Dear Key Club,

Once again, thanks for your continued prayers as I’ve traveled around Texas this week sharing about Malachi and spending time with supporters.

Thanks for praying for my sharing times this week.

>>On Tuesday I had an unexpected opportunity to share about Malachi with the Lackland PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel). I was super encouraged by this group of Air Force wives and their heart for the Lord - many are raising military kids or did and are now retired.

>>On Wednesday I had planned to share with a women’s Bible study, but due to various reasons only 1 of the gals could make it. It was still great though! I had a blast visiting with Katie - a young Air Force wife and mom. She grew up in Belgium, where her parents served as missionaries.

Thanks for praying for travels.

>>On Thursday I drove to Dallas to visit a friend/supporter, who I met in Okinawa through helping with the middle school youth group there. Our time together has been great.

>>On Monday, I’ll be driving to KS; On Tuesday to SD; On Wednesday to WI... and will be home after 3 weeks of suit case living! Please continue to pray for me as I start the drive north.

The past few weeks have been an extremely encouraging time as I have reconnected with dear friends, shared the story of the military teen and the Lord's call on my life to minister to them. Many people have responded by joining the Key Club and contributing financially - thanks! I'm especially grateful to the Nupson's and Hurt's for plugging me into their churches and connecting me with their friends. Both these families are serving in Air Force as chaplains and have impacted me greatly!

Thank you for journeying with me!

Because of Christ,

Beth

Here's a few pics of the friend's I've been visiting, and some stories I didn't include in the e-mail...

^The Nupson kiddos (I met them 10 years ago). We lived at Grand Forks AFB, ND and Kadena AB in Okinawa together.

^The Hurt's, who I met in Okianwa.

This past Monday was a very exciting day for the Hurt's! - Why I’ll always “remember the Alamo”...

On Monday the Hurt’s took me out to breakfast to a neat German restaurant in downtown San Antonio. While we were there, they received a call from the adoption agency they’ve been working with, notifying them of a baby girl in the city who was being placed up for adoption. The agency wanted their permission to show their profile to the birthmother. The Hurt’s gave them a yes. A few hours later, while we were touring the Alamo, the agency called and said the baby was theirs! Praise the Lord!! Baby Kelcie is still in the hospital as she was born Dec. 31st at only 27 weeks, but she’s making great progress! This is the 2nd baby girl the Hurt’s have adopted and I’m so excited for them - they’re wonderful parents!! What an amazing blessing!?

^My friend Bekka, who I also met in Okinawa through working with the middle school youth group. She's currently living in Mesquite (near Dallas) and working as a high school home ec teacher.

On Friday night, I had an opportunity to go to a BBQ with Bekka and her roommate. They are involved in a ministry outreach to refugees. There are refugees are from Bhutan, Nepal, Burma, Iraq and many other countries in the Dallas area. Many of them come to the US escaping persecution, with little to nothing in terms of personal belongings and they know very little (if any) English. In addition to some government refugee agencies set in place to help them, many churches come together to support them in this transition to life in a new country. One of the big ways they help out is through English classes. Once families know some English, they are able to get jobs and can start supporting their families. Many come from Hindu and Muslim countries and have never heard the Good News of Christ. It was really cool to see so many Christians building relationships with the refugees and take action to help them get settled in. Some of the refugees approached some of the church members and asked if they could go to church with them next weekend for Easter! Pretty cool!

Dear Key Club,

Thanks for your prayers this past week as I drove from Oklahoma City to San Antonio on Friday. It's a good thing I left when I did - Oklahoma City woke up to lots of snow on Saturday! (Praise the Lord for His timing!) I really enjoyed reconnecting with friends in Oklahoma! My time in San Antonio is going well - it's been great to see more old friends, and I've enjoyed some good southern BBQ!

On Wednesday night I shared about Malachi during the Tinker Chapel fellowship dinner. Throughout the dinner, I shared the stories of some of the students that I worked with in Okinawa. I also had people move to different tables and chat with new people during the dinner - reminding us that moving can be annoying and burdensome, but it gives us opportunities to meet and learn from new people. Thanks for your prayers for the evening!

