Dear Team,

With President Obama’s recent decision to send more troops into Afghanistan, many military families are preparing for more deployments. Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, featured an article this weekend about a recent study regarding the toll deployments are taking on military dependents.

According to the study, “Multiple, lengthy wartime deployments by service members are taking an emotional toll on their children, who report being anxious or stressed at rates much higher than children nationwide.”

The fact that wartime deployments are resulting in added stress for children didn’t surprise researchers. However, they were “surprised to learn their problems deepened with longer or more frequent deployments. This challenged an assumption that children might, with repetition, get used to a parent being gone and later reintegrating with the family.”

The author reported that, “the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are creating an unparalleled time for military families given the strain of operations over many years on both active and reserve volunteers. The nature of these conflicts is different — in terms of the extended deployments, the multiple back-to-back deployments. So it’s hard to really [compare to] prior wars to what we’re experiencing now," she said

Studies like this are important because they provide great insight into some of the specific needs of those I’ll be ministering to. Understanding where kids are hurting helps me meet them where they’re at. Ultimately, I believe what these families need is Christ, and to experience His healing power and peace.

Would you pray with me this week for families impacted by deployments. Especially during the Holidays, it’s difficult for families to be separated, giving rise to more stress and anxiety. Pray that families would find rest in Jesus this week. Also, please be praying for wisdom and strength for those who are currently ministering to military families. This is often their "busy" season, as many families come to church during the Christmas season, providing opportunities to reach out and minister to new people.

As always, thanks for praying and journeying with me!

Because of Christ,
Beth

(Click here to read the article)
(To browse through the whole study, click here and search for “Children on the Homefront")

Good Morning Key Clubbers!

The snow is starting to fall! The big winter system that’s moving across the US is making it’s way to the Northwoods. For the past few days, the weather forecasters have been predicting our first big snowfall of winter for today and tomorrow. Perhaps you’re getting (or already got) snow too, as this system is huge!

I have no idea how much snow to expect - we could get a few inches or a few feet, but I know we’ll get something! So, we’ve checked our cupboards to make sure we’ve got the essentials, incase we can’t get out for a few days and I brought in extra firewood this morning, so nobody has to go out in the cold later on to get more.

As I watch the snowflakes begin to fill the sky, I’m reminded of my current situation. Just as small snowflakes come together to cover the ground, individuals all over the US are coming together to cover our ministry to military teens with prayer.

And just as I anticipate a beautiful winter wonderland to take place outside my door, I wait in anticipation to see God orchestrate an awesome team of supporters to share the Gospel with the military community.

I’ve been encouraged this week. In addition to a few new people joining our team in prayer, I received some unexpected donations to put towards some ministry start up expenses. So just like the snowstorm brewing in the region, I know God is at work, drawing people to this ministry. I don’t ultimately know who and how many, but I know He’s got it covered, so I wait in anticipation as I watch Him work! Would you join me in praising the Lord this week for continued growth in our team!

And just as I’ve prepared for the snowfall, checking on food and firewood, I continue to prepare for this ministry by seeking out opportunities to share the story of military teens. Please continue to pray for divine appointments with potential supporters!

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry. I pray you have a wonderful week walking with our Lord as we anticipate the celebration of His birth this Christmas season.

Blessings,

Beth

Dear Key Club,

I trust you had a nice Thanksgiving! Hope it was fun to connect with family and friends over good food! For the first time in 6 years, my dad, mom, brother and I were all together on Thanksgiving! Rich (my brother), is currently stationed at Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, SD and was able to take 2 weeks of leave. Rich enlisted in the Air Force just 6 months after his high school graduation. My folks and I were kind of surprised when he told us he’d begun talking with a recruiter. Growing up, Rich and I weren’t always “enthused” about military life...

Think of the military. What comes to mind? Order, discipline, and conformity are often in the forefront.

Now, think of teenagers. What comes to mind? Organization is a work-in-progress, spontaneity, and finding one’s own style are somethings that people think of.

What happens when these two worlds collide? Well, let’s just say it can be interesting and varies from family to family. But at one time or another, most military teens find the “military-ness” of military life challenging.

Life on a base revolves around the mission. Training exercises that simulate real world scenarios can interrupt daily life, as can real life current events. To enter the commissary (grocery store) or base exchange (mini department store) you must show your military ID card, no exceptions or excuses for forgetting the card. :)

Military leadership is sometimes involved in family life as well. Service members are responsible for the actions of their kids. If a teen gets into serious trouble (like shoplifting, vandalism, underage drinking, etc.) a service member’s commander is notified. Depending on the severity or number of infractions, and an active duty parent’s career may be impacted and a dependent may be kicked off base - putting families in difficult situations when it comes to living arrangements.

