Friday, December 6, 2013

Children's Perspective

There is nothing quite like listening to children give their perspective on theological quandaries. This week in GNC we talked about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and asked the age old question "could Jesus have sinned?" We got an array of answers from "Well yes, because He was being tempted so He could have chosen to sin" to "Well no, because Jesus is God" and "Well yes and no, because He was being tempted, but He was also God". It is certainly interesting to get their perspective on things that adults mull over themselves. It is exciting to see them get enthusiastic about learning things of God and is an encouragement to us as well to become eager about spiritual things.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Encourage One Another

Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving! Steven and I were able to celebrate Thanksgiving 3 times with our various family members. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement from our loved ones we have not seen in a while. As I reflect on the blessing of encouragement, I find myself thinking about Hebrews 10:24 which says "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works," and 1 Thessalonians 5:11 which says, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." When I am encouraged, my love for others and my love for ministry is rekindled. We are the body of Christ,we are supposed to encourage and support one another-your role in the body is important! Do not think that your small acts of kindness and encouragement have gone overlooked-we appreciate every bit of it. I want to thank all of you who have been an encouragement to us and urge you to continue in those small acts of kindness, not only towards us, but others as well, because it does make a difference.

In Christ,
Kayla

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Give Thanks

In light of the fact that Thanksgiving is in nine days, we want to take a moment and thank you  for your support of us and this ministry. We cannot emphasize enough how very important you are to this work that God has called us to. If you are supporting us than God has called you too-we are an extension of your ministry and we thank you for your prayers and support that are carrying it forward. Because we are in this together, we want to share a few things that we are thankful for and hope you are too.

We are thankful for...


1) The opportunity to be able to share the gospel with children in public schools
2) The 5 Good News Clubs (GNC) going on throughout the county
3) The 150+ children that we are reaching through the GNC program
4) The volunteers who devote many hours each week preparing and teaching these clubs
5) Wonderful board members who are passionate about the ministry
6) The church who allows us to have an office space for free
7) Churches who sponsor the GNC programs
9) The growth of the children in the GNC's
10) God's abundant blessings in every aspect of the ministry

Thank God with us for all he has blessed us with and will continue to bless us with.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Spiritual Growth

Hey Everyone!

          Did anyone else see snow this morning? It was a sudden reminder to us that winter is on it's way! Having said that, we are looking back and realizing that we are already over two months into our Good
News Clubs. The club that we are teaching is the 5th and 6th grade group and it is amazing to see how much they are growing and learning. During our lessons every week we get asked questions such as "how did satan sin when there was no sin?" and "the wise men weren't at the manger scene?" Aside from the regular teaching materials we are also teaching them the attributes of God. The first couple weeks we taught them that God is omniscient and watched with joy as they wondered at such an amazing ability. We are very blessed to have these children in our lives and we hope that you are blessed by what you hear about their growth. Have a blessed Tuesday everyone!


Monday, November 4, 2013

Summer Already?!

Hey Everyone!
  
     We are finally done with our two classes we have been taking (and yes, we passed) so we are excited to have a little more time on our hands to focus on some other aspects of the ministry. One of those aspects is the summer ministry program. I know, it is crazy that we are working on things for the summer before Thanksgiving, but that is just the way these things work.
     Right now we are in the midst of planning for a teen winter retreat which we are calling "Breaking Ground". The point of this retreat is to inform teens about what CEF® is and the role they can play, as well as build relationships with them and show them from our experience how fun and rewarding missions can be. Just as you have to break ground before building a structure, we want to "break ground" in the lives of these teens and get them to see the great need of people all around them-the need for salvation. Once the ground is broken we can then build into their lives by equipping them with the tools and the training they need to reach those in their own community.
      Yesterday Steven spoke at a church, encouraging people to get involved by becoming hosts and drivers for the 5-Day Clubs®. We are so thankful for the people who have stepped forward already with a desire to get involved! We also spoke to the teens encouraging them to become summer missionaries, and to our absolute joy, we spoke to three interested individuals at the end of the service.
     We ask that you would pray us as we go around speaking to churches and youth groups, that God would give us the words to say and that people would be burdened to get involved. We have been praying for ten summer missionaries for next summer, so we ask that you would pray this prayer with us! 

Thanks for your prayers and support, we love you all!

In Christ,
Kayla 
     

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Above All We Could Ask or Think

Hey Everyone!

