a special face

There is one particular young girl I want to share with you about. 

She is very special, as are all the children we minister to.  This girl is only three years of age.  Each time she sees me on visitation she comes running to me and gives me one of the best hugs ever.  This is not what it was like at first.  She would come and sit on the tarp for Sunday school and not smile much at all.  She would raise her hand for prayer though (which is so special).  I had the honor of praying with her and telling her each week how God loves her and how we do too.  For the last month every time she would see us coming she would get a huge smile and run to us.  The last two times I saw her I told her “God loves you”.  She responded: “God loves you”.  I said, “I love you”.  And she said “I love you”. 

Yesterday was our last meeting in her complexe for the semester so I was so glad to get to see her.  I had her look straight into my eyes and I told her she was so special.  She had the biggest smile and was glowing.  It is amazing how at even such a young age these children receive words of life.  They also receive negative words.  That is why we need to always be speaking words of life to them; the Word of God.  Their spirit picks it up and it will become an anchor to their soul.  Praise God for His Word!

Jesus is real.

Happy Kids

Jesus is real.  His power to save is real.  This past semester we have had the honor of getting to know some new children and see God move in their lives.  There are two sisters that come faithfully to the CAC.  One was drawn right away to Jesus in us.  We would see her on Fridays when we would go visiting the kids.  She and her sister are not sure how to receive love and it is an honor to show them love.  And they have been able to receive more and more.  The youngest girl didn’t come as much to the CAC as the older girl.  But something changed a few weeks ago.  We taught on the resurrection of Jesus.  During the prayer, she raised her hand.  I prayed with her and she gave her life to Jesus.  When we were done praying she was glowing with light.  I looked her in the eyes and told her several times: “God loves you”.  The next week on visitation, we were leaving her complexe when I heard someone yell out to us.  It was her.  We were able to spend time with her and she just kept smiling; she was glowing.  On Saturday she came and sat in the very front row.  She didn’t sit with her sister or any of her usual friends.  She wanted to be in the front, praise God!  She danced and sang and received from God.  Thank you Lord!!!!!  May you, Lord, have your way in her life.  I thank you that you will accomplish every purpose you have for her!

rest in God

Super Fun Day at the CAC

On Friday a boy called and left a message on the ministry phone.  He called and said “Mr. Vincent I will be there tomorrow.  I have something else.  But yes I will be there.”  Wow, thank you Lord for this boy.  He had other things he could have been doing but he knew in his heart, his desire was to be at church.  We teach the children the importance of being here every Saturday.  He knows the importance.  He was able to speak out that he is going to be at CAC, regardless of other things. And praise God he was here and was blessed! 

It was ‘fun day’ at the CAC.  What does that mean?  Just what it says: fun.  We arrived with two buses full of children.  They were very excited.  It was supposed to rain but praise God the children still had fun.  The girls came inside the ministry first while the boys headed to the moonwalks and basketball courts.  It is always a special dynamic to get to minister and teach the boys and the girls separately.  We sang and played a bit inside and then went straight into the lesson: “Keep the Sabbath”.  It is a powerful lesson and I was exited for us to teach it to the children.  We taught them the importance of resting in God.  At the end of the lesson, we had the girls close their eyes and just rest in God.  His grace and Presence was near; we had just preached of His rest and now they were experiencing it.  Thank you Lord!  It was a blessing to look out at them and see them resting in the Presence of God.  After we prayed they were able to go outside and the boys came inside.  We had another sharp, powerful lesson with them. Thank you Lord!

Thank you Lord for the Word of God

The Bible says in Galatians 6:7 ‘You will reap what you sow’.

This Saturday we had a wonderful time picking up the children. When we drove up there were over 20 children ready to go at one particular stop.  We were five minuets early and yet here is the thing: as we looked out the window and saw the children Mrs. Gilda said “Wow, will you look at that: they are all lined up”.  She went on to say, “is there someone out there that lined them up?”  And I said, “nope; they did it on their own”.  Praise the Lord!  I almost wanted to cry looking at them.  They were lined up in a single file line, excited to come to church.  When I stepped out of the bus they were ready to get on.  A lot of them did their homework from the last week’s Bible lesson.  They were so excited to show me that they had done it.

