Being Incarnate

The past few weeks I have really been able to see God's call for me to be here come into fulfillment. When I felt God calling me here to Moose Jaw in February God told me that I had to be incarnate with these kids. meaning to live amongst them in their everyday life and learn how to free fall into trusting the hands of God to catch us. Since I have been back from camp God has opened up amazing opportunities to just love these youth and be apart of their lives in every aspect and through being there in the really hard times God has opened doors for me to speak His truth and love into their lives and God is really beginning to soften their hearts. Here are a few stories to encourage you.

One Friday night one of our girls was having a really hard night and so I invited her and her best friend to come to the lake with us and spend the day just with the girls to get her mind off of things back home. we went and had a great time. the next wednesday she was really sick so I took her to the hospital and spent 3 hours with her there with her best friend to find out she just had the flu. The next day we took a bunch of our youth to go see Evan Almighty. We went back to Joe's Place and talked about what we thought of the movie. This girl perks up and says, Evan reminded me of the staff here at Joe's Place. I asked her what she meant by that. She responded that like Evan in the movie Joe's Place staff have heard God call them to change the world and they give up their weekends and nights off to come and be friends with the youth at Joe's Place because they want to help the youth make better choices and have good lives and know more about God. Wow! I didn't actually realize that the kids realize that we do this because we love God and our being obedient to Him. It was cool to hear her recognize this. She then went on to share how the night before I had taken her to the hospital and it really made her realize how much I loved and cared for her because I was there all night with her even though I could have been doing lots of other things. That night I drove her home and she was sick again so I brought her into her house and after throwing up she felt better and then went on to show me everything in her bedroom and tell me more about her life. Please keep this young girl in your prayers. she is coming to church with us now on Sunday and is really beginning to seek God.

This same girls best friend is a girl who is very obnoxious and loud and is often in need of patience and grace. However the past two months shes been really maturing and God appears to be changing her heart. She comes from an alcoholic home where her mom practices withcraft and her dad is mormon. The other night at Bible study we were talking about what true love is and I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 to them. She began to tell us that she's been reading her grampas old Bible in the places where he's underlined. She began to quote scripture that she's memorized and was like "The Bible has some really great things to say...Do you guys have other verses memorized that are good that I should look up?" Adrienne (the girl I work with) and I just looked at each other and had this excited smile on our faces. We shared with her some of our favorite verses and she frantically was writing them down. It was so exciting to watch her be hungry to read God's word. Please pray for this girl also as she seeks after God. She is also beginning to make better choices about drinking and has gone an entire week now without a drink. This is amazing since the previous two weeks she had gotten drunk every night.

Also pray for us tomorrow (saturday) as we are taking 30 of our youth to a Saskatchewan RoughRiders game (football). The team chaplin goes to Joe's church and has arranged for us to get in free and also have lunch with some of the injured players before the game and then have refreshments after the game with the Christian players who are going to share their testimonies with our youth. Please pray that God will soften the hearts of our youth.

The past couple weeks I've also been connecting with a lot of young and pregnant moms. This has been such an amazing ministry to pour out the grace and love of God. Please pray for us as we minister to these young moms.

The last thing I wanted to share with you is from something I read yesterday in my devotionals. I was reading from Isaiah 26. Verse 12 says

"LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. "

God reminded me that I can trust him with the ministry that I do here at Joe's Place. sometimes its discouraging at times because we just feel like this is too big of a job for us to do. But God gently reminded me yesterday that our success and our failures are in God's hands because He is the one who does all things. I got a letter from a friend from home a few weeks ago that came at such perfect time. She wrote "Leanne, you aren't called to be successful. You are just called to be obedient." Thanks Michelle. It is so true. All the results of the ministry we do here is not because of how great youth workers and ministers we are. It is because we are faithful and God is powerful and softens hearts and opens minds and draws these youth to the arms of their heavenly father.

Thanks again for all your love and prayers. You guys encouraged me so often and I miss you all greatly.

Have a great week and may God bless you richly as you pray for His work here in Moose Jaw.

A Prayer

One of my girls emailed me this and I wanted to share this with you in hope that it would bless you and be true in your life as much as mine.

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Because Eternity Matters....

So it's been a couple weeks since I wrote a blog cause I've been away. So here it is. For the long weekend my friend Amy G (far right) drove to Calgary to spend the weekend with my friend Lindsey Schmidt (middle). It was a beautiful ride on the way there because we got to watch a distant storm for like an hour and a half. It was distant until an hour till Calgary when we drove into the heart of the storm. It was a little scary cause it was hailing but we finally drove out of it. Lindseys aunt and uncle spoiled us when we stayed at their house with amazing brunches both mornings we were there. Saturday we went to Banff and went in a gondella up a mountain. It was beautiful and we were really greatful that we didnt hike it like we originally had planned(the home of the grizzly bears made Lindsey a bit nervous). Sunday Amy and I left Calgary and went to our friends Ryan and Rachels wedding in Lethbridge. It was so beautiful to be a witness of such a Christ centred wedding. Some of our volunteers were able to bring a dozen of our youth down and it was really great for them to see an example of a godly couple who love God and each other and have saved themselves for their wedding day.

