What a difference God has made in only one year!

Just over a year ago I started a consulting contract at Westside Kings Church in Calgary. I was tasked with building a healthy, well balanced and sustainable youth ministry and building a team to make that happen. At that time I could identify about 30 - 35 students and 3.5 volunteers.

This past weekend I spoke at a retreat with the students from Westside Kings Church. We had an awesome weekend. This past weekend we had 64 students and 12 leaders at the retreat. God did some great stuff in students hearts and some broken relationships were mended. A number of students who have been on the edge of the group were sucked right into the middle and the sense of community and unity grew by leaps and bounds. The cabin discussion times were great and God challenged some students to go beyond just being Sunday Christians and instead become sold out Jesus followers. Some students are beginning to face some areas of deep brokenness and addictions in their lives. The volunteers are absolutely fantastic. They were fully engaged with the students and are carrying on building relationships with the students that have the potential to be life changing for both the leader and the students. It was a fantastic, beyond all we could ask or think weekend.

Here is part of an email one parent wrote after the retreat...
We just want to send a big thank you to you and the leaders who made the road trip something that our daughter and son looked forward to as well as came back from changed. You are challenging them to be more as followers of Jesus Christ and I think they see their world differently for this reason. This community is important to them and I think they feel a connection to be a part of it more than any other.

The work at Westside Kings is not complete by a long shot but God has allowed us to see amazing growth in both numbers and in spiritual depth in the students. They are building a great foundation to a healthy, well balanced and sustainable youth ministry planted in that church.

Live Out Loud

Camp Qwanoes had 404 Jr. High campers at the week I spoke this summer. They always have a large variety of students at their camp and there are always kids who desperately need the hope and healing Jesus offers. As the week went on I could see God softening student’s hearts. About mid-week I gave an opportunity for students to surrender their lives to Jesus. At the end of my talk I invited students to pray a prayer a line at a time after me. I started “Dear God”. When I paused, a slightly hesitant chorus of Jr. High students repeated out loud “Dear God”. I have never had a group of students spontaneously pray to accept Jesus’ forgiveness out loud. I was a little taken aback and even said “you don’t need to pray out loud, but if you want to, that’s cool.” I continued “I know I have done things that are wrong, and that makes me a sinner”. The chorus grew a little bolder and louder!

It continued growing with each phrase! By the time I said “amen” tears were sneaking down my cheeks and the place broke into applause and hoots for those who had just publically become Jesus’ kids. In all, that week 48 students prayed to accept Jesus and are finding hope and healing!

In Mark 4 Jesus told a parable that indicated that not all who make the commitment to walk with Jesus will follow through with that commitment. BUT a number of them will, and their lives have been changed forever. I know many people who met Jesus at a summer camp and are still following Him today. Some of those people are Pastors, having a significant influence on others.

It is possible that God has planted the seeds of a spiritual revolution in the hearts of a bunch of Jr. High students whose hearts He got ahold of at summer camp this year!

The really cool thing to me is we got to play a part in what God is doing in those students’ hearts!

Extreme Make-Over—Camp Edition

Summer camps are unique places where God does amazing work in students’ lives. It is always interesting to watch how the week unfolds and how God works in students’ hearts.

Most urban Canadian students tend to be pressurized and distracted. They are pressurized by school, sports, part-time jobs, and parental demands. (Can you imagine? Some parents expect their kids to clean their rooms, do their homework, and even sit down with the family for meals!) They live with lots of distractions, many of them electronic: iPods, TV, Facebook, video games, and cell phones. Just yesterday I was speaking with a dad who told me that his daughter is sending 9000 text messages a month! Do the math. That is 300 texts a day. If she sleeps 8 hours a night that is 18.75 texts an hour or one every 3.2 minutes. Talk about distracted!

Weekend retreats can accomplish so much in a student’s life because they take breaks from those pressures and distractions for a couple of days. Students are given space to decompress, have fun, and think about important matters of their souls. The awesome thing about summer camp is students experience that release for a whole week and as the week goes by you can almost see God at work.

