The end of a season...

What a wonderfully, busy season it has been in my life.  Hence the late update to my blog :)

So let me share with you the amazing things God has been doing in my life and ministry.  The ministry of CEF has been nothing short of God's provision and work, time and time again.  We got the approval for a Good News Club to open in a new school starting after Spring break, which was an answer to prayer from the beginning of the school year. It opened with 15 kids enrolled and quickly grew to 25!  The school staff including the principal have been welcoming and encouraging and we are hoping they will have us back in the Fall.  Our other clubs have been winding down.  It is nice to know the break is coming, but my heart also pours out love and concern for these kiddos that I won't see on a regular basis anymore.  Our Annual Fundraising Banquet was also in April and God certainly showed out again!  We were blessed to have 250 people in attendance and raised over $10,000!!!  God is so good!  Within a few weeks of our banquet, our Director Ruth's husband passed away after a long season of health problems.  While this was not necessarily happy news, it has been encouraging to see Ruth trust God in this season of her life and rely fully on Him and His plan for her.  She was able to take some time off and is still joyful in the Lord.

In my life personally, it has also been busy, but full of blessings.  Andy just finished the semester and will graduate with his Associate Degree in Computer Programming.  I could go on about how proud I am of him for completing this while working full time and still helping at home. He has shown reliance on God through the trials and has been a great role model for our boys.  His younger sister, Allison, also married the love of her life, Matt at the beginning of May.  I was blessed to be the matron of honor and Luke and Zach were the cutest ring bearers ever!  It was a wonderful celebration and we continue to pray for their new life together.  The wedding was followed by our oldest son, Luke, making the decision to be baptized on Mother's Day.  A day I most certainly will never forget.  Please continue to pray for him and Zach as well as they continue to grow in their faith.  Needless to say, I have been full of emotions - stress, excitement, joy, sadness, pride, love and gratitude. Through this incredibly busy season the one thing Ruth has challenged me with is to commit everything to prayer and what a difference it makes!

Coming up I'll ask that you pray for our summer ministries.  We will have our CYIA training in June at Cedarville University for our 5-Day Club summer missionaries.  When we return we will have 6 weeks of 5-Day Clubs and end the summer with a week of Camp Good News.  Stay tuned for how you can be praying for these ministries!

Thank you as always for praying for me, my family, and our ministry!  It really is felt and appreciated!

Until the nets are full,
Joanne