Yesterday I shared about Malachi with the Lackland AFB Gospel Service. I had a great time worshipping with this congregation and was really encouraged through many good conversations and by those who responded by joining the key club.

On Wednesday morning I'll be sharing with a group of ladies here in San Antonio. Many of them are young moms, so I'm looking forward to talking about military families with them. I hope it will be an encouraging time for them!

THANKS SO MUCH! for your continued prayers throughout my trip. On Thursday I'll be heading up to Mesquite to visit a friend/supporter for a long weekend, and will begin my drive home to Wisconsin on Monday...making stops in Andover, KS and Sioux Falls, SD to visit friends/supporters.

Blessings on you this week friends and happy 1st week of spring!

Because of Christ,

Beth

Dear Key Club,

Thanks for praying this past week for me as I drove to OK - all went well! I was able to visit 2 friends along the way, which was fabulous, and my time with friends in OK has been great. On the first night we went to a restaurant called "Pops". They have hundreds of pops to choose from - the "sodagusting" ones were pretty funny - dog drool, bug barf, and kitty piddle... Yesterday I went horseback riding on Boomer.

On Thursday...I spent time with 3 retired Air Force couples in Omaha. We had a great chat about the ups and downs of military life and I heard testimonies as to what it was like for them to raise their children in the military community. I had an opportunity to share with them about Malachi. Although each family had served at least 20 years in the service, they hadn't come in contact with a Malachi youth group. (Currently, Malachi is only working in Germany and Japan because we just don't have enough workers to expand to other bases.)

On Sunday...I shared about Malachi in 2 chapel services at Tinker Air Base. This went pretty well and a number of people responded by joining the Key Club! I'll have a chance to visit with some of these folks again at Wednesday night Bible study.

On Wednesday...the Tinker chapel holds Bible studies for all ages. All the groups start out by eating dinner together, then split into their various studies. However this week, all the groups will be staying together, and I'll be leading them through a fun, interactive night. I plan to pair younger people with older people and have them discuss a variety of things pertaining to one's spiritual life and military upbringing. My hope is that different generations would engage with one another, and that some of the "older" folks would catch the vision and need for strong youth ministry programs, and consider how they might become involved in investing in youth. Would you please pray for this night? 50-75 people usually come, however, it's spring break week, so numbers might be lower.

On Friday...I'll be driving to San Antonio, please pray for safe travels. (This will be my first time in TX.)

On Sunday...I'll be sharing about Malachi in a chapel service at Lackland Air Force Base.

Thank you so much for you prayers - knowing that I'm being prayed for gives me tremendous peace and courage.

Because of Christ,
Beth

Dear Key Club,

Last week, I introduced you to Kaila and shared with you her highs and lows of military life. During the 3 years I worked with youth in Okinawa, I could probably count on my hand how many times Kaila wasn’t at youth group. I asked her to share a bit about her spiritual journey, and what it was that brought her to youth group, week after week.

“Quest and Impact played an enormous role in my relationship with Jesus. Especially since my parents aren't Christians, and we don't go to church very regularly. For a long time, Quest/Impact was the only place I could count on hearing God's word from people who actually had a relationship with Him. I could trust the sermons to be very relevant to me, without being watered down. I loved the sense of family I felt there, and being able to be around people who went to my school who were followers of Christ.”

Many of the students who come to youth group are unchurched and come from non-Christian homes. Some students come to youth group simply for “something to do” or they come because they were invited by friends. Because military teens move so often, they’ve learned how to build relationships quickly. This relational adaptability makes them open to getting to know people, who know Jesus. It’s my desire that youth group be a safe place for students to come and hear God’s Word in a meaningful way, while being surrounded with believers who will invest in students and walk alongside of them as they grow in faith.

When you see your key this week, would you pray that Christian students would boldly reach out to their non-Christian peers at school and invite them to youth group. Pray that the Lord would capture the hearts of students, like Kaila, as they hear His Word.

