Last June Update

Sorry Everyone, That I haven't blogged in a while. I've been super busy and on top of that I'm just getting over being really sick the past few days with a head cold.

Well last Wednesday was my birthday and it was amazing. I didn't want a big deal made out of it cause I'm just not like that but a lot of my friends made my day great by dropping me little messages and Helena (the lady I live with) threw me a suprise dinner party with a few freinds. which was so great to celebrate it with a few close friends. I worked that evening and at the end of the night Ryan and Curtis (two guys I work with) suprised me a birthday cake. It was fun to celebrate my day with them and a lot of our kids.

Sunday our church had an outreach family fest in the park downtown moose jaw. we had a church service in the morning then had free bbq and games and performances throughout the afternoon. a lot of our kids who have been coming to church got involved in serving and it was great watching them get involved. i loved the day as i got to connect with a lot of towns people and encourage them and tell them about our church. it was really a great afternoon.

update on living with whitney. It's getting better over time I think. and actually its amazing cause over the past 7 weeks living with her i'm beginning to see GOd move in her life. The first few weeks that I lived here she got drunk and wasted every single weekend. however the past 3-4 weekends shes been coming out to joes place and making better choices of who she hangs out with. Sunday she also came to church without either her mom or I asking her too...she also came on tuesday to bible study and wednesday to this rock gospel musical that was being hosted at joes place. I really believe GOd is softening her heart and working in her. please pray for her however, because satan wont hand her over that easily. We need to be on our knees praying for her to surrender her life to GOd.

Sunday night I went to Saskatoon with my friends Andria and Scott to see a caribbean steel drum concert. Andria and I just danced the entire time and it was soooo much fun. We had a great time together and Andria and I had a great time together monday just catching up and the drive back to moose jaw was beautiful because of the rain storm that we just drove through.

This week has been really busy but really great. My friend Liz from Highschool came to visit me with two of her friends from University. we had fun hanging out for a few days and then they came and helped out at this rock gospel musical on wednesday.

Like I said earlier I am just getting over being sick. If you think of praying for me this coming week I would appriciate it. I am on my way to alberta tonight for a wedding. Then monday Justin (another volunteer) and I are going to camp with 10 of our Joes Place kids. Please pray that God will move in their lives and also prepare Justin and I to lead them. also pray for us to have stregth and energy to minister to these kids.

Well sorry this is a very jumbled update but I just thought I should write this quick before I leave for work.

I love you all so much. Thanks for your continued love and support.