This summer was no exception! The first week of the summer I spoke at Camp Qwanoes on Vancouver Island. It is one of the premier camps in Canada and I have had the privilege of speaking at that camp for the past ten summers. Every year that I go back I run into students who were present one of the previous years. Some take the time to let me know what God did in their lives the last week we were together. This year it was Sarah*. I remembered her as a deeply depressed young lady. She’d worn a long sleeve hoodie which she kept pulled over her jet black hair, hiding her face. She walked with her head down and if she spoke with you she rarely would look up to make eye contact. Half-way through the week I made a point of connecting with her. As we talked I asked some gentle, but difficult-to-evade questions. She admitted that she wore the hoodie to cover up the scars and wounds she had up and down her arms from cutting, so people would leave her alone. She was like an abused puppy, and it made me weep for her. But Sarah* accepted Jesus the last day of camp!

I was stunned when I saw Sarah this year. She looked radically different. The hoodie was gone. She was wearing a short sleeve shirt. Her hair was no longer dyed jet black. She walked with her head held high and she was looking people in the eye when they spoke to her! It was an amazing transformation from the inside out! She was back at camp in the leader training program! Her year had not been perfect but Jesus had been healing her heart.

Sarah is a great example of what we are about at Straight Talk. We believe when a person’s heart is changed by encountering the living Jesus, their whole life is changed too. Thank you for giving so that we can continue to be a part of God changing hearts and lives!

*Name has been changed

What a great Sunday!

This past Sunday I was asked to speak to the Jr. & Sr. Highs at Westside Kings Church. They have been doing a series on the life of Jesus with their students. They wanted me to talk about Jesus death. Thanksgiving is a perfect weekend to talk about Jesus sacrifice for us. As we planned how the morning would take place we decided we would finish with a video that would beautifully transition from the talk to a communion time. There was an amazing sense of awe and God's presence. The best part is just before communion the students were given a chance to invite Jesus to be the forgiver and leader of their lives, one student responded and gave his life to Jesus!

I love that I get to do what I get to do!

This could change everything!

This past weekend I was speaking to a group of students from Bethany Chapel. It was a fantastic weekend. The plan was to camp out in tents. (Thank you God for a very comfortable trailer!) There were 45 Jr. High and Sr. High students attendance.

I met with their youth pastor a week before the event to talk about where his students were spiritually and what kinds of things he was thinking he would like to see addressed. Most of his students are believers and one of the things he was hoping they would gain from of the weekend was a desire to see their friends become Jesus followers too.

On Saturday night I spoke about the need to talk to our friends about our faith and give them opportunities to discover the grace of Jesus for themselves.

Before the weekend was over two students spoke with me independently about their desire to share their relationship with Jesus with their friends.

Some might think "Big deal!" But I say “That is a huge deal, in fact this could change everything.” Statistics indicate that more than 80% of people come to faith in Jesus before their 18th birthday! Students are living in one of the most spiritually fertile parts of our culture.

I know of a fantastic pastor who, if it were not for two friends who worked with him in Canadian Tire back when he was in High School, would never have come to faith. He grew up in a family that had no faith at all. He had been watching their lives for some time and was just wishing they would invite him to one of the youth events at their church. Because they took a risk and invited him, he is a believer and is influencing many others to follow Jesus.

God spoke to a number of students about a bunch of things but for me the most exciting is reaching out to our friends with their faith. With their new-found desire to see their friends come to know Jesus, only God knows whose lives will be changed for eternity and how far the ripple of their little act of obedience will go!

Does size matter?

This past weekend I was with a group of Jr. High students from Evangelical Missionary Churches from Alberta. This is the first time they have done this event they call JR Pitch in Alberta. They do a similar event in Ontario and get close to 1200 students to attend. They were hoping they would get between 150 and 200 students. When I arrived Friday night they only had about 50 students in attendance all from small rural churches. This was a bit discouraging for the organizers but they were committed to carrying on with what they had planned. The great thing was that the students did seem to care there were only 50 of them there they entered into what was planned with good enthusiasm! When it came time for sessions they were all ears.