          Sorry for the month of silence. Entering a new season of ministry tends to suck up a lot of time at first, but it is so worth it! Over the past couple weeks we have been blessed to teach at two fantastic Good News Clubs ®. The one that was started at the Mars Primary/Elementary school has grown to almost 70 students! The other one that we have been doing is at the Mars Centennial school and we have about 16 students registered. We are so excited about these clubs and the excitement of the children and can't wait to see what God is going to continue to do throughout the school year. Please pray for more workers to teach these clubs. As the numbers grow we need more teachers to accommodate them, so pray that God would burden the hearts of some people from the area to come and help.
          Also, as we have already mentioned, we have started some Christian Ministries Institute classes that CEF requires us to take. It's hard to believe we are already in week five of these classes. Pray for us as we finish them up in about month that we will be able to balance work, school, and our relationship with each other.
          Thank you everyone for your prayers. We are still so excited to be here and are in awe of how much God has blessed us. We know that God will do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

In Christ,
Steven and Kayla

Friday, August 23, 2013

Just a little update

    Summer ministry is over, all the 5-Day Club paperwork has ceased, and we starting the school year. Our last little bit of summer fun will take place this evening as we have a little cookout with our two summer missionaries, but tomorrow starts with Good News Club training!
    Tomorrow morning from 8am-12 we will be teaching a four hour training class on how to teach a Good News Club as well as lead a child to Christ. Please pray that we will have many teachers come out and also that God would give us the words to say.
    Another big prayer request we have is for us as we start Christian Ministries Institute classes on Monday as well as a support training class. These three things combined are going to suck up huge amounts of time, so pray that we are able to balance work with classes.
    Finally, we need your support. We need more than just prayer; we need people who are willing to back up this ministry and us with faithful, monthly donations.

In Christ,
Steven and Kayla

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

2500 Miles Later

Good morning friends! This summer is going by way too fast. While driving our missionaries to a club this past week we all suddenly realized there is only one week of clubs left after this week at the farm show.
     For all eleven years that I have been teaching 5-Day clubs, it has always been a sad feeling to realize the summer is almost over-not because summer means no school and lots of fun, but because I loved teaching children about Jesus and and building relationships and memories. I have been blessed this year by our two missionaries because I have seen the same passion and excitement in them that I had as a summer missionary. They don't want the summer to come to an end either!
    Please pray that God will continue to develop and encourage these girls (Becky Shirey and Angelina Gottron) even after this summer is over, and that their passion would stay alive. We are already excited for next summer! We are praying for ten summer missionaries next year-pray with us!
    Aside from the summer ministry, we have also been working on the Good News Club© (GNC) ministry for the upcoming school year. We are overjoyed to report that we have opened one up in two new schools, Mars primary/elementary and Mars Centennial. That makes a total of three GNC on this fall fall including Moraine elementary and we are working on getting a fourth ready to go in January.
    So what we need is for you to cover this GNC project in prayer! We have a training scheduled for August 24, for those who are going to be helping/teaching at the GNC. Pray for us as we study and teach, that God would speak through us. Also, pray that we would have many excited volunteers. Finally, pray that the children come. God is going to do great things.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Into Eternity...


Many of you have likely learned about infinity in math class.  The basic idea is that any number you can come up with positive or negative can have a number following or preceding it respectively.  Others of you may have discussed infinity in terms of philosophy, such as Hilberts Grand Hotel.  I want to take a moment and think about infinity in relation to time and eternal destination (which is in its nature, an opinion on infinity).
Because of our limited position in time and space, it is hard to imagine what a timeless eternity will be like.  We will be able to praise God literally forever.  Another wonderful thing about eternity is that we will also be able to spend forever with other Christians.  


-tangent story that brings me to this-


God has blessed Kayla and I so much, that it is obvious that we are to be serving Him in Butler County.  He provided a place to rent from an incredibly nice old couple, He provided a car through some friends at church, we got all the furniture we needed and a dishwasher for extremely cheap to free, we got a washing machine for 25$, and a dryer for free.  We responded to a Craigslist ad about a dryer, and I got a call the next day from an older man.  Not recognizing the number, I figured it was one of the dozens of CEF contacts I had called in the past few days so I answered “Hello, Steven Tini, Child evangelism Fellowship.”  The man asks what the organization is, and I explain to him that we are a para-church organization that reaches out to children with the Gospel.  It turns out that he and his wife are both Christians, and they decided to give us the dryer for free.  When we picked up the dryer, I had a chance to sit down with them to thank them for their kindness.  We talked about Moody Bible institute (they listen to Moody Radio), life in Chicago, what I do in CEF, and various other things.  They were very pleasant and it was wonderful to encourage them with what is going on in the ministry, and for them to bless us by providing a dryer.

