Celebrating Life

Paul and I have been wanting to start our family so it was wonderful news when my doctor told me I was pregnant. The timing of finding out immediately before we left for Wilderness North, Minnesota for 40 days was a little abrupt. However, I was not sure about living my first trimester among all the mosquitos and out houses, but I was determined to give it a try. Paul teased that I was a really big fan of “multi-tasking”—learning leadership skills and growing a baby at the same time. 

Being together for 40 days since Paul took off work for the Daniel Institute, turned out to be a real blessing in itself. He was able to be there for me, during our baby’s earliest development and lend a hand through my bouts of morning sickness and fatigue. Luckily, those symptoms ended with the first trimester and I was able to get my energy back.

We are so excited about this new little life! In September, the doctors determined we would be having a little boy, so if they are correct, we are getting ready for a rambunctious bundle of joy. We have been busy converting my home office into a nursery, counting the amount of protein in the foods I eat daily to make sure the baby and I are getting proper nutrition and are attending Bradley-Birthing Classes on Sunday nights.

You may be already aware that I normally maintain a very full schedule. With our baby being due in early February, we are about to experience changes and needs like never before. While I still plan to be active in ministry, new decisions must be made about how that will exactly look. Please pray for us as we enter this new, exciting stage of life. We desire to honor God as we balance parenting with ministry activities. Your prayers and financial support will be critical during this new season of our lives. 

We have been blessed by your partnership in our ministry over the years. We cannot thank you enough!

A Heritage of Faith

After we arrived home from our long trip, my father was admitted to the hospital. He had a stubborn infection which settled in his knee and would not clear up. For the last two years, he had complained about joint pain, but being in his 80’s we all thought it was arthritis. Though the doctors ran many tests, the root of the problem was not found. During his three-week hospital stay, they had to give him blood transfusions and realized that his bone marrow was not producing new replacement cells. Finally, they realized he was battling a form of Leukemia called, mylofibrosis. This type of Leukemia apparently can lie dormant in the body, which is why it was discovered so late. Not only was there the painful infection in his knee, which didn’t heal, but his heart went into a-fibrillation and tachycardia. As his condition worsened, he was admitted to intensive care and scheduled to go into Hospice as soon as he stabilized. 

He was officially on Hospice only one day when he passed away, which was a shock. My Step-mom and Aunt were by his side in the hospital every day. My sister, Susan, my brother-in-law, Bob, Paul and I were making frequent trips to the hospital in Mission Viejo to visit him. 

I got to share with him that we were expecting and he asked me when I was due, just before entering the ICU. I could tell he was calculating being able to stick around until early February when the baby arrived. He would have loved to have met his first grandson.

The Memorial Service was a special time of closure for us. I had a special part in the service by singing the “Old Rugged Cross” and accompanying myself on the guitar. Both Susan and I got to share treasured memories with the family and friends in attendance. It was a beautiful ceremony where we remembered the best of what Dad gave to us. I reminisced about how he had taught us the great hymns of our faith, singing to us from the time we were small. He also taught us much about Protestant-Evangelical Theology. It was important to him that we had a well developed Christian education which is why he paid dearly for us to attend Christian schools and chose our church home with deliberation. I was greatly influenced by my father’s faith which is a main reason I went into full-time ministry and was ordained as a Children’s Evangelist. Dad grew up in the youth group of Henrietta Mears at Hollywood Presbyterian Church where above the door was written, “To know Christ and to make Him known.” Today I accomplish that through my evangelistic clowning ministry and sharing the gospel in Bible Clubs with children whenever I get the opportunity. The heritage of faith which I have received continues to live on. It will be a priority to pass on to the next generation as well. 

Don't Let Your Integrity Pop!

One of my joys is when I have the opportunity to share with a class of public school children. My visit to Sophak Kong’s Class was such an opportunity. Sophak teaches 4^th grade at Monroe Elementary School in Lakewood. We met during our first Daniel Weekend back in May 2010. He invited me to visit and share an object lesson with his students. They gathered on the floor in one corner of the classroom where they could all see and were good listeners.