A couple of leaders told me that my talks generated some awesome discussions in the small group times that were scheduled for after each session. Some students made a point of letting me know that they had sensed God speaking to them about various issues. Apparently size does not matter!

What would happen if...?

I was once told that the biggest barrier to students following God's call on their lives to be a missionary is parental disapproval. I remember thinking "There is no way, not in the kinds of churches I am a part of." Then I began to see it for myself. Parents, good church people, getting in the way of their students believe God is calling them to do and be in this world.

What would happen if a large group of parents publicly released their kids to follow God's call. And what if those parents made a commitment to help them pursue that call no mater what it is or where it would lead them? I don't know for sure but I suspect God would have an open door to move people to make a significant impact in his world.

This past weekend I was speaking at Sunwest Church about following God's call on your life. At the end of all three services parents were invited to publicly release their students to follow God's call on their lives and commit to do everything they can to support their children as they follow God's call. Students were also invited to publicly declare their desire to follow God's call on their lives. I don't know exactly how many people responded but many people came forward to publicly make their declaration.

About 2000 years ago there was a relatively small group of people who were willing to radically follow Jesus' invitation to "follow me". Look what God has done with that small band of fully devoted Jesus followers! Can you imagine what God might do with a significant group of students who have their church and family behind them as they radically follow God? Only time will tell but I suspect now God has that opening to move people to make a significant impact in His world!

Launch of The Face to Face Book

The maiden voyage of the new 8 week, seeker sensitive course on friendship, to be titled, The Face to Face Book is complete. You never really know for sure when you are passionately typing into a computer how your words will be received by a live audience. It was rewarding to see the avid interest of the women during the talks and their enthusiastic participation during the discussion times. We are aware of at least one woman who accepted Christ into her life during the eight weeks of the course. Four others indicated other major spiritual decisions. We believe, based on our experience with 10 Smart Things that the majority of these women who have experienced life change, will stick around, learn more, and eventually learn to serve and even lead. Here are some of the comments recorded on the evaluation provided by the host church:

Thank you for the opportunity to be involved in this learning group. I am looking forward to the next phase, and to reading the book.

All the topics were excellent. I have become more conscious of of relationships; I will strive to be a better friend.

This course has enhanced my understanding of my relationships and I am already reaping the benefits.

It has made me take an in depth look at what kind of friend I have been and what changes I need to make.

Donna said that Jesus is your friend: this is hard to understand... I would like to understand more...

How exciting it is for me to open the door for people to understand how they can know Jesus as their friend. Ministry leaders around the world who are passionate about evangelism are looking for tools to touch people's felt needs and enable them to explore their ultimate spiritual needs. In learning about their friendships with others, women can learn how to be a friend of God.

I am excited about the possibility of offering another outreach tool to the body of Christ. So much still needs to be done as we research publishing options, and look for the right opportunity to tape the sessions live. Of course all this costs money. Please ask God if He is directing you to be a part of making this new tool available to ministries around the world.

What do you say to fathers and their sons?

My normal target audience is usually somewhere in the 12 to 18 year old bracket. Put me in a room with 500 screaming Jr. Highs and it is a piece of cake! This past weekend I was booked to speak at a father/son retreat. Now I have to admit it is pretty cool to hang out with dads and their boys. You know there is going to be a lot of playing in the fire, some good laughs and a little competition, especially when their is paintball involved. But what to do speak about when your audience of 64 is aged 6 to 60?

As I prepared I decided I would just talk about some of the stuff I am learning and/or and passionate about these days. Friday I spoke about being a radically sold out Jesus follower that plants a flag and says I am going to live for Jesus no matter who knows and what it costs me.

I decided that Saturday I would speak about worry and Jesus prescription for it in the morning. Saturday afternoon I would talk about the Haiti earthquake and how I am becoming absolutely convinced that God is about redeeming the earthquakes in our lives.

