I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this. It's too hard to keep this going as well as my monthly newsletters. So if you would like to follow what is happening with my ministry work, please send me your email or snail mail address to receive my monthly newsletters. I am also going to try to upload my past newsletters on this blog over the next week. So, send along your information to kaitie.merker@gmail.com if you would like to stay notified of prayer requests and stories from my work. :)
Thank you and God bless!
~Kaitie
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
CYIA camp (Quick update)
Camp was an amazing experience! I don't have time to write a long entry right now, but know that one is coming. Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers all this last week. God is so good!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) Camp
Memorial day was fantastic! Thank you so much for your prayers! The weekend was so much fun for me as well as the other 3 girls who taught with me. It was an awesome experience and the kids were adorable. We didn't want to leave them after just 3 days! The 4 of us had an amazing time!
And now I am getting ready for another amazing opportunity. Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) camp for Washington state starts this Friday at Lake Retreat. It is an intense 9 days of learning, teaching, spiritual growth and serving God! I will be supervising a group of junior highers at camp and they will be teaching elementary aged children from the 21-25. This week we will be teaching at 27 different 5 day clubs and will be presenting the gospel and building relationships with kids from all over the Renton/Kent/Covington area.
Please pray for all of the students, supervisors and children this coming week. Everyone attending camp was given a list to pass along to family and friends so they could pray for specific needs. Here is a copy of the one I received. I cannot tell you how much your prayers are needed and appreciated!
Friday June 18:
~Prayer for safety in travel to camp.
~Pray that I can develop good relationships with the adults and teens at camp.
~Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to me during the opening chapel service.
Saturday June 19:
~Pray for mental alertness as today is a heavy classroom day.
~Pray that I can help my trainees successfully complete their assignments.
~Pray for good results as the trainees start to prepare for club.
Sunday June 20:
~Pray that I would have wisdom and understanding while evaluating the trainees on their teaching.
~Pray for me to have a good nights rest.
~Pray that God will send many children to attend our club tomorrow.
Monday June 21:
~Pray that the trainees will not be too nervous today as club begins.
~Pray that the trainees and I will listen as God is speaking to us.
~Pray that the trainees will learn to put God first in every area of their lives.
Tuesday June 22:
~Pray for the trainees that they clearly present the gospel today.
~Pray that the children attending the club will be well behaved.
~Pray that the saved children will be discipled today at club.
Wednesday June 23:
~Pray that the trainees won't grow weary in their preparations.
~Pray that the children will receive Jesus as their Savior today.
~Pray for physical strength and rest.
Thursday June 24:
~Pray for the trainees as the junior high trainees join 5-Day Club teaching teams today.
~Pray that there will be good friendship between the junior and senior trainees.
~Pray for the children's and trainee's home environments. Many are difficult.
Friday June 25:
~Pray that God will help me to be effective as I help the trainees today.
~Pray that the local churches will conduct effective follow-up of the non-churched children.
~Pray that God will speak to me at the communion service tonight and I will obey.
Saturday June 26:
~Pray for a safe trip home.
~Pray that God will bless the 5-Day Club hostesses for opening their homes for clubs.
~Pray that I will remain spiritually strong when I return home.
And now I am getting ready for another amazing opportunity. Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) camp for Washington state starts this Friday at Lake Retreat. It is an intense 9 days of learning, teaching, spiritual growth and serving God! I will be supervising a group of junior highers at camp and they will be teaching elementary aged children from the 21-25. This week we will be teaching at 27 different 5 day clubs and will be presenting the gospel and building relationships with kids from all over the Renton/Kent/Covington area.
Please pray for all of the students, supervisors and children this coming week. Everyone attending camp was given a list to pass along to family and friends so they could pray for specific needs. Here is a copy of the one I received. I cannot tell you how much your prayers are needed and appreciated!
Friday June 18:
~Prayer for safety in travel to camp.
~Pray that I can develop good relationships with the adults and teens at camp.
~Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to me during the opening chapel service.
Saturday June 19:
~Pray for mental alertness as today is a heavy classroom day.
~Pray that I can help my trainees successfully complete their assignments.
~Pray for good results as the trainees start to prepare for club.
Sunday June 20:
~Pray that I would have wisdom and understanding while evaluating the trainees on their teaching.
~Pray for me to have a good nights rest.
~Pray that God will send many children to attend our club tomorrow.
Monday June 21:
~Pray that the trainees will not be too nervous today as club begins.
~Pray that the trainees and I will listen as God is speaking to us.
~Pray that the trainees will learn to put God first in every area of their lives.
Tuesday June 22:
~Pray for the trainees that they clearly present the gospel today.
~Pray that the children attending the club will be well behaved.
~Pray that the saved children will be discipled today at club.
Wednesday June 23:
~Pray that the trainees won't grow weary in their preparations.
