August Newsletter

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Kristen Kilpatrick
August 2021 Newsletter

God always has a Plan
Just returned to the States from a jam-packed two months in Guyana and there is much to share. It was a wonderful summer filled with visitations, Bible studies, and two weeks of youth camp. I have been reflecting on everything that God did and how he worked through all of us. One of the biggest lessons of the summer I learned was that God always has a plan and sometimes he puts us in situations where we have no idea what is going to happen, but he wants us to trust him. That’s how I felt the night before camp started after we were told we might not be allowed to have camp in the community due to Covid restrictions. It was so last minute that I had no idea what was going to happen. We took the time to pray as a team and it wasn’t long after that we found out we could continue with camp with a few guidelines on what we could do. There are many more instances just like that one, and through it all God always provides and has a plan.

Bible Blessings
In 2019 a generous couple gave me 25 bibles and I had no idea just how 25 bibles could mean the world to 25 people. Since camp was cancelled last year, the bibles sat around for almost 2 years. I didn’t know just who to give these bibles to but while in Guyana God led me to just the right people. I started an 8-week Bible study called Defined where we learned throughout the study just who God says we are. Nine faithful young adults attended the study. I gave them each a Bible and asked that they would commit to this study and learning more. Some didn’t have their own Bible or even a Bible in their home. All of them admitted they had never done a Bible study like this where they had 5 devotions to do every week. It was challenging for many of them, and they had many questions. This was good to hear because it showed they were hungry to learn more, and they weren’t afraid to ask. We heard many statements like “I’ve never thought about my identity in Christ before” and questions like “How do you know for sure you are saved?” I loved our discussions and the growth that they showed throughout the study.

Camp
We had 60 teens for our first week of camp in Whitewater and 40 teens our second week of camp in Sebai. This was such a great turnout because we weren’t sure if anyone was going to come since some still had to be in school. Altogether we had 44 teens trusting in Jesus as their Savior and 24 that have followed through with baptism. To say I was proud of these teens, would be an understatement. Throughout both camp weeks we asked that the leaders be on the lookout for the camper that stood out the most. For each team we asked that the leaders pick out one boy and one girl. On the last day of camp, we recognized these campers as the “Camper of the year” for their display of positive Christian character and leadership. We also gave them a Bible to encourage them to continue in their Christian walk. A total of 8 Bibles were given out to these campers!

Volunteers for camp
We also gave special recognition to our volunteers – who went above and beyond. In Whitewater we recognized Yonna for her help throughout camp. In Sebai we had so many volunteers that it was difficult to narrow it down to just one. We recognized two volunteers, a boy named Rawlin and a girl named Nadira and gave them Bibles as well. These volunteers helped in small groups by getting the teens to talk (sometimes they are terribly shy). We couldn’t have done it without these faithful leaders helping us out throughout the camp week. It meant so much to them that we acknowledged them in church. These are the future leaders for the Guyanese youth!

Update on property
As mentioned previously, Food for the Poor will be helping us develop buildings on the property. They are a non-profit organization that has already helped many people all over the world and they are now helping us! Construction started this summer on the houses, dorms, church and more! This is a huge step in the right direction!

Prayer for this month:

Pray for the leaders and teens that made big decisions over the summer, that they continue in their walk with the Lord.
Pray for the property as it continues to develop
Pray for the current and future churches that are developing and continuing to develop in Guyana.
Pray for me as I am settling back into America and start back to raising support and building partnerships.

GIVE NOW!

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Grace Ministries - 1219 Summit Oaks Dr E -
Jacksonville, FL 32221 - USA

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Grace ministries · 1219 Summit Oaks Dr E · Jacksonville, FL 32221-3251 · USA