I was amazed at how open the men were to what I was saying. After each session men wanted to talk to me. Some were really short, like one man who said in passing "Thanks for your session this morning I really needed to hear that. It was right on." Some were really quite in depth like the one that started "God really convicted me about how I need to take a stand at work for what I believe is right but it sure is hard."

I am convinced that most men and boys feel terribly isolated. They don't feel like they can really talk about the stuff that is going on, on the inside especially if it is hard or scary. It was really fun this past weekend to be with a group of men and their sons who took the risk to talk about some of the inside stuff that we all tend to wrestle with.

Part of me wonders what kind of an impact will it have on those younger boys to get to an adventure just with Dad and see him allow God to work in his life?

Who's in Your Herd?

There are some places on this planet that should be safe. A mother's womb should be a safe place. A child's bed should be a safe place. Families should be safe and so should churches. Unfortunately, many are not. So many of the tragic stories I hear at women's retreats are tales of violations of one or more of these sanctuaries. The natural response of the human heart to repeated betrayals of trust is to withdraw from relationship, the scene of so many crimes of the heart. There is something tragic about a group of women, many of whom are in a self imposed exile, converging to try to grow in their relationship with God from their place of isolation.

I spoke to the combined women's groups of Leduc and Beverly Alliance Churches this past weekend. Everyone looked pretty "put together" but my experience has taught me that appearances can be deceiving. Saturday night I spoke on God's desire for us to be plugged into relationships with Him AND His body - that in fact, we can't be all that He wants us to be unless we are. We become prey for our enemy who, like a predator in the wild, targets those who drift from the herd. I concluded my talk by showing a video filmed on a South African Safari. It shows a baby water buffalo wandering from the herd and being attacked by a pride of lions who are later joined by a crocodile. (You know you are having a bad day when lions have you by the nose and a crocodile's got you by the tale!) The tug of war is on but the lions eventually win the prize. Then amazingly, the herd of water buffalo returns. They surround and fight off the lions. Almost unbelievably, the calf survives and is saved and enveloped by the security of the herd. After showing the video, I gave the women the opportunity to come out of exile and choose someone to share their secret struggles with. I was so encouraged to see little groups of women walking, talking and praying together - becoming that safe place for each other that we all need to reach our God-given potential. Seeing so many women choose community over isolation, taking the risk of trusting again, or maybe even for the first time, was the highlight of a great weekend for me. Growing to be like Christ- in community not only keeps us safe from the enemy; it makes us dangerous to the enemy!

By the way, who has your back? Who's in your herd?

You can check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

Warts and All

A young man named Rob approached me as soon as the service was over, eager to tell me his story. He was attending Sunwest Church for the first time and had only been a believer for a year. I was a bit surprised at the enthusiasm with which this single young man approached me since my message had been a challenge to parents on Mother's Day. In my talk I had told the story of God inviting me to pray for the healing of a Plantar's Wart on Kendall's foot when she was four years old and how God miraculously healed her foot three days later. The wart had simply fallen out. I knew it was God's doing since He had so clearly told me to pray for healing. Until Sunday morning, I had never heard a similar story. But this young man had experienced almost exactly the same thing. He had struggled with the wart for nine months when, as a brand new Christian, he sensed God asking him to pray for healing. Rob was very excited to tell me that his wart had fallen out three days later while he was in the shower. What was God telling him through this? Maybe that he was on the right track? That he was where he was supposed to be that Sunday morning? That God cares about even the details of our lives!

Having spoken that morning on the legacy we leave as parents, I had the opportunity to talk and pray with parents and others in whose lives God was working . On Friday and Saturday, I spoke at a women's conference in Olds. All in all a very busy and productive weekend!

Going Hungry For a Good Cause

I like food. I like food a lot! There has to be something pretty significant happening to convince me to miss a meal. This past weekend, however, I willingly gave up food for 30 hours with a group of 40 plus students in Debolt, Alberta. The students were participating in the World Vision 30 hour famine. The goal is to get people to sponsor you to go without food for 30 hours. The money that is raised goes to help kids who don't have access to clean water and food in third world countries. Most students are idealists. They want to make a difference in the world and the students of Debolt did so by raising a few thousand dollars.