When living abroad, dependents are often reminded that they are representing America to their host country. How they behave impacts how others (Germans, Japanese, etc.) view the United States. Severe misbehavior can even result in being forced to leave the county!

So what’s a youth worker to do? One thing Malachi seeks to do is provide a safe place for students to come and just be them! It’s my desire that youth group be an oasis, where students can come, build community and find rest in Jesus.

Would you join me this week in praying for...

Students - please pray that they would come to understand that God’s love for them doesn’t depend on their performance for Him; pray they would embrace His unconditional love.

Families - please pray as military life can bring pressures for the family; pray that they would learn to balance military life (work) with family life - this can be hard as often they are so intertwined.

Me - please continue to pray for me as I seek out opportunities to share my passion about military teen ministry with others. I’ve been encouraged recently by some potential sharing opportunities in the new year (can you believe 2010 is almost here!?).

Dear Key Club,

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week and focus on giving thanks, I’d like to express my thanks to you for your prayer support! My pastor said this morning that unexpressed gratitude is like a wrapped gift that is never given. I’m so grateful for you!

Would you join with me in praising God for...

1. Our military who are serving around the world, defending our nation and preserving our security and freedom. Please pray particularly for those who are deployed, as being away from family during the holidays can be extra difficult and morale can be low.
2. Our chaplains who invite Malachi to minister to the youth in their communities. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to serve military teens. Please pray for continued partnerships with chaplains, and that Malachi would have the opportunity to minister on even more bases! (In conjunction with that, please pray for Malachi workers to fill those bases!)
3. Our military family members, who make great sacrifices as well. My dad has always said that he couldn’t have spent 30 years in the Air Force if our family hadn’t supported him along the way. Please pray for families this week as holidays can be a lonely time for military families as they celebrate away from their extended families. Please pray specially for those families who have a deployed spouse/parent.
4. Our Key Club. I have to share this one! Last week I asked people to begin praying about dinner parties where I’d have the opportunity to share with others about Malachi. Well, people thanks for praying! On Monday afternoon I had a phone call from someone who recently joined our team and he invited me to share with his small group in the coming weeks! Does God answer prayer or what?!

In his letter to the church in Philippi Paul wrote, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (1:3-5) I too thank the Lord when I think about you and the way you have partnered with me in reaching military teens with the Gospel.

With Joy,

Beth

Looking for Light

Dear Key Club,

November in Wisconsin's Northwoods can be summed up in 1 word - HUNTING! The Northwoods are full of deer. And while they're a beautiful animals to watch (like this fawn that wandered into our yard this summer), they can make night time driving a nerve-racking. Deer often dart out from trees and into traffic, causing accidents. If you live in WI, you've probably heard the phrase, "Be sure to watch for deer as you drive home tonight!"

Well, I was driving home from town the other night, and as I scanned the ditches for any glimmer of reflected light in a deer's marble-like eyes, I began scanning my life for glimmers of God at work... and let's just say I saw a lot of Light! I'd like to share with you this week some of the ways God's been at work through this Key Club. I pray you're encouraged by it.

1. Since the "Key Club" kicked off on October 5th, nearly 50 people have joined! Thanks for praying for this growth over the past month. It's been really cool seeing so many people commit to praying for Malachi and for me as I prepare to join the Malachi team in Germany. Your prayers are vital to this ministry and they are fuel to my soul! Please continue to pray that God would keep growing the Key Club and opening up doors for me to share with others and invite them to join. I think it would be great to see the Key Club reach the 100 mark!

2. During the month of October, 7 new people have joined my financial giving team! I'm simply blown away by this, and extremely encouraged. It's so awesome to see that in the midst of our downward economy, God is softening peoples hearts and moving them to support this ministry financially. I'd ask that you join me in praying for more financial supporters over the coming months.

3. It's been almost 5 months since I moved to Lake Tomahawk, WI. And although it's been a slow adjustment for me, I do feel that I'm finally settling in. I've appreciated your prayers as I build relationships in this new community. I've been extremely blessed to find a church with amazing community and solid Bible teaching. Please continue to pray for me as I cultivate relationships in the area, and seek out believers to fellowship with.

4. I've been preparing to host some dinner parties in the coming months, where I share about Malachi and invite people to join the Key Club and/or the financial giving team. I'm looking forward to sharing my passion with others. I'd appreciate your prayers for this: for the logistics of it all, for direction in who to invite, and for the hearts of those who will come. I'll provide more information about these dinners in the future, please let me know if you'd be interested in coming to one or hosting one.

Well, that's my update this week... now it's your turn!! I'd love to hear how the Lord has been showing up in your life this week. E-mail me or "Reply" to this blog with your story! (If you choose to reply to this blog, your story will be visible for all Key Clubbers to read).

I pray that you'll have many "God sightings" this week!

