The Blessing of the Griner-ites, the Millers, and Mrs. Unrau

Today we have been given the gift of labor by a group of young adults from Griner Mennonite Church (Goshen, IN), Russ & Jan Miller (Kalona, IA), and Roberta Unrau (Pryor, OK). Here they are, hard at work:

Jan & Roberta gave the guys' house kitchen a thorough cleaning

Window washers

Painters
Russ supervised the outside workers

The work continues tomorrow. Auction in 2 days!

Gettin' the Word out!

It was his second request.

Last week, one of the boys in my Kids Klub class asked for a Bible. I said we would get him one, but in the hecticness of the moment, I completely forgot. This week, he asked once more, "Can I have a Bible?"

I again said, "Yes, I will get you a Bible," while making plans to run down to the storage closet immediately after class to get a box of Bibles.

With a serious expression, he then asked: "Is it the Holy Bible?"

I assured him that yes, his copy would be the Holy Bible!

By the end of the evening, quite a few other Bible requests had been made, and we distributed nearly a whole box of New Testaments on the bus ride home.

"My Word that goes out from My mouth...will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." - GOD (Isaiah 55:11)

Recent photos from Team FUN:

Visiting after Bible study & Out Loud:

The Faces of Kids Klub

Fun in Class

Overheard at Guys Bible Study 2.9.09

"Is that the blas-sesame thing?"
(teen's question in response to the topic of speaking against the Holy Spirit)

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"I don't know, but I'm a big fruit!"
(response of a teen to the question, "Are you showing good fruit?"

Peanut Butter (responsible for the big fruit comment) and Wally

Note: Peanut Butter's real name is Jesus; he has a twin brother Angel who was nicknamed "Jelly" (because of the gel part of his name) at Aim Right's Teen Camp. Later, when "Jelly" began to bring his twin to Aim Right functions, Jesus became known as "Peanut Butter." They are as fun as their nicknames imply, and we hope they'll stick around for years to come!

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Last night's study was from Matthew 12. Keith led the discussion, and the guys learned that:

1. You are either for Jesus or against Him. There is no neutral ground in being a Christian. When you make a decision to be a follower of Christ, it has to be at all times, not just at church or when it's convenient.

2. Acts of sin such as cussing, smoking, and other addictions are heart issues, and God will work on those with the individual. We need to be loving in how we address our friends and brothers about such issues.

Special thanks to Wally for his contribution to this post!

I'm convinced that teen ministry is never dull. If you don't agree with that statement, please clear your calendar on a Friday evening and visit a Teen Night service.

The power of God was present as Keith and Troy shared about the value and purpose of life. The minutes were Spirit-led, and around 40 teens listened with almost complete attention.

There was light-hearted fun afterwards, with volleyball, basketball, snacks, and hang-out time in the Rec room. Some were hurting and needed prayer and a listening ear; that happened, too.

I am often amazed at the resilience of these youth. There is no comparison of apples to apples when I think about the things in my life I have labeled as "hard." I've never had a sibling in prison or an alcoholic mother or father. My bedroom does not consist of a mattress in the living room, and I've never had to worry about my family being deported. Those are real-life scenarios for many.

But back to Teen Night...somewhere in the middle of the light-hearted fun, a pool stick was thrust through the Rec Center bathroom door, shattering the thick glass that had covered a portion of the door. That, of course, put the bathroom out of commission, since it would be a rather public thing to use the restroom with the door in its newly altered state.

Not to be outdone by the Rec Center's happenings, the outside basketball game produced some drama as well. An arm and a nose collided, resulting in a white-turned-red t-shirt and necessitating the close proximity of an ice pack with the aforementioned nose. When bystanders examined the smelling organ and declared it (non-expertly) to be broken, the teen bravely responded, "I'll pop it back into place."

That, folks, was Teen Night 2.6.09!

- Amy Unrau, Office Administrator

I love packages, or more specifically, packages that come in the mail and are addressed to me. I think the affection for brown-paper wrapped boxes came as a result of attending a college over 700 miles away from home. The day was always a little brighter when I checked my mailbox and discovered a note informing me of a package I had waiting in the campus mail room.

The packages I receive nowadays are more likely to be in the form of something I've ordered and paid for online, but that is okay, because....

Aim Right is getting bombarded with packages, and I get to open 'em!

This is the "Month of the Package" around here as items arrive for our 14th annual benefit auction on Feb. 28th. For instance:

This next item didn't come as a package in the mail, but it was a fun one to pick up. Kurt Warner's foundation graciously donated an autographed football.

To see more photos of auction items and view specific auction details, you can click over to http://aimrightauction.spaces.live.com/.

All this buzz about packages reminds me of some verses from Ephesians 2. We recently began a study of that book with our Monday night teen girls group, and the theme of grace has been on my mind a lot as I've prepared to teach some of the passages. Salvation is by grace, through faith, and it is a gift. If I could earn it, deserve it, win it, create it, buy it, download it, or import it, then it wouldn't truly be a gift, and I might just think I'm entitled to it. Paul writes emphatically: "this [is] not from yourselves...so that no one can boast."

So who would miss out on a free gift like God offers? Perhaps the list could be broader, but I am inclined to believe it is people who either don't want it or people who don't know they need it. As Teen Night meets this evening, it is likely that both types will arrive.

Remaining central to Aim Right's mission is this: There is a free gift, and it can be yours, by grace through faith. Will you simply receive it?

- Amy Unrau, Office Administrator