Confessions of a Pittsburgh Missionary: We Are Qualified

June 13-21, 2015

It was a long, tiring, and very rainy week, but AJ and I successfully completed another year of CYIA (Christian Youth In Action) training school. We gathered with the rest of the summer staff for Pennsylvania at a camp in Orrstown. Here we conquered classes and study halls that started at 8 AM and ended at 8 PM. I helped Cathy, the director of Westmoreland County, evaluate all of her summer missionaries (she has 8 total) on their Bible lessons, songs, memory verses, and missions stories that they needed to study and then perform for a leader. I enjoyed the opportunity to be able to work with Cathy, her daughter Kim, and all of her teens again. AJ really enjoyed the opportunity to make friends with them and lots of other teens. I also reconnected with some friends from training school when I was a first year summer missionary (2008) and other/newer friends that I made last summer.

The week definitely had its challenging moments as is to be expected when spending a whole week with about a hundred other people. I think it rained every day and we fought several battles with a mop against a small flood (large puddle really) in our cabin. I was definitely ready to get out of the wet humid forest and have a little alone time by the time we were leaving.

This is the beautiful creek that runs around the campground.

But that’s not to say it wasn’t a good week. There were many valuable lessons and reminders during training camp this year. The first, which seemed to be the theme, was the quote “God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” This quote was distributed on a little card to all of the students and staff at the start of camp. It seemed that many of the students needed that message. On Saturday when they arrived, many of them were nervous and a bit reserved. By Wednesday however, they were thriving in open air ministry where they shared the gospel through the Wordless Book with children that attended two different events. Whether they felt qualified or not, they were used by God to reach about 150 children on Wednesday night. 20 of those children made first time decisions to trust in Jesus as their Savior. It is definitely easy to feel unqualified when heading into a summer of ministry. But God doesn’t require qualifications to call you into ministry. If you are called, he will qualify you. CYIA training camp certainly qualified AJ and even myself for a summer full of ministry.

For Friday Fun Night, the students participated in a Wild West murder mystery.

Cathy, or "JP James" was the culprit.

The theme verse for the week was 1 Thessalonians 5:24 which says, “He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.” Pastor Bob, the CYIA chaplain, would have us recite this verse every morning as he stood to give a chapel message. As the week went on, the verse grew more and more meaningful to me. Particularly on Wednesday night I realized the meaning that the verse had for me. Seven years ago I had arrived at CYIA training school feeling very nervous about what the summer held.  I didn’t even want to do CEF but I knew that I was called and I chose not to argue with that calling. Little did I know in June of 2008 that God had even bigger plans for me through CEF than just the events that the summer held. God used that summer to confirm my calling into a career in ministry. God was preparing, even five years earlier, to provide me with a job in January 2013 when I had school bills to pay and $20 to my name. Through getting hired with CEF Broome, God opened the door to work as the coordinator for Greater Pittsburgh. I did not feel qualified that summer but I was called. And God has surely done it! Once again I was reminded of his great faithfulness in my life. God is still faithful. He surely is still doing things in my life and is still at work.

Some of the other PA directors and I watching the students play games as part of a demo club.

Mike Petkof is the missionary that CEF of Pennsylvania is sponsoring this summer. He is working with CEF in Greece shared with us. He said two things during a few of his presentations that really struck me. The first thing that he said was, "Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt." This is such a good reminder to those in ministry. Our goal should not be to be noticed while we are there, but to be missed once we have left. Pray that CEF Pittsburgh would be remembered and missed as we move from location to location this summer. Secondly, Mike shared with us that, “80% of all those who die today will die believing whatever they believed as children.” There are many children in the world today that don’t yet know about Jesus’ love for them. There are many children in Pittsburgh that have not yet believed on Jesus to save them from their sins. My goal is to reach as many of those children this summer as possible. If they are not reached as children, it is much harder to reach them as adults. Pray that God would go before us and open the hearts of the children in Pittsburgh.