God bless

Leanne

Less of Me and More of Him

Wow, this week God has continued to floor me with how much of this ministry is all Him and that we as staff as Joe's Place are just honoured that He would even think of using us to be apart of His work. Here are a few stories that have encouraged me this week.
First, on Wednesday I gave a tour to two ladies from Mortlack who have been hired by the government to try and start a youth centre for the youth in Mortlack. As I was giving the tour I began to get a sense that one of the ladies was a Christian. By half way through the tour she told me that she had previously worked at a church as the youth pastor and had volunteered at Joe's Place years ago. Near the end of the tour she told me that they have gone to visit lots of different government runned youth centres and none of them are really working. SHe then asked me what my thoughts were of why Joe's Place has been around for 13 years and has continued to grow and be blessed and make a difference in the city of Moose Jaw. I got the chance to explain that I believe that Joe's Place is a success not because of Joe or the workers or the programs or the building that we have but because it is a ministry that is focused on the heart of God. We don't run Joe's Place because of the phsycial issues and needs of the youth of Moose. We know we can't be these youths saviours. but we know the one who can. THe high violence, pregnancy, and alcohol and drug abuse rates are rampant in our city because their is a spiritual void in their lives that they are trying to fill. we could shake our heads in disappointment of the choices our youth are making but the real issues comes down what is in their heart. Joe's Place I believe is successful because our staff and volunteers are not there to fix the problems of our city but we're here to bring the hope that Christ has to some of the darkest places in our city. We genuinely love and care for our youth. we don't condemn them for the choices they make but we try to point them to the one who can fill that void in their lvies. I've been reminded lately that if Jesus walked around Moose Jaw in 2007 it would have been our youth and their families that He would have been friends with and ministered too. They are not too far gone for the power and love of GOd to reach down and touch them. Youth continue to come to Joe's place because the love of GOd is here in our staff and youth. IT thrives in everything we do and thats why I believe we continue to see little a new sense of hope and purpose in Moose Jaws youth. After I shared all this to these two ladies the other lady who wasn't a Christian just nodded her head and wiped tears from her eyes. I don't know what God is doing in this ladies life but I do believe that GOd used a half hour tour of our building to spread the Gospel of God's grace, love and hope to a lady who may have thought programs is what changes peoples lives. Joe's Place has programs but thats not what is changing kids lives its the relationships that they build with our staff and volunteers that are getting them to realize that there is a God out there who wants to give them abundant life.
That was a really long segmant of this blog sorry, I'll try and make the next two things I want to share with you a bit shorter. GOd isnt just using our staff and volunteers to spread His hope to the youth in Moose Jaw He is also using our youth who are young in their faith to spread the Gospel to their friends.
Friday night we opened and one of our youth who has been a CHristian now for 3 years and is going to Briercrest next year to go into pastoral ministries was out in the smoke pit hanging out with some youth when a girl named Shelby walked right up to him and was like "Shawn your a Christian right? WHat is GOd?". Shawn was floored by the question and began to tell her about who GOd is. an hour and half later Shelby and Shawn come up to the kitchen window where I was working and Shelby is just beaming from ear to ear as she shows me her first Bible. SHe didn't become a Christian Friday night but there was definatly a transformation going on in her heart. I could see a new sense of joy and hope in her eyes that were just beaming off her face. You couldn't help but see that God was changing her heart and doing a work in her. THe next day I saw her in the morning and she had read half the Bible and told me she was going to come to church on SUnday, which she did. Please keep this young girl in your prayers. GOd is moving in her life and is prompting her to seek out truth. Praise GOd that she knows where to find Christians she can trust to ask her questions and to find truth. Another boy, Justin, told one of our volunteers on Saturday that He knows GOd is the truth and wants to get His life on track. Praise GOd.
Lastly, our youth are coming to church and they're inviting their friends. Our youth who have become Christians are not afraid to invite their friends to church and they're friends are actually coming. These are kids who have NEVER in their lives entered the doors of a church and are now being invited to come and hear and be apart of worshiping God. Please pray that their hearts will be soft to recieving Gods word and that the seeds will fall in deep and we will see fruit that lasts for years and transform this city.
It is so cool that we are watching our youth develop into followers of Jesus. Yes, they are young in their faith, but God is using them to bring the hearts of the fatherless back to the Father. I'm starting a discipleship group soon for all our youth who are wanting to grow deeper in their walk with GOd. Please pray for guidance and wisdom for myself and the other volunteers who will be helping us lead this group. We can't do it on our own strength or wisdom, but with GOd all things are possible.
Thanks again for all your love and support. It is always an encouragement to hear from you. May you know the blessing of God this week.

He is Faithful!

Last week I had a few really hard days as I was just really lacking patience with Whitney and so hard things were going on with some of the girls from the drop in centre. I just felt so alone and unable to do this work that God was calling me to and I honestly just wanted to quit and go home cause I was just so discouraged. Wednesday night I couldnt go to sleep cause I was crying so much and so I turned on my light and opened my Bible. It opened to Isaiah 43. I love that God leads us to the Words He wants to speak into ourlives when we need him most. Isaiah 43 says

He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

This encouraged me so much as God used this passage to speak to me that it doesnt matter if I feel like I am just aimlessly treading water, or being surrounded by the fire of hard times or the world around me is crashing in because God is the GOd of Israel. The same way He was faithful to them and led them through the dessert for 40 years and rescued them from their enemies, GOd will see me through the trials I face. He will never leave me. It is also a word that I got to share with some of our youth on Friday night. I felt a lot of them needed to hear that God is always with them through the hard times of life and they can call out to him anytime.