~Pray that the children will receive Jesus as their Savior today.
~Pray for physical strength and rest.
Thursday June 24:
~Pray for the trainees as the junior high trainees join 5-Day Club teaching teams today.
~Pray that there will be good friendship between the junior and senior trainees.
~Pray for the children's and trainee's home environments. Many are difficult.
Friday June 25:
~Pray that God will help me to be effective as I help the trainees today.
~Pray that the local churches will conduct effective follow-up of the non-churched children.
~Pray that God will speak to me at the communion service tonight and I will obey.
Saturday June 26:
~Pray for a safe trip home.
~Pray that God will bless the 5-Day Club hostesses for opening their homes for clubs.
~Pray that I will remain spiritually strong when I return home.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Memorial Day Teaching
It's been a while since my last update. Things have been so busy. I've been preparing for this weekend since the beginning of the month and it has been a lot more work than I had originally thought. So what am I doing this weekend? Well, every so often, this Indonesian church in Seattle has a sort of family camp and they ask CEF to provide teachers for their kids for it. I've helped out with their camps 3 times before and it is always a blast and a blessing! So tomorrow morning (at 6am!) myself and 3 other girls will be driving down to Yelm together to tell these kids about how we all have different gifts and talents and we can use them for God. This event has been so much work, because I have been in charge of all the organization of my teachers and our curriculum. But I know it's going to be a great weekend!
-Please pray for our safety on the way down and back.
-Pray that we will be prepared in our teaching. 2 of our teachers' only experience with CEF teaching was when they attended InterSCession.
-Please pray for our safety on the way down and back.
-Pray that we will be prepared in our teaching. 2 of our teachers' only experience with CEF teaching was when they attended InterSCession.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Teaching on the Weekends
Intercession is over, but I'll hopefully still be updating fairly frequently. I am still teaching and I can always use prayer. Since the beginning of January, I've been teaching "Sunday school" weekly during a Saturday night service at Gracepoint Community Church in Southcenter. This is a tough class, because it's only a few kids (about 2-6 regulars) and they come from low-income and broken homes, mostly. It has certainly been a trial trying to answer some of the questions they come up with. I just finished a 12 week series on David, but just about every week, some other topic would come up out of nowhere, halfway through the class and we would just forget about the lesson to talk about the issue. One week, I was teaching about David and Mephibosheth and the last 20 minutes of class was spent discussing various religions and what their beliefs are. These kids have a lot of great questions and hardly any Biblical knowledge (They had never heard of Goliath before!) It's so different than any club I've ever taught. It is definitely a challenge, but I think it is helping me a lot in my ability to answer these questions. I'll be teaching with them until the end of May, when Summer responsibilities become more overwhelming.
-Please pray for these kids. They have so much experience in things I cannot relate to.
-Pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I try to answer their questions in a loving and knowledgeable way.
Tomorrow also starts my first week teaching a new Good News Club in Bellevue. I have helped out at this club before, but have never taught at it. The kids are a little on the energetic side and are hard to control at times. But I'm glad I already have met them, and they like me so I'm hoping this club will be a fun experience for them as well as me. For those unfamiliar with "CEF-speak", a Good News Club (GNC) is like a 5-day club, but instead of being 5 consecutive days, it is once a week and usually runs during the school year. This one will be running until the end of May. Since I'm teaching these classes Friday and Saturday weekly, I'm going to be using the same lessons for both of them.
-Please pray for my preparedness for this club. And pray that I would know how to discipline the kids.
-Please pray for the kids, that they would be ready to learn about God and be attentive during the teaching time and involved during the game and song times.
-Please pray for these kids. They have so much experience in things I cannot relate to.
-Pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I try to answer their questions in a loving and knowledgeable way.
Tomorrow also starts my first week teaching a new Good News Club in Bellevue. I have helped out at this club before, but have never taught at it. The kids are a little on the energetic side and are hard to control at times. But I'm glad I already have met them, and they like me so I'm hoping this club will be a fun experience for them as well as me. For those unfamiliar with "CEF-speak", a Good News Club (GNC) is like a 5-day club, but instead of being 5 consecutive days, it is once a week and usually runs during the school year. This one will be running until the end of May. Since I'm teaching these classes Friday and Saturday weekly, I'm going to be using the same lessons for both of them.
-Please pray for my preparedness for this club. And pray that I would know how to discipline the kids.
-Please pray for the kids, that they would be ready to learn about God and be attentive during the teaching time and involved during the game and song times.
Intercession - Friday
Sorry about the delay in updating. The Spring quarter at Bellevue college started up on Monday, so I'm back to the ol' grind and already busy with classes.