I defined the concept of integrity as their ability to be honest so that others can trust what they say. Then I explained that integrity can be fragile at times, somewhat like a balloon. The children got concerned when I pulled out a thumb tack and asked them what happens when something sharp touches a balloon. To their amazement, I was able to push the tack into the balloon and it did not pop. I explained that some parts of the balloon are thicker and more resilient, like a person who is always truthful. When we have integrity, struggles can come into our lives and our most important relationships can withstand the pressure. But when we lie or convey half truths, even the littlest problems can cause the confidence others put in us, to pop. When I popped the balloon, it really got the kids attention. Hopefully, this lesson will be remembered next time they are tempted to lie about their homework or where they have been. The more we can teach good values to students the more chance they have at success.

To my surprise , several of the children recognized me as the Released-Time Lady since I had just visited their Long Beach Released Time class which was held in a Pastor’s home across the street. It was an enjoyable time of learning values and growing in our understanding together.

Calling All Mission-Minded Teachers

For the last 6 months we have been searching for mission-minded public school teachers to attend our October 19-21, 2012 Daniel Institute Weekend. We find these teachers primarily through personal recommendations.We ask ministry leaders, businessmen and many other friends of education to be involved in the search. Anyone can nominate for the Daniel Weekend, since the nomination form explains who we are looking for and lists the character qualities of the old testament character of Daniel. Then we ask those nominated to fill out a simple application to attend our “all expense paid” strategy weekend. This process helps us to get to know the candidates a bit beforehand. We have been especially looking to bring those from the same school or district so they can work as a team, as they go back into their school. Please contact me, if you know someone you could nominate or could encourage to apply for the next Daniel Weekend.

Teachers Who "Dare to Be A Daniel"

One special part about the October Weekend Group was that a high percentage of those who were already involved in ministry on their campus. Jenny started an After School Good News Club and has been impressed at how the parents stay to listen to the Bible lessons. Steve is involved in his school’s Christian discipleship club called F.O.C.U.S and is working to establish new Fellowship of Christian Athletes Clubs as well. Justin was seeking ways to apply Christian values into his 6^th grade classroom setting and hopes to someday become a principal in order to make a greater impact on the system. Mike was already involved with LIFT (Lasting Impact Fellowship for Teachers) at his school and wants to establish more of these networks for teachers.

Another unique quality about this group was the already established relationships with each other that strengthened their connections. We had four teachers from the same school attending, two sets of two from the same district and one pair from the same area. Knowing you are not alone and partnering with others is a main emphasis of our experience together. We want these teachers to be inspired to make a difference when our time together ends. Many realized that others were facing the same challenges. Together they thought of new ways to rise above and find solutions. 

The purpose of the Daniel Weekend is both to empower teachers to impact their campus with the love of Christ and to help Christian Educators develop strategies to transform schools with God’s love and truth. The ideas that are shared at the weekend can be used to encourage teachers both at their own school and nationwide as we publish how God is using them to reach colleagues, students and parents.

What participants said they personally gained as a result of the weekend:

• A renewal of my commitment to see my classroom as a mission field and the incredible need to pray for my students, co-workers and school. I have been inspired by the vision and passion of others to look with eyes of possibility, vision and hope rather than with eyes of limitation and lack.
• A spiritual renewal/awakening through amazing encouragement, relationship building and a desire to be that modern-day Daniel at my school, with my family and in my community.
• The sense of unity-I am not alone. I feel like there is a strong support system available to encourage me as well as a support system that can answer questions.
• I gained inspiration to believe God for dreams. God-given dreams are intended to lead to God-honoring outcomes.
• A larger and more structured means of furthering God’s kingdom with like-minded brothers and sisters in my school site and life in general.
• I can’t do this on my own and now I realize I don’t have to. I feel a part of a larger mission, a larger calling, a movement of God—a revival. It gives me a sense of purpose in an otherwise dark place. 