I had a restful Sunday but today I start back up again bright and early. I’ll be joining Cathy in Westmoreland County to help her teens complete their second week of at home training. Cathy has three clubs scheduled with study halls to help her teens finish the rest of their evaluations in between. Pray for me as I’ll be travelling about 45 minutes each way and have another long week ahead of me. Pray for patience and energy as I help Cathy. Pray for AJ as he spends this next week at teen camp. Pray for a few more contacts that I have made, that they will answer my phone calls and either confirm or turn down the opportunity for a club this summer (especially that they’d confirm) so that I can finish the schedule this week. And pray for my brother as he sets off in the morning to travel all the way to Laos. He is spending the summer ministering with our cousin. Pray for travelling safety and ease. Pray for an awesome time in Laos. And pray that God would equip him just as he continues to equip us all.

I still don’t feel qualified in some areas and at some times. But I am called and I know that he is qualifying me day by day. He is faithful.

Please pray for me this summer as I work a laborer of the harvest in Pittsburgh.

Confessions of a Pittsburgh Missionary: The Kick Off

Confessions of a Pittsburgh Missionary: The Kick Off      

May 18-June 12, 2015

The past month has been a bit of a blur. I can’t believe how quickly it has passed by! I returned to Pittsburgh from Binghamton on the 14^th of May (without much help from my car) and got ready to start the summer. There have been some aspects of this year of CEF that have been easier. But there have also been some aspects that have been more challenging.

The first part that has been challenging is that we have only one part time summer missionary other than myself, AJ. Because he splits his summer between CEF and a camp, that leaves three weeks of the summer without a partner. At first I was confident that God would supply someone else. But he didn’t. While that was challenging at first, that doesn’t mean God didn’t provide. He has just provided in a different way than I planned. Two of the three weeks are going to be covered by a Westmoreland missionary, Mary. She helped me last summer as well so I am grateful for her help. One week has yet to be covered, I am working to make arrangements for that week still, but I am confident that God will provide even if it isn’t in the way that I am expecting now. I have continued to book our schedule with lots of good clubs, trusting that God will provide.

The second challenging part has been that I have very much felt like I was running behind schedule for most of the past month. There was so much to do and I felt like I should be twice ahead of where I was. But even in spite of my shortcomings, God has once again pulled it all together. We had several churches seeking out CEF for help with VBSs and whatnot. Though I lost a few locations from last summer, we got into several new ones. I have 15 clubs on the schedule and 3-4 more clubs in the works. I expect God will do a great work in Pittsburgh this summer and I am excited to dive into inner city ministry once again.

Scheduling in and of itself this summer was a bit easier than before since I already had many of my contacts from last summer. I definitely have fewer fears about working as the coordinator this year as compared to last year. I still don’t like making phone calls to strangers, but I was also able to do it with more confidence than last year. 5-Day Clubs are also less intimidating because I know what to expect from most of them. In spite of feeling like I was behind, everything got pulled together just in time and we are on our way to a successful summer of ministry.

This past week I went to a Vertical Church Band concert that was in Pittsburgh. I had gone to the same concert last summer as well. I remember that I had so many fears last summer. I had my fair share of fears about the summer ministry but I was especially struggling with the fear of being lonely in the approaching semester as most of my friends were not returning. One of their songs in particular spoke to me as it was about trusting in Christ, the solid rock, because he never moves. I clung to that song during last summer and even into the fall. I prayed that God would provide friends and I trusted that because God had called me to Davis, he would provide everything I needed. Last summer, God was really speaking to me about being willing to be lonely if that was the kind of trial I needed to grow closer to the Lord. This summer as I was at the concert, they played that song again. I smiled because I realized how different of a place I am in compared to last summer. I realized that God had answered all of those prayers. I had dared to trust God with uncertain situations last summer. This summer, I can look back and see how he was faithful to bring stability and blessings out of all those. I had an awesome summer last summer and God provided me with a best friend to be by my side throughout the school year, my boyfriend Patrick. His faithfulness continues to be evident and I am blessed. I know that God continues to be faithful and I can’t wait to see how his faithfulness is proved this summer.

AJ and I are at the week of state training this week. I’ve already encountered several old friends, and though I am tired, I am having fun. Pray for me as I make final arrangements for the summer. Pray for AJ as he has a long week of classes and evaluations ahead of him. And pray for Pittsburgh. Pray that the city would be ready for a team of CEF Missionaries to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ this summer. I am trusting God’s faithfulness and provision and expecting big things for the summer. 

This is only the kick off.