napped, the older children and I walked through a lesson on managing fear - an important tool for all children, especially applicable for those growing up in dangerous environments due to their parents calling.

My lesson on fear is available here:  Theology of Risk Management for Children 

The discussion was incredibly enriching.  After just a couple days, I was attached to these kids, and we said goodbye with lots of hugs and recalling all the favorite memories of the last couple days together. 

I took “jet lag” days on the way out having jumped into childcare in a foreign culture so quickly!  I was able to recollect the lesson I had taught the day before for the children regarding fear to create a lesson plan for others to use in similar settings with children.  (Planned out and working to get a teen lesson on fear on the website also!  Though this lesson has not been field tested yet.) In the interim time, I enjoyed a couple outings to see the nature around Dubai and the old city.  It was definitely a memorable trip!

 

Women's Retreat

I enjoyed a bit of respite with other women from church at their annual women’s retreat.  There was a lot of great study time as the speaker focused on lots of scripture and the sessions were packed with information. The camp ground was beautiful with walking trails by the river and many outdoor activities. A group of ladies and I enjoyed walking around, playing mini-golf, and coloring while chatting at a picnic table during the free-time.  To kick-off the free-time, they also incorporated a “ministry fair” for the missions represented by the registered women on this retreat to share about their ministries.  One of my favorite parts of the weekend (besides all the wonderful concerts and laughter with these women) was the petting zoo. There was a variety of animals, including a camel, but my favorite was this fluffy bunny who gave happy bunny licks and purrs when she was held.  She reminded me of my dear rabbit who I had to leave in Czech.

Student Link

The Student Link groups continue to meet as we work through different topics in faith and have accountability with each other and peers in reading scripture, memorizing, praying regularly, sharing our faith, and serving.  As the school year wraps up, some of the groups have found it is harder to find the time to meet with many end-of-the-year activities, sports, and work schedules, however, we are seeing that even in all of that, we still find space where we can meet, and on the weeks we miss, there is encouragement that happens between the girls over messages!

 

We had Student Link with PUPPIES!!

Toddler Tuesdays

The moms have been saying the toddlers and preschoolers are often looking forward to their special activities when moms are at Bible Study.  It is so fun to build onto the lessons and get to know these kids and their moms!  With Mother’s Day this month, we spent the day outside making ink-fingerprint flowers for a Mother’s Day card.  We then continued at the playground.  While the kids were playing we talked about Jesus’s mother, Mary, and things they may have done together.  I asked the kids, “Do you think Jesus and his mom played video games together? Or basketball?”  There was a resounding “No! That’s silly” from this bunch.  One preschooler said “Maybe Jesus went on a trip with His mom.”  I explained that we know Jesus did do this, and that he had gotten left behind in the city on their way home!  The kids said they thought Mary would have been very worried.  Another preschooler said, “Maybe they played a game together, like marbles.”  And another preschooler said, “I don’t know, but I know I like to cuddle with my mom, so I think probably Jesus cuddled with His mom.”  I loved thinking of that image of little Jesus cuddling with His mother. 

In our next lesson, we began talking about emotions.  I asked generally when the kids think is a good idea to do when they get angry.  One said to take a break, another said to have some calm breaths, and one said to scream into a pillow.  We talked about different ways people express anger.  We read a book about a child who becomes angry and how it was okay that the child felt anger, because that is a natural part of feeling misjudged or misunderstood, but it is how we react to anger that is important.  We talked about how God can help us when we feel angry and I asked the kids, “What is something we can pray when we feel angry?” Thinking the kids would give a specific example of something to pray, my heart warmed when one of the preschoolers just said, “…everything.” 

Youth Group Speaking 

Starting next month, I will be joining a friend as we begin leading a 6th grade girls group as middle school youth group leaders.  We are looking forward to this time with the girls, and to get my feet a little wet in with the middle school crowd, I was invited as a speaker to conclude their series on Ephesians as they finished the school year.  The final chapter of Ephesians is a full and intense section as the apostle Paul talks about obedience and facing spiritual battles.  

I have seen in my own life how important it is to enter battles with the appropriate heart attitude of obedience and also to go equipped in being surrounded by the armor of God.  I enjoyed sharing with these rowdy and energetic middle schoolers the value of each piece the armor represents.  To bring this lesson to full visualization, the youth leader suggested I use modern military-wear just as Paul used the Roman military uniform.  The favorite part of the suiting up was getting to use the NERF gun to take a couple shots at the youth leader in the back corner.  We then talked about how the gun only works with ammunition just like we have to be consistently in scripture and prayer with the Father to build that “ammunition” so when the attacks come, we are able to fight the enemy.  There were many different visuals I used, and even up to the day before speaking, God continued to give me new ideas.  I did tell the leaders if I speak in the future, I will be taking a lighter topic, like Peace or Sabbath, but I was grateful for the opportunity to speak and enjoyed seeing just how eager many of the middle schoolers were to participate, share comments, volunteer to read scripture, and engage with the speaker.  While they may be a chatty and boisterous crowd, their engagement with the lesson was wonderful to see. 

 

Team Meetings & Team Building

As this group of middle and high school students are getting ready for summer mission trips, we brought them to Crown College for a training session as they heard from college students who have gone on mission trips and then joined the college body in a worship session.  The speakers talked about being prepared for the unexpected - that many times on mission trips plans change and expectations aren’t met, but that focusing on God in those settings continues to glorify Him in the greater mission.  It was a valuable lesson for the students!

As we have two different groups going to serve on Mission Trips to the Czech Republic within two months of each other, one team member thought it would be fun to connect the two teams for an afternoon at the lake.  The summer team is geared towards high schoolers and the fall team is for young adults, but since they are really only a couple years apart, many of them were in youth group together, have friends that overlap, and some have moved from the high school trip into the young adult trip now!  Since we are working with the same youth group in the Czech Republic and building the relationships there, it was fun to see these two teams unify during this training and preparation time as well.  I am really so proud of all of them for making this commitment to go and serve in one of the most atheistic countries in the world. 

Czech Visit

While one Czech friend visited in January, a couple in February, another drop-in in March from one Czech family I know, it seemed only fitting that there would be another visit from a Czech friend in May!  This friend used to come to our Youth Club Center with his friends to use our workout room that we had at that time.  These friends were talented strength trainers, and it was fun to see all the new tricks they would try.  As time went on and their lives became busy, we saw less of them, but this one friend found his way back to ELIM as he met a friend who pointed him towards Jesus.  He remembered ELIM and the Christian leaders he had met there, and just a couple years ago, made the decision to follow Christ!  He has since connected with ELIM even more as he helps volunteer at many events.  I am glad he made so many friends with the Americans who visit Letovice and had the opportunity to come to America for some fun experiences!