Not only were they making a difference in the world, but God was at work making a difference in their hearts. My role in the weekend was to speak to the hungry students Friday and Saturday and then speaking in church on Sunday.

A number of students indicated that God had been speaking to them which is always cool. At the end of the event one young man came to me and said "I have been wanting to speak with you all weekend. After the first session I wanted to tell you it had really impacted me. Then I wanted to tell you the same thing after the second session. Then I felt the same after the third session. This is just what I needed this weekend."

Sunday during the communion time a number of students publicly indicated that they were going to follow Jesus no matter what. A huge number of the parents publicly released their students to fully follow God's call on their lives.

Not only did some students help fill some hungry bellies in the third world, but God helped fill some students' hungry hearts!

More Than a Passion for Fashion

Within the first few moments of arriving at the Westview Baptist Women's Retreat at Pioneer Lodge, I met a woman who had heard me speak before. She said, "I don't remember anything you said but you were all dressed in pink. Even your toenails were painted pink." I jokingly responded that I must be far more depressed now, since I was dressed that day head to toe in black. Now, I like to look as good as the next woman. But the thought that the only impression left on this lady from our previous encounter, years earlier, had to do with my outfit - that was a discouraging way to begin this retreat.

It was a small group and I had the opportunity to sit down with a few of the women one on one and hear how God was using my talks to intersect their stories. Four communicated that they had entered into a new relationship or new depth of relationship with Christ. And before I left, the same woman who greeted me with the fashion commentary approached me again. She said, "Every word you spoke this weekend was for me. Each of your talks directly addressed what is going on in my life. God used you to speak to me."

I don't really care if this woman remembers me or my wardrobe the next time we meet. My prayer is that she remembers the specific ways God spoke to her. That He knows what's going in in her life and cares enough to address her needs personally - even through a speaker with a passion for fashion.

Taking it Out for a Test-drive

Last night I began an eight week test-drive of a new book and course I've written on friendship. I was delighted to find over forty women present, one of whom is a new friend of mine from my painting class. The course is meant to be a follow-up to an FAC womens event, Soul Cafe. It's also a place for people who are new or not really connected to the Christian faith to experiment with community and learn about how faith intersects with real life issues like relationships. I have already heard from one small group facilitator who expressed she was amazed at the depth of the group discussion following my talk. What great news! I always feel a bit vulnerable putting my own stories and ideas out there for the first time. But my prayer is that women will find it helpful in many ways, not the least of which is to introduce them to the idea of friendship with God. Feel free to join with me in that prayer for those who attend!

Wow! Did God ever move!

I its amazing what a difference one weekend can make!

Since October I have had an on going mentoring role with the youth ministry at Westside Kings Church. My role has been to help build a healthy, well balanced, sustainable youth ministry and recruit and equip a team of people to make that happen. We have been working on the basics over the past six months. We have a group of people who are praying. We have a growing group of volunteers who are working with and loving students. We have developed a solid strategy and we have slowly seen some students open up to us and begin to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

This past weekend I spoke at a retreat we planned with 49 students present. That is answer to prayer #1. We were praying that God would motivate 40 students to come. 49 is significantly more students than we have ever had out to anything before. 49was also apparently beyond our own faith.

We were praying that God would use the retreat to draw our group together. That is answer to pray #2. We had grade 6 -11 students at the retreat and not only did they all get along but they really enjoyed being together. If you work with students you know this boarders on the miraculous!

We were also praying that God would really work in students hearts. That is answer to prayer #3! Wow! Did God ever move!

Three students made first time decisions to follow Jesus! It was glorious to see. Two are not from believing homes, in fact one is from a home with a Muslim parent. The grade 11 student from the Christian home told me Sunday "I always thought I was a Christian but I realized Saturday night that I really wasn't so I surrendered my life to Jesus."

One girl radically re-dedicated her life to Jesus.