Blessings friends,

Beth

Dear Team,

Please join with me this week in praying for the situation at Ft. Hood. The Ft. Hood military community, including dependents, numbers 100,000 people. That’s a lot of people who’ve been impacted by the shootings.

Cadence International (the mission I’m serving with) has a Hospitality House there. The Cadence team works with the chaplains to minister to soldiers and their families by leading weekly Bible studies, discipleship groups and organizing retreats throughout the year. There are also Cadence workers who minister with Child Evangelism Fellowship. They do children’s ministry on the post there. I’ve received a few e-mails the past few days with updates from the Ft. Hood team. They’re all accounted for and doing well, considering the circumstances. They’ve shared some prayer requests, which I’m passing onto the Key Club this week.

It’s unclear to me if any of the victims were a part of the Cadence ministry. However, it’s highly likely that people who regularly attend the hospitality house events knew some of the victims through work or deployments, and some may have known, or been seen by the shooter (for counseling evaluations, as he was a doctor on post). Please pray for wisdom, strength and endurance for the Cadence team as they minister to their shaken flock. Also, please pray for their health, as some have been a little under weather recently.

They’ve opened up some of the rooms in their house for family members of the wounded to stay in, while they’re visiting. Please pray for wisdom for the team as these guest will present many ministry opportunities.

The schools on base were locked down for several hours during the shootings. Many children are still shook up from it and being separated from their parents during a scary time is impacting them. Please pray for the children’s ministry team as they help children process the events and seek to share the peace of Jesus with them.

The team has asked that we pray for the Ft. Hood chaplains. Many will be called on for counseling, opening up the opportunity for spiritual conversations. Last week, we prayed for chaplains, so let’s continue that this week, praying specifically for those ministering to the Ft. Hood community.

In closing, here’s a clip from one of the e-mails I received from the Ft. Hood Cadence team... “I’m hoping for tender hearts in the soldiers. Right now there seems to be a certain numbness. There are people that want to do something - anything to help - and feel very helpless. A mini-9/11 or mini-VA TECH, but same effect. There are “behind the scene” things that need prayer. There have been some high level military involved in this. There will undoubtedly be some “readjustment” at Darnal Army Hospital and other places. Please pray this does not negatively impact the Fort Hood community and especially the hospital patients including those in the Wounded Warrior Program."

Thank you for your prayers this week for our military community at Ft. Hood. The Cadence team covets your prays this week, and I'm thankful we can lift them up before our Lord. Thanks friends.

In Christ,

Beth

Dear Team,

I’ve had a few people ask me about military chaplains and their role in ministering to families. Having grown up attending Air Force chapels, my family had the privilege to meet and be ministered to, by some great, Godly chaplains. Many chaplains and their wives do a wonderful job of pastoring the congregations God has given them.

Although many chaplains would be great youth pastors, their duties as a military chaplain often prevent them from investing a lot of time into youth ministry. Just like the average service member, chaplains participate in training exercises and will deploy for months at a time. They are often required to attend special events (like award dinners) for the squadrons they’re assigned to. Chaplains recognize their limitations when it comes to running a thriving youth program that they can be actively involved in. That’s where Malachi workers come in. Chaplains invite us to minister to the youth within their chapels. As civilians, we don’t experience the interruptions of military related exercises/separations. The consistency that Malachi workers bring to the ministry is very valuable to military teens. We’re able to invest a lot of time into prayerfully planning youth group meetings, Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips and retreats - and then seeing everything through - week after week.

Knowing that the teens in their congregations are being cared for spiritually is very reassuring to chaplains. They’re grateful for Malachi workers who are devoted to investing in students and sharing Christ with them. Though they aren’t necessarily involved on a weekly basis, many chaplains will teach an occasional lesson or help out on retreats, as they’re able to. Many are wonderful advocates for our program, often helping us with a variety of logistic issues, such as arranging for transportation to and from retreats and obtaining building space for events. They are also available for counseling students and families. Chaplains are a huge blessing to our military and are often very stretched in their roles. Join me in praying for them this week.

Let’s pray for...

> Wisdom and endurance for our chaplains as they minister to our military men and women and their families around the world. Pray that God would encourage each one in a unique way this week!

> Chaplain Jonathan Hurt, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. Also, please lift his wife and daughter up as they are missing him. The Hurt’s were good friend’s of mine in Okinawa and were very active in our youth group there. They had a huge impact on people, including me :) They are part of the Key Club and huge supporters of Malachi!

Thanks for praying for more people to join the key club - in the past 2 weeks, a dozen people have joined! Please continue to pray that the Lord would grow the club and soften people’s hearts towards military youth ministry.

Thanks for your prayer partnership!! As I said last week, I pray for this team and the individuals involved in it throughout the week. Please e-mail me with ways I can be praying for you and your families!

Because of Christ,

Beth