Intercession ended beautifully! I was so impressed by how the students changed over only 5 days. I really saw so much improvement in teaching and attitudes. It was really encouraging to see that what we were teaching wasn't falling on deaf ears, even though it felt like that some of the time. I was originally going to leave before the clubs on Friday, but ended up being able to stay for the entire day and I am so happy I did! I was so sorry to leave those elementary kids. One boy, Joshua, was very clingy to me the whole week. When I told the kids that it was the last day, he asked if he would ever see me again and I told him that I didn't know for sure. He thought about it and then looked up at me with the sweetest smile and said, "Well, maybe when I'm in first grade!" Oh, that face! It's fun getting to meet so many kids when I teach, but it is always heartbreaking to leave them at the end of the week.
Intercession was such an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of it! It sounds like there is a chance of this happening again next year. I sure hope that I can be involved!
-Please pray for the students that we taught, that they would use these tools we have given them and be able to share God's love with many others.
-And pray for the children, that the seed we planted would continue to grow as they learn more about God.
Intercession ended beautifully! I was so impressed by how the students changed over only 5 days. I really saw so much improvement in teaching and attitudes. It was really encouraging to see that what we were teaching wasn't falling on deaf ears, even though it felt like that some of the time. I was originally going to leave before the clubs on Friday, but ended up being able to stay for the entire day and I am so happy I did! I was so sorry to leave those elementary kids. One boy, Joshua, was very clingy to me the whole week. When I told the kids that it was the last day, he asked if he would ever see me again and I told him that I didn't know for sure. He thought about it and then looked up at me with the sweetest smile and said, "Well, maybe when I'm in first grade!" Oh, that face! It's fun getting to meet so many kids when I teach, but it is always heartbreaking to leave them at the end of the week.
Intercession was such an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of it! It sounds like there is a chance of this happening again next year. I sure hope that I can be involved!
-Please pray for the students that we taught, that they would use these tools we have given them and be able to share God's love with many others.
-And pray for the children, that the seed we planted would continue to grow as they learn more about God.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Intercession - Thursday
Happy April Fool's day! Surprisingly, we made it through intercession today with very few pranks.
The long days are starting to take a visible toll on all the students and workers. But even so, they are all rising to the challenge and persevering well. While reviewing our songs from club, we also taught the students one of my favorite songs that we sing at our clubs during the summer. I love the way the high schoolers try to act all cool and smooth, but in the end, they really enjoy doing goofy hand motions to songs and playing silly games.
Today's clubs were a little different because a lot of the kids had basketball class during club time. Our room started out with just 3 kids and ended up with 6(a big change from Tuesday's and Wednesday's 11). Our club went really well though. These students are really starting to be more open with the kids and are trying so hard. I would love for them to work this summer with me. We're going to give them Christian Youth in Action(CYIA) camp brochures tomorrow and hopefully some of them will make the decision to come.
We have one more day to teach and I am relieved, but sad. I've had a great time getting to know these students and this experience, I know, has prepared me for more work with youth in the future. I'm going to miss the elementary kids in my club too. They are so adorable! I don't have to be reminded why I do what I do, but seeing those faces smiling up at you and feeling a tug on your sleeve from those little hands because they want to tell you something that is probably not very important to you, but is immensely important to them, makes me feel so blessed! These children are so dear, and they are so precious to God. It is such a joy to teach them and, this week, to train others to do the same.
-Please pray for the students, and us teachers, as we near the end of our time together that they would have renewed energy for their last day teaching.
-And Pray for the little ones we are teaching, that they would understand what they are hearing and that they would apply it to their lives.
The long days are starting to take a visible toll on all the students and workers. But even so, they are all rising to the challenge and persevering well. While reviewing our songs from club, we also taught the students one of my favorite songs that we sing at our clubs during the summer. I love the way the high schoolers try to act all cool and smooth, but in the end, they really enjoy doing goofy hand motions to songs and playing silly games.
Today's clubs were a little different because a lot of the kids had basketball class during club time. Our room started out with just 3 kids and ended up with 6(a big change from Tuesday's and Wednesday's 11). Our club went really well though. These students are really starting to be more open with the kids and are trying so hard. I would love for them to work this summer with me. We're going to give them Christian Youth in Action(CYIA) camp brochures tomorrow and hopefully some of them will make the decision to come.
We have one more day to teach and I am relieved, but sad. I've had a great time getting to know these students and this experience, I know, has prepared me for more work with youth in the future. I'm going to miss the elementary kids in my club too. They are so adorable! I don't have to be reminded why I do what I do, but seeing those faces smiling up at you and feeling a tug on your sleeve from those little hands because they want to tell you something that is probably not very important to you, but is immensely important to them, makes me feel so blessed! These children are so dear, and they are so precious to God. It is such a joy to teach them and, this week, to train others to do the same.
-Please pray for the students, and us teachers, as we near the end of our time together that they would have renewed energy for their last day teaching.
-And Pray for the little ones we are teaching, that they would understand what they are hearing and that they would apply it to their lives.
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