Each child is so special.  Some like to give a big hug when they first see you, some a big smile, some it was their first time so they were not expecting a big hug.  It is exciting to see them loving each other.  On the bus, in the past, there were often kids getting into fights and verbally being mean to other children.  But now, that hardly ever happens; there is peace on the bus.  Thank you Lord!  God is not a God of confusion but a God of order.  By the grace of God there is order on the bus.  The children know what is expected of them and they have been trained in it.  And the new children catch on because the other children are obedient.  Praise God!  What a blessing it is to experience the peace of God from the start of the day to the finish.  The children are able to receive more from Him because His peace is present.  Even when they are singing songs very, very loud, His peace has been there.  Thank you Lord; you are so Good!

special love for special people

Visitation is a wonderful time.  It is a special time to spend with the children.  Every Friday afternoon the children expect to see ‘CAT workers’ (that’s us) out and about their neighborhoods.  The past couple of weeks the weather has been a bit damp.  You seem to forget that your feet are wet and your hands are cold.  It is a pleasure to listen to the children and share with them.  Many of the children run to give you a great big hug.  There are so many children and yet each time I say ‘I love you’ it is real, because God’s love for them inside of me is real.  You would think that when you visit more than 200 children a week: ‘how could you love them all?’  The fact is we can because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5)  So we are able to love through God’s love that is in us.

One of the things I really like is when the children first open their doors to us because we get to see a glimpse of their home lives.  Whether they are playing, helping with dinner, or just resting, they are so precious.  This past week one particular girl was super special.  We knocked on the door, no one answered.  I seem to always knock extra, even if it sounds like no one is home; I really desire to see them.  I knocked a couple more times.  As we began to walk away I finally heard the door open.  It was one of the girls and her eyes were barley open; she had been napping.  It took here about five seconds and then we got a big smile.  We were able to bless her and tell her she is loved.  On Saturday her and her brother were so excited to show me that they had done their homework on the back of their CAC fliers.  Praise God!

willing hearts

  

We are so blessed to know so many precious children.  This Saturday I was reminded again of how wonderful it is that God has brought many people to be a part of the children’s lives; not just staff but volunteers as well.  Each Saturday the children get the opportunity to be loved on by not only staff, but wonderful volunteers who give their Saturdays to minister to children.  It is such a blessing to the children.  I love to watch them get hugs, validations (that is so needed), and fellowship from many people who love Jesus and love them.  We appreciate our volunteers a lot.  They are a blessing from God.  They serve by singing with the children, playing with the children, riding the bus with the children, praying for the children, being in skits, and cleaning.  Just one touch and/or one word can change a child’s life.  Praise the Lord!  Our volunteers range from high school age to people over 45 years of age.  Thank you Lord!  It has been wonderful to see how some have made a special bond with several children.  It makes a huge difference in someone’s life to know they are not alone and that someone loves them.  Some people will not know the good they have done through God to further His Kingdom, until they get to heaven.  Thank you Lord for willing hearts!  

Shauna & Terry

Ashley at SGnH

 

Zac serving soda

 

 

 

 

teen night

What a blessed weekend of ministry.  We had wonderful children services on Saturday.  What is so wonderful is to see the children worship God, have fun, receive the Word and get prayed for. 

On Sunday we had “Somethin’ good in the Hood”, a teen ministry.  There were over 28 teens who attended.  It was a wonderful time.  The bus filled with teens is much different from the bus filled with children; they are at such different stages in life.  Each teen is so precious.  When we arrived to the Center on the bus, the teens spent about an hour playing basketball, soccer, and just visiting with eachother.  I encouraged them on the bus not to be on the phone or listening to Ipods, but to really spend time talking with each other.  The basketball games are a lot of fun.  Once again they were close games and yet praise God, there are no longer teens trying to fight other teens and there are no longer curse words flying out of their mouths.  Thank you Lord:  He is changing their lives.  Ashley and her husband, Zac, prepared a yummy dinner.  She makes some of the best cookies; the teens kept wanting to come back for more.  After they finished eating we went into the church and were taught a powerful lesson from the Word of God.  I was so blessed to see how attentive the teens were.  The lesson was on a fundamental truth: guarding your heart by sowing to the spirit and not to the flesh.  I was reminded at how these teens need basic teaching on things we take for granted.  We had an anointed time of worship.  After worshipping God through song we took some time to pray for the them.  The anointing was already present so it was a wonderful time to pray with the teens and speak blessing over them.  Thank you Lord for all you are doing in the teens lives; You are Wonderful!