Kayla and I are so extremely grateful for all the people who have been a blessing to us the past few weeks and months.  In eternity, I will have an infinite amount of time to spend with each person who has been a blessing, an infinite amount of time talking to the people of the Bible, an infinite amount of time hearing the stories of every other Christian through the ages, and best of all, an infinite amount of time praising God from whom all blessings flow.

-Steven

While we are on the topic of eternity, I thought I would take the time to mention something that has been an encouragement to me this morning. Before heading out the door earlier today I took a minute to check my Facebook and I saw a status from one of our summer missionaries that said this:

"So thankful that I have the opportunity to not waste my summer by going places or spending worthless hours at the mall or with friends, but that I'm able to serve God with all my heart this summer. Looking at eternity instead of meaningless things. The reward is SO much greater."

    After reading her status I had to stop and think to myself, do I have that kind of focus? Am I willing to joyfully give up things that give me brief pleasure in exchange for things that will matter for eternity? The very end of her status is really what I need to focus on, and really what every Christian should be focused on: Looking at eternity instead of meaningless things BECAUSE the reward is SO much greater! Lets all try living for that reward that surpasses anything that this world has to offer.

-Kayla

Monday, July 8, 2013

Today is the Day!

Hey Everyone!

    Today is the day! Our first club of the summer starts at 10:30 this morning. Please, please, please, be praying for us today as we travel and teach. As I mentioned before, we have two summer missionaries, but one of them had a missions trip this week and we didn't find out till last minute. Having said that, we have to jump in this week and teach clubs while juggling office work.
    There is a saying that is quite popular among our CEF family that says: Be ready for anything! This is so true-things change last minute all the time and we just need to be ready for it. This is where we really need to rely on God and be willing to go with the flow, otherwise Satan will use it to bring us down and hinder the ministry.
    So in short, please be praying for us today/this week as we try our best to go with the flow and trust God to get us through and to help us get everything done that needs to be. Also, be praying for this children, that their hearts will be open and that the family of God will grow!

                                                                                                                                In Christ,
                                                                                                                                      Kayla and Steven

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Praise God!

    We are truly blessed to be a part of the staff here in Pennsylvania. After 8 days of a rigid schedule we are certainly glad to be home, but very thankful for the time spent getting to know the teens being trained, as well as time spent in fellowship with other staff.
    Thank you all for praying for us and the teens this past week during CYIA®  (Christian Youth In Action). We are happy to say that there were no traumatic incidents, we didn't lose anyone, and there were no serious sicknesses to report-Praise God!
    While I am on the topic of praise, Wednesday evening we had open air (open air is when the teens share the Wordless Book with children in public places) at two parks where some churches got together to hold carnivals. Upon returning back to the camp, we had testimony time and found out that we had shared the Gospel with 172 children and 27 of then made the decision to accept Christ!
    So again, we are thankful to all of you who have been faithful in praying for us and the ministry. It was evident at training school that we have a strong army of prayer warriors. Please continue to pray for us as the summer unfolds and we are hit with all kinds of responsibilities.

Pray...
...for our missionaries Becky Shirey and Angelina Gottron that they would stay spiritually strong, safe, and healthy. Also pray that God would speak through them and give them the words to say as they teach all summer.
Becky Shirey and Angelina Gottron at CYIA.

.
...for us as we try not to go crazy with all the work we need to do as we concentrate on summer while planning for the fall.

...for us as we try to raise support. Pray that we would be able to raise $3,000 a month. (if you would like to contribute please see the "support team" tab up at the top).

...for our search for a church, that we would find one that we both like and that has people our age (Married people our age would be a plus).

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Exciting Things are Happening

Hey Everyone!

    Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and open arms, welcoming us back to Pennsylvania. We have been so very blessed these past couple of weeks by notes, phone calls, and meetings. It is incredibly exciting to meet people with the same passion that we have-to see children saved!
    We have had so many opportunities to share about CEF already. Last week Steven met with some pastors to share a little bit about CEF and to encourage them to get involved. We also had a meet and greet on the same day where we were able to meet many of the locals and put faces to a few of the names we had been hearing. Today we met with two pastors in an effort to find a church to support a local Good News Club® this fall (yes, summer has barely started and we are already working on things for the school year).
    Also, amid our efforts to become familiar with people and places, we have also been gearing up for CYIA® (Christian Youth In Action) which starts this Saturday and involves making sure our missionaries have checklists finished. We are also teaching a couple classes so we try to fit some study time in there as well.
    I know some of this may seem a little dull to read, but we hope you are excited about what has been happening and what we have had opportunities to do already, because you, as a part of our prayer/support team are what make these things happen.