The second part of the chapter also really encouraged me. It reads

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God. "

Wow! This hit me really hard as I was just so discouraged that I wanted to give up. But when I read this God gently reminded me "No Leanne, you can't give up because you are my witness to these youth that I am the God of the Universe who loves these youth. And only I can be their savior. If you quit on them who will tell them?" However, I didn't just feel like this passage is just for me. I'm going to share it at our staff meeting this weekend because as Christians its all of our responsibility to lead those who are spiritually blind and deaf and lead them to discover the truth of who God is.

So out of such a dark night I closed my Bible and fell asleep with such peace that God is God and He knows all the crap that goes on in the lives of these kids and He has put me in their lives to point them to the one who can give them peace and fulfillment.

God is doing amazing things in the lives of our youth this summer. One new guy, Cory, became a Christian last Tuesday at Gospel Journey. 4 other Joe's Place youth were at church on Sunday. Actually heres another story....Sunday after church our church had a meeting so all of our youth went outside and one of our volunteers and I went out to supervise and make sure they didnt get into any trouble. One of the boys whose graduating this year and has been a Christian now for 3 years was like lets do a Bible study on Ephesians while we wait for the meeting to be over. so we sat around in a circle for an hour Sean taught about Ephesians 1 to our kids with Jenn and I throwing in our two cents every now and then. It was so cool to just sit and look around that circle and think of where these youth have been and where GOd has brought them and think where hes going to continue to lead them. Not all of these youth are CHristians yet but theyre hungry for truth.

I drove one of the new girls who has been coming out lately and actually came to church Sunday. She was just like I love coming to Joes place and hanging out with the staff here. Their faith in God is really inspiring and they seem to have such peace and joy in their lives. Its nice to be around people like that. She's now coming out to the girls hip hop team on Wednesday nights too.

Every Sunday we take the kids who come to church out for lunch at Pizza Hut. God is leading us to start a discipleship group after lunch with our youth who want to grow in their walk with God. Please keep this in your prayers as we get this started. I'm not sure how this is going to unfold but I really believe this is where God is leading so I'm stepping out in faith that GOd will use this and He will equip me to lead it.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

I love you all

Leanne

A Glimpse of a Girl

I thought I'd share with you guys a story of one of the girls I've connected with over the past 3 weeks.

So this past Friday night, Tanya * (a girl who has been coming out to Joe's Place and Bible study [Gospel Journey] the past few weeks, and has pink hair) came and found me on my shift in the smoke pit. She was drunk but the doorkeeer let her in because he could tell she needed to talk to me and she's a pretty stable drunk. She found me and told me how she had a horrible week and how everyone treats her horribly at school because she is different and how Joe's Place is the only place she can find acceptance and love for who she truly is. We don't judge her or treat her differently although she is very different from us. She told me that she had never come to Joe's place before a couple weeks ago becuase she thought it would be the last place she would be accepted because she wasn't a Christian or didn't go to church,but its actually the only place she does feel like she belongs. I got to share with her how Jesus didnt hang out with the religious people of his day but with those who were also rejected and shunned by society. she was so shocked by this and was like "REALLY?" and her eyes just lit up with excitement and hope. I am praying I'll get a chance to share with her more about this when she isn't drunk. Last week we were talking in Gospel Journey about how we always miss the mark when it comes to working our way to God.She was furstrated that she didn't get to hear the rest of the story that night and had to wait an entire week to hear what the next part of the Gospel story is.
God has blessed Tanya with an amazing gift of playing the piano, however can only play whenver she sees a piano because she doesn't have one. The other day a man from a local church in town called joe's place and wanted to donate 2 pianos. we actually dont need any pianos but I asked him if we could give one of the pianos to Tanya. He agreed so this Wednesday we are going to bless her with a piano and deliver it to her house.
God is moving in this young girls heart and is wooing her to himself. Please pray for her heart and mind to be opened to the love, grace, and forgiveness of our Lord. He loves her so much and I can see Him moving in her so much. Please also pray for me to have wisdom and discernment as I minister to her.
Thanks again for all your prayers
Leanne

* Her name has been changed for her privacy.