The drive home was beautiful awe watched the sunset till 11:30 at night (thats how flat it is here) and then as soon as it had fully set on the right we began to watch a harvest moon rise. it was soo beautiful. Those of you who have never experienced a prairie sunset you must add to your list of things to do before you die. hehe.

So I got home Sunday night at 2am and then was up the next morning at 9am to get ready to take 10 of our youth to Kedleston Gospel Camp. I was really curious how this week would unfold because we were bringing so many different youth. The van ride there was less than an hour long but by the end of it GOd had already begun to unify the girls in my van through the gong show type events (losing a windshield while driving through a storm, crazy back roads through farmer's fields,etc.) of getting to camp. I was reminded that laughter unites strangers into being friends.

The first couple days were a little rough becuase 1/2 of our kids weren't enjoying camp because we had chaple sessions twice a day and 2 hours each time. They were only there to be on the beach and didn't care at all about listening to the speaker or participating in worshiping GOd through music. Tuesday night I was so broken because the boys especially were being so disresptecful that I just went to the back and wept becuase my heart broke for them. I desired for them to know God's heart for them and know how much God loved them. A support staff women sat beside me and just prayed over me. I couldn;t hear what she was praying but I felt God's peace overflow into my body.

The next day one of our girls, kimmie,ran out of cigarretts and wanted one of the staff to buy her some. they refused to however because they didn't want to promote smoking. This pushed this girl over the edge becaues smoking was the only thing that was allowing her to release her stress of having to sit through chaple. she came into the cabin after lunch just bawling. she told me how she felt so out of place at camp and she had come to the conclusion that she hated camp and wanted to go home. she's been trying to let GOd in but just cant. One of our other girls, Ingrid, who became a Christian at youth quake told her that sometimes GOd takes us to our lowest point inorder for us to have to stop trying on our own strength and cry out to God. I told her she should talk to the director of the camp because she had already connect with him through sailboating and he came from a similar background as her and he'd understand where she was coming from and show her grace. That calmed her down and we went tubing that afternoon to get her mind off all of this. After dinner that night she ran in and told me that Narren (the director) had bought her brand of cigarretts and gave them to her for free. I got to share with her how this is a sign from GOd how much he loves her. He loves her enough that He'd provide someone for her to buy her cigaretts because He wants her to stay at camp so she can hear more about His love for her. She smiled politely and we talked a bit about how Jesus did that even in the Bible through the wedding wine and the disciples and catching fish etc.

That night one of our other girls, Kirstin, wasnt in chaple and I went to find her and I found her by the dock crying and writing. she poured out her fears and insequrities to me and I got to share some scripture with her and pray with her. we went back into the chaple and that night the speaker spoke on facing your giants. at the end he gave an opportunity for campers to get prayed for. I felt so overwhelemed because all 5 of my girls stood up. so we prayed in the back holding hands together and then i took each one out to pray indidividually. after praying with two of the girls i cam in and Ingrid ran up to me and was like "kimmie and Kirstin are on their knees and have prayed to accept Christ into their heart". I looked up and Kimmie was down at the front with one of our other Joes Place volunteers and Kirstin was on her knees with her hands up in the air worshiping God.

In the course of 12 hours God had changed two young girls hearts from hating chaple to being on their knees worshiping God. the rest of the week they rushed to get to chaple and they were both soo sad to leave camp. After one chaple later that week we had been talking about the importance of sharing the love of God by loving others. I asked the girls if they agreed with the speaker that it is important, Kirstin jumped in and was like" its so important because kimmie and i wouldnt have given our hearts to God if you guys hadn't loved us and showed us GOd's love for us".

My friends there is sooooo much I could write to you about this past week but this is already super long (sorry). Please pray for Kirstin and Kimmie as they begin this new journey of following GOd and making Him Lord of their lives. Please pray also for myself and the staff here at Joe's Place as we begin to disciple them. GOd unified our cabin so much this past week and the day after we got back we had dinner and watched movies together because they have become like family to each other. 5 girls, each from different walks of life, have been joined together in unity because of the love and blood of Christ. Pray that this unity will spur them on into maturity.

I love you guys and am so thankful for your prayers and support. I couldn't do any of this without your support or God's grace.

This is a picture of a bunch of us with our youth after church Sunday. We bought McDonalds burgers and had a picnic in the park and talked and shared about the things God did at camp. Continue to pray for us. GOd is sweeping through our kids hearts. The harvest is ready but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest for more workers.

Thanks again friends.

Love always

Leanne