There is a growing group of students who want to get baptized May 2. At last count there were 7 but there seem to be more popping up every day!

One grade 9 student wrote this on his Facebook page. "WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!!!! i learned a lot about myself and what i might want to do when i grow up" When asked what that might be he replied "youth pastor and worship leader."

A grade 8 student took to heart the message that we need to talk to our friends about Jesus. When he got home he talked to his friend about Jesus and prayed with him to accept Christ.

A group of Jr. High girls announced to me that they want to start a small group on the Friday nights that they don't have an event- and even invite their friends!

The chatter on Facebook from the students is that it was a great weekend but they are not talking about the games and all the fun but the great stuff that God did in their hearts and how much they love and miss each other!

My prayer is that what God started at this retreat will be fanned into full flame and that this small group of students will be so radically sold out to Jesus that God will use them to change their corner of the City!

"I Wasn't Planning to Come."

"I wasn't planning to come." I heard that so many times this past weekend it is a wonder that Ruth, the conference organizer, and I weren't at Green Bay by ourselves. Clearly, God had divine appointments with many of these 75 women, some of whom hadn't intended to come. Women expressed to me how God used my talks to speak to them about a whole range of issues, from how to interact with the gay people in their lives, to how to leverage their gifts and abilities for Jesus' purposes, to their responsibilities to the poor. At the end of each talk, more than one woman approached me to say, "I wasn't planning to come, but that talk was just for me." I am grateful that God guides as we prepare, goes ahead of us to soften hearts, and then speaks through us so that those present hear exactly what they need to hear from God. Your prayers are a huge part of that process. Thanks for your partnership.

Toward the end of the womens' retreat, Randy joined me at Green Bay for a two-day retreat of our own. It was wonderful to enjoy two days without to-do lists, deadlines, or meetings (other than own own private ones). Please continue to pray for our ability to heal from our Haiti experience. If you thought we'd be healed by now, you are not alone. We surely didn't expect to be affected this significantly for this duration of time; but we don't seem to get to choose those things. Thanks for walking this unexpected road beside us. We appreciate you more that you know.

You're Not in Calgary Anymore, Donna

How can places be so different and yet the people inhabiting them be so much the same? I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Grande Prairie. What a great conference sponsored by Women Alive and hosted by the warm and wonderful women of Grand Prairie for the women of this entire northern region. The 200 women at the conference were extremely responsive, with three indicating they had prayed to receive Christ and many others taking important steps forward. The lunch and break times were alive with discussion about how God was prompting them through the sessions. One session focused on forgiveness; how we needs God’s - and we need to forgive others who have offended us. Many women seemed especially moved by this session.

I knew I wasn’t in Calgary anymore, though, when our celebratory team dinner the last night, held at the curling rink, was almost drowned out by an auction for the Trucker’s Bonspiel. A good reminder that though our geography often dictates our life-style, people’s inner needs and desires are very much the same. Thanks for praying. The weekend was refreshing for me personally, and from all indications, very productive for the kingdom.

Donna

Don't Judge Too Quickly!

Ameriquest Mortgage Company has a brilliant advertising campaign. Each TV spot sets up an awkward situation: someone walking in naturally draws a wrong conclusion. Text appears on the screen: “don’t judge too quickly,” followed by: “we won’t”. That is an excellent reminder to everyone. Especially me.

Recently, I spoke at an event. Almost right away, I got a pretty good idea that a large number of the kids were pretty hard toward almost anything spiritual. One group of seven guys who hung together clearly communicated they were not the least bit interested in what was going on. Right then, I fired off an email to Kathy Gerber to get people praying more intensely and specifically for the weekend. This weekend was going to be a little like pushing a string.

Interestingly, though these guys would not even pretend to engage during worship, while I spoke, I would occasionally “catch” them paying attention. Saturday evening, I gave students an opportunity to surrender their lives to Jesus and not a single person indicated they had done so. I also invited students who had questions, or needed time to talk with God, to stay behind after the session. Some of the “church” kids stayed to talk and pray, which was pretty cool. The group of seven? Took off like they’d been shot out of a cannon as soon as they were dismissed. Like they hadn’t heard a single word.