rain or shine

Yesterday was not an ordinary day.  It was still a wonderful day.  We had a team meeting at 2:30pm to go over the CAT service details.  As we did you could see it was a bit cloudy outside.  I am always so excited about seeing the children at Wilimington.  They are very special.  As we drove it began to rain a bit.  We arrived and it was still raining.  Rain or shine, by God’s grace, we always show up at the CAT site; the children expect us to be there.  There was one girl who arrived first.  Even though it was raining she stood with us, talked, and played.  More children arrived despite the weather.  They couldn’t sit on the tarp like normal, because they were wet.  So they stood.  We sang songs with them and then we taught them a short lesson. The most important thing is the children get fed the Word of God.  As I watched the children listening to the Word, all I could say was “Praise God!”  It was cold and raining yet these kids were standing there; not complaining but listening to God’s Word.  As the lesson ended it began to rain harder; thank you Lord for holding the rain off. We didn’t have time to play the games, but I didn’t hear one complaint.  Thank you Lord for the honoring of ministering to the children, rain or shine

seed for the sower

We are so blessed to be a part of the lives of many children.  Each child is so special and God knows everything about them.  During CAC we have an offering lesson and each child is able to give an offering to God.  Offering time is always a wonderful opportunity to teach the children the importance of sowing from a heart of love.  As I sit and watch the children I am amazed at how a lot of them don’t have much to give, but when they give, as long as they give with their hearts, it honors God.  It is clear on most of the children’s faces, when they hear they can be used of God to bless others, there is a desire in them to do just that.  When the boys are told they can come and give their offering in the blue bucket and the girls in the red, it is a blessing to see them give and pray over the offering together; their little voices, that hold so much power to change things as they believe God, fills the atmosphere. This past Saturday, after the children gave their offerings, God opened an opportunity to pray for the children who desired individual prayer. When the children give, they are loving God and others, and in return their hearts are opened and they are ready to receive during prayer time. One boy came up to Pastor Scott on a weekday and told him that he had an offering for God. The boy was very excited and sincere. He said that he remembered Pastor Scott had fish.  He said “look at what I found: fish food”.  He said “I can give this”.  Praise God!  God always provides seed for the sower.  It may not seem like much to a carnal man but that offering was priceless because it was from a sincere heart of love.  God knew he desired to bring and offering and God provided Him seed.  God is faithful!

let the little children come to me

“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” 

Matthew 19:13-15

Praise the Lord!  We kicked of our 2010 spring semester of ministry.  Each child that comes to the CAC is so precious. We were so excited to see them and for the children to come and experience the power of God.  When children come in on Saturday’s they are able to worship God, hear His Word, and be prayed for.  Apart from God we can do nothing for these children.  Apart from God their lives will not be changed.  That is why we rely fully on Him and to be lead of the Holy Spirit.  That is our desire, so we sow towards that and we know God will be glorified.  He is so good.  We had a taste of it this the past weeks.  The children were ministered the Word of God and then were given the opportunity to be prayed for individually.  We had staff, interns, and several volunteers pray for the children.  Jesus said to let the children come to Him and he placed his hand on them.  And we were able to do just that. God is bringing the children to us so we must be aware of what He is doing in their lives.  The children have specific prayer needs, specific things they desire others to believe with them.  This is truly an honor to pray in faith over and with these children and see God change their situations to good, that He may be glorified.  Thank you Jesus!  Jessica Bouchard.