Many public school teachers do not realize the vast mission field set before them and the opportunity they have to impact nations. I respect those who “Dare to be Daniels” without compromise in a culture of foreign values. I am so privileged to minister to those who are called to reach children with the gospel, just like I am.

Serving Together

Part of being in community also meant working together as a team. One special project was rebuilding the main boardwalk in the center of camp. The wood had begun to rot due to the harsh weather. My job was pulling nails out of the old wood so it could be used as firewood. Even the leader’s children helped out by gathering up stray nails. Paul worked with other men to prepare new boards. Other projects included moving firewood, mowing lawns, repairing amphitheater log seating and erecting a log flagpole, just in time for the 4^th of July. 

In addition, “camp detail” included daily chores. Such as tidying up the lecture room, scrubbing the bathhouse and KP (washing dishes). These tasks taught us the importance of working together and that each of us had different strengths. Camp ran smoothly when everybody pitched in. You could hear plenty of laughter and joking during these times which made the work go quickly.

As you can see we had a wonderful time! Many of you made this wonderful experience possible with your sacrificial prayers and gifts. I am sure we will continue to learn lessons from this trip in the months to come. Thank you for blessing both Paul and me in this very special way!

Praying with Confidence

One of the most meaningful times was the focused prayer Paul and I received on the sailing trip. We started out with a crew of six and ended up being the only “guests” on our boat. A fellow crew member was experiencing kidney stones and our leader accompanied him to the hospital. That left just Paul and me on the boat with our Captain and First Mate. This allowed for more in-depth discussion. They saw this unique circumstance as the Lord’s cue to minister His love to our hearts. We were so blessed as they listened to our dreams, prayed over us and asked God to bless our future family. This personal touch embodied the relational skills we had been learning during the lectures. It was exhibited in living color and we both were blessed by it.

Another meaningful time was gathering for Evening Vespers. God used Vespers to settle our hearts after the busy day and speak to us. We sang hymns, read scripture, shared prayer requests and worshipped in unity. The best part was how the Staff children joined in right along with the adults. 

40 Days: Daniel Leadership Institute

For Paul and I, the 40 Days at Wilderness North meant 40 days of intense fellowship, serving, learning, discussing, speaking and being in the great outdoors! We learned so much during this time, it’s difficult to sum it all up. 

If I had to put it into a word I would say it was a time of renewal. The Lord was speaking to me about what was most important in life and calling me to return my focus to those things. The reason I went into ministry was to “love children to Jesus.” God had brought me to Minnesota to remind me of my original calling. During this time, I reviewed my most important commitments and had the opportunity to consider where I have come from and where I am going. Not only was this experience personally meaningful, but having my husband along for the 40 days was a blessing to our marriage.

We were asked to share devotionals and our life story with our new friends because we learned that “relationships are built when we reveal ourselves to others, and they reveal themselves to us.” These were key times when I got to further reflect on how the Lord had worked in my life. I was reminded that when the Lord called me into ministry, He had promised to give me as many children’s souls as I could see stars in the night sky. I have been taking Him up on His promise, and plan to continue by reaching children in public schools.

Playing guitar and leading worship through song reminded me of my original desire to use the gifts God had given me to minister to others. With a few exceptions, I had not picked up a guitar or lead worship vocally in the last several years. The “Daniel” environment of encouragement allowed me to ease back into this type of leadership with confidence. It was gratifying to hear how others were blessed by it as well.

I also learned a great deal from the lectures which focused on the practical steps of public relations, building into others, decision making, communicating with a purpose, recruiting, management and accountability. 

Before attending this training, I was asking how I could help others gain ownership of our vision for reaching out with the love of Christ. The session on “Building People” gave me the answer. We were taught that you cannot change people but the way you treat people can change their attitudes. These new attitudes can then cause people to change themselves! Now I realized I could motivate teachers by giving them evangelism tools and a chance to practice them; thereby building immediate confidence. They feel good about themselves when they accomplish their action plans and experience success. This gave me a new approach as I empower teachers to make a difference in the lives of students.