On Wednesday morning I’m setting off on a support raising trip. I’ll be spending time in SD, NE and OK this week. On Thursday evening I’ll be sharing about Malachi with a small group in Omaha and on Sunday I’ll be sharing in 2 chapel services at Tinker AFB near Oklahoma City. Please pray for safe travels (no March snowstorms!) and for me as I share the story of the military teen with potential supporters, please pray for open hearts!

Knowing that I'm being covered in prayer, along with military teens, gives me a tremendous amount of courage and peace! Thank you so much! I pray for the Key Club regularly, and often lift up specific individuals on the team. If there’s anything that I can be lifting up for you before the Lord, please let me know!

Because of Christ,

Beth

Two Good Reads

Third Culture Kids and Hurt are two great books relating to youth ministry that I have found to be very insightful when it comes to working with youth.

If you're raising kids in the military or on the mission field, (or you're interested in understanding how to support these kids) Third Culture Kids is a great resource. A "third culture kid" or TCK, refers to someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own. The book addresses a number of issues ranging from personal characteristics, developmental issues and relational patterns of TCK's to help us understand where these kids are and what their needs are.

Hurt is an exceptional book that explores the world of today's teenagers. If you're working with teens, or want to better understand teens, or have thought "teenagers today are way different from when I was teen, I just don't get them" - this is a must read. Clark discusses how today's changing family structure is impacting teens, he explores school life, extra-curicular activities, sexuality among teens, peer relationships, and adult relationships. He has years of ministry experience, and he provides thoughts and insights into how we engage students and meet their needs. Throughout the book, there's a reoccurring theme of abandonment - Clark believes that adults have become so consumed with their own lives, that they are overlooking the needs of teens.

Click on a book to link to amazon.com and read reviews.

Dear Team,

Thank you for your prayers this past week for my Malachi presentation at Eaglebrook Church (my church in Minocqua, WI). I was encouraged through numerous conversations with people and I’m excited to welcome some Eaglebrook’ers to the Key Club! We're growing!

This week, I’d like to continue introducing you to students who I've gotten to know over the years, in hopes of giving you an "insiders" view on what it's like to be a teen in the military and how we can pray for the military.

Kaila began coming to youth group in 7th grade and came faithfully until she moved to the states her sophomore year. She’s a very special gal to me, as she never missed anything youth group related - so I got to know her very well! Cool fact, Kaila now lives in North Dakota and is going to the same high school I did in Grand Forks!

^Remember Esther from a few weeks ago? That's her on the far left and that's Kaila on the far right.

I asked Kaila to share some highs and lows of military life....

“One thing that I really like about military life is being able to travel of course. It's so cool to be able to tell people that I lived in Japan for nine years. If my dad wasn't in the military, I'm sure I would have barely been anywhere besides the place that I was born. My favorite part is being able to meet so many different kinds of people. Even within the states, I've noticed that people in North Dakota have different lifestyles than the people in Missouri, and that the people in Missouri are a lot different than the people in South Carolina or Florida. It's also cool, because I've noticed that these different lifestyles effect the way that people view and relate to God. It's helped me realize that people can practice their faith differently, and that their views aren't necessarily wrong even if they weren't the ones I was brought up with.

At the same time though, moving is probably the most challenging part. It's tough when my dad has to be TDY [military acronym for “temporary duty”, like a deployment] for months at a time, but that's something that I can kind of get used to, where it's almost impossible to get used to leaving your friends and making new ones, because the experience is different every time.”

Over the past weeks, you've probably noticed a theme - The thing students love the most about military life is experiencing life in different states/countries and meeting a variety of people. The thing students dislike the most about military life is moving to a different state/country and having to meet new people.

This week, when you see your key, would you pray for ...

1. Students. Because we're created in the image of a Triune God, we've been wired for relationships. Pray that students would be willing to invest in relationships. Many get tired of making deep friendships, only to have to say goodbye after a year or two. Yet, as Kaila shared, relationships are so important to the development of teens. Through some of her relationships her worldview was expanded and she was able to experience God in new, profound ways.

2. Me. My upcoming support raising road trip is shaping up. I'm planning to leave on March 10th for about 3 weeks. I'd appreciate your prayers as I prepare for sharing about Malachi with a variety of groups in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Because of Christ,

Beth