Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Key Club,

Last weekend I had an opportunity to visit Bastogne, Belgium - site of WWII's Battle of the Bulge. Friends and I toured a museum, walked around a memorial for US soldiers, climbed in fox holes, and saw a monument dedicated to Easy Company (as seen in Band of Brothers).

The Battle of the Bulge was a huge turning point in the war. The German army had the Americans surrounded and expected the US to surrender. In the dead of winter, the Americans were able to hold on long enough for reinforcements to make their way through heavy snowfall to defeat the Germans.

Seeing pictures of the battle, watching video clips and reflecting on memorials of those who died in the battle, I was reminded of the sacrifices of our military - past and present.

Last night at youth group, we broke into smaller groups for a time of prayer. One girl in my group shared about an upcoming deployment for her dad and another shared about tougher times at home because of parent's work stress. It was such a blessing to get to pray with and for these students and to encourage them. I'm thankful we have a place students can come and lay their burdens at the Cross and find rest and peace in Jesus.

It's a privilege to minister to the military community. I'm so thankful for you and your partnership with me in sharing Jesus with military teens. THANK YOU for your support.

I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, full of good food, fellowship and times of reflecting on God's goodness and faithfulness. I'm looking forward to a wonderful meal at the Cadence Hospitality House (my current home!). Lou and Cathy, the Cadence missionaries I've been living with (and whom I'm really thankful for!), are expecting at least 70 folks for Thanksgiving dinner. Praise the Lord for bringing so many people to this ministry.

Blessings,

Beth

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

High School Fall Retreat to Switzerland

Hey Key Club!

Thanks for praying for our high school fall retreat this past weekend. We had a GREAT time!! Here's a picture of our group.

This is the cabin we stayed in... yes, those are the Swiss Alps all around us!

It rained the entire first day we were there, but thankfully the second and third days were full of gorgeous sunshine and blue skies. Two of the evenings were so clear, that we could see an entire sky full of stars - a very amazing sight that brought one student to tears. For more pics of the scenery, click here.

My goal for the weekend was to get to know students, and I had many opportunities to do that! Both afternoons I went hiking with kids. Here's a picture of Brooke and Merissa and Sara on the right - Sara is a volunteer staff, who does an awesome job loving students!! Hikes were a great time to get to chat with students and get a glimpse into their world.

In the mornings I led experiential learning activities. We split the students into 2 teams and gave them obstacles to complete. We then moved into a debrief discussion time, to allow students to process the activity and pull out real life applications. We talked a lot about being a team, contributing to a group, and valuing others. During our evening teaching times, we talked about the body of Christ, and how Jesus has gifted each of us differently to edify the church.

During free time, we had some good game times. Finger darts, cut throat mafia, sardines and of course, lots of card games.

Sara and I organized our meals. 3 or 4 students would help us prepare each meal and then the guy staff and a few students would tackle the clean up (I think the girls got the better end of that deal!). I enjoyed the time in the kitchen with students!

All in all, we had a great retreat! Car conversations were good and we had safe and timely travel : ) Praise the Lord, our GPS took us right to the cabin with no major detours or random short cuts.

THANKS for praying!!

This upcoming weekend we have a Cadence Student Ministries Thanksgiving Invitational in Belgium. Because so many people on our team will be spending Thanksgiving with people in their community or chapels, this will give us an opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving together as a Cadence family. I'm looking forward to it!

Blessings on you friends!

Beth

Happy Veterans Day (and Happy Birthday Dad!!)! Thanks for partnering with me in serving the military community.

It’s been 6 weeks already! Sometimes it seems like I just got here and other times it seems like I’ve been here way longer. I’ve got some fun things to share with you -

Fall Retreat: Tomorrow through Sunday is our high school fall retreat to Switzerland. We’re taking about 20 students and 5 staff. Our goal for the weekend is to build deeper relationships with our students, grow the group closer together and encourage them to have eyes for others. In the mornings, I’ve prepared a few experiential learning times for students to interact with one another and build community. In the evenings, my co-worker AJ will lead us through Scriptures giving us examples of community and how to have eyes for others.

This is my first retreat and extended time with students, and I’m really excited! I’m looking forward to getting to know the teens and getting a sense of where they are spiritually and relationally and how their home lives and school years are going.

Please pray for...

Good conversations with students throughout the weekend, and for insight and wisdom as I lean in and get to know teens.

Safe travels (it’s about 5-6 hours away)

ID Card: This afternoon I got really good news! My fingerprints have come back from the FBI in New York, and I passed. : ) I also received the go ahead to begin inputing the background check information into the system. As I understand it, once the info is in and the check begins, my ID card paperwork will also be submitted!! We’re getting close! Thanks so much for your prayers over this. It’s definitely been a hiccup, but it’s a cool opportunity to see the Lord provide.

I’m excited for the ID card to come through because... I found a car and I’m excited to starting driving it! It’s not officially mine yet, I’ll be taking care of the paperwork and actually purchasing it when we get back from our retreat. For now, I’ve made a verbal commitment to buy it. It’s a 2001 Ford Focus, 4 door hatchback. I think it’ll be a good, reliable car. It’s in great shape and gets good gas mileage. Now, please pray for me as I learn to drive stick! : )

Well team, THANKS so much for your prayers - they bring me so much encouragement over here. Thanks for joining me in this ministry!

For the sake of The Name,

Beth

PS, I love getting updates and would love to hear about things going on in your life. hint, hint : )