Sunday morning after I spoke and communion was finished, one of the group of seven asked if we could talk. As the room emptied, he told me he had been thinking about the message from the previous night. He wanted to follow Jesus but he was afraid of what it might cost him. After we talked for about 45 minutes he announced, “I’m ready to follow Jesus.” We prayed and shared his first communion.

Thank you for the part you play in allowing me to travel and be a part of what God is doing in students’ lives. At times it may not look like much is happening, but remember: “Don’t Judge Too Quickly!” God is changing student’s lives; sometimes those we think might be the most unlikely!
(RC) Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uin0PP90JRI to see one of the ads.

The Case of the Missing Case!

I am very pleased to say how grateful and changed I am after reading your book…. This is a must read for every woman that needs encouragement,” began the mysterious email from Tanzania. You may remember receiving an SOS prayer request last April while we were in South Africa about the disappearance of an entire case of books. Our South African distributor shipped the box to our hotel, which suspiciously disappeared before we ever saw it. Our hotel concierge’s sleuthing revealed the missing box of books “accidentally” went to Tanzania, with a woman lecturer who had been staying at our hotel in Johannesburg. Since our return from South Africa, I’ve often wondered, what does God have planned for those books? A few weeks ago I got my first clue. The email quote I shared is from a Tanzanian woman who works among politicians and judges of the East African Court of Justice. In our subsequent flurry of emails, I learned that this single mother bought my book in a Ugandan supermarket—right when she most needed its message.

After leaving a violent, 12-year marriage, she was struggling to pick up the pieces of a shattered self image. Quoting my own words back to me, she shared how she is learning to live a life of dignity and strength “even in circumstances that contradict your worth.”

I just knew there was more going on in the case of the missing case than we could see! Maybe the whole box of books went AWOL for the benefit of this one precious woman. Maybe there are other similar stories I may never hear; African women have such hard lives and so few resources. Straight Talk now has an opportunity to send 10 Smart Things books and course materials to Namibia with a vibrant and well-connected Christian woman leader.

You can help to resource and encourage Namibian women, please designate your gift Encourage African Women. (DC)

US Military Bases Embrace 10 Smart Things

Eighty per cent of military marriages end in divorce. No wonder.

Not only do spouses left behind—primarily women— endure the stress of separation, they live in constant fear for the safety of their loved ones. And that’s just for starters. Scraping by on low incomes, and cloistered on military bases, far from family and friends, their frequent moves prevent women left behind from getting to know each other.

Connecting these women to each other, to their community, and to God, is Pauletta Staley’s passion. This field director of Stonecroft® Ministries and her colleague called on CampPendleton in San Diego, California, 11 times before the chaplain finally agreed to see them. But their perseverance finally paid off. They spoke to a gathering of 70 US Marine Corps Family Readiness Officers (FRO) about offering 10 Smart Things to military wives on the base.

Not only did the FROs see value in 10 Smart Things for the Marine wives, they ordered copies for themselves. They asked Pauletta to return to the base one week later to present the course to 40 wives of Marines about to be deployed. As she gave a very brief overview of the ten things, women took notes, and 23 out of the 40 wives signed up for the course.

Overwhelmed, the chaplain complained to Pauletta, “How will I lead that many women?”

No problem; Pauletta and her Stonecroft® colleagues will be there to help. God has created an amazing partnership—placing 10 Smart Things in the hands of Stonecroft®—whose people have the passion, strategy and skill to use this tool effectively and creatively.

Pointing out the transient nature of military families, Pauletta believes that when God transforms the life of a woman through 10 Smart Things, she will take that tool with her to the next base and a new mission field will be planted with the gospel of Jesus.

God uses strategic partnerships. Your partnership with Straight Talk is now taking the gospel of Jesus, so simply expressed in 10 Smart Things, around the world via the United States military. Who but God could have come up with that strategy? (DC)