Prayer Requests
  * Pray for our summer missionaries right now as they prepare for training school starting this Saturday (6/15). Satan is going to try to prevent them from going using any number of attacks. Please pray that they will stay strong, safe, healthy, and focused. Also pray for them as they study their lessons that there would be no distractions and that they would get things done in a timely manner.

*Pray for us as we are also preparing for training school, that we will stay strong, healthy safe, and focused. That we would have wisdom in dealing with any situations that may arise and that our hearts and attitudes would be focused on Christ and mission. Also pray that God would give us His Holy Spirit as we teach, that it would not be our words, but his.

*Pray for the children that God would be preparing their hearts even now.

*Pray that one of the churches we talked to today would come forward and take on the role of supporting Church for a Good News Club this fall in the Mars elementary schools.

*Pray that we would become fully supported so we can continue doing this full-time.

*Pray that we would find a Church to become a part of.

Friday, May 31, 2013

We're Here!

    Yup, that's right-Butler, PA is now our new home! Actually I should be more specific and say  that Prospect is our new residence. Steven graduated on May 18th, we loaded up the truck that evening, and got on the road the next day.
    It has been a crazy couple of weeks, hence the lack of updates (sorry about that...). We dropped our stuff off at our new house, went to Altoona to get a car, throw an anniversary party for my parents, and then we finally made it back to Prospect this past Tuesday. We have finally unpacked the majority of our stuff and this little house is beginning to look like a home.
     Thank you all for your prayers these past couple weeks, for it is evident that we have been showered with them! We are so very blessed to have so many friends who are wonderful encouragements and are willing to cover us in prayer on a daily basis. We ask that you would continued to pray for us throughout these next couple months as we have much to do. Here are a few specific times that we could use your prayer:

Tuesday, June 4th at 1:00pm-Pre-training with our summer missionaries, pray for us as we go over all the materials with them, sign papers, and teach the wordless book.

Thursday, June 6th at 6:00pm-We have a meet and greet to attend, where people from the county are invited to meet us and learn about what we are going to be doing. Pray that many people will come out and that we will find valuable contacts for the ministry as well as possible supporters.

June 15-23- Christian Youth In Action® (CYIA) is going to be taking place all day everyday for those 9 consecutive days. Please cover this week in prayer! Pray for health and safety for both missionaries and staff, for wisdom and knowledge needed in handling any problems that may arise, words as Steven and I teach two classes, unity as we get to know our missionaries and hopefully grow close to them, spiritual awareness and strength as Satan makes attempts to keep us from serving in our fullest capacity, and finally for the hearts of everyone there, both staff and students that we would all be focused on God and our service to Him.
   
And finally, please pray even now for the hearts of the children, that their hearts would be open and receptive to the message they will hear.

    Thank you all, once again, for your faithful prayer and support. God Bless!

                                                                                                                                       Kayla&Steven

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Did Jesus Teach Children?


    As a follower of Christ, the goal is to become more Christ-like (through the power of the Holy Spirit of course). One way to do this is to be acquainted with how Jesus lived and acted. When looking at His life, I noticed that Jesus taught adults. This got me thinking. Why do I want to teach children? Why did D.L. Moody say if he could do his ministry all over he would teach children? Why did Spurgeon have a huge emphasis on children and yet to me it seemed like Jesus did not teach children?
    Now, it is clear Jesus didn't ignore children. We are familiar with the passages where Jesus says “let the little children come to me,” or “if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” When else did Jesus teach the children though? I couldn't think of any. When I Google searched 'did Jesus teach children,' I was discouraged by the lack of corresponding hits beyond the aforementioned passages. After a bit of thought, I realized I was committing a hermeneutical fallacy. I was superimposing my current view of the world onto the Ancient Near Eastern culture.
    When I reenacted the Civil War with the band I was in, I remember learning that music was not nearly as diverse as it is today. Children and adults listened to and enjoyed primarily the same music. Even past music, society was more tight knit and children were often with parents in activities. They were seen and not heard. During the turn of the 20th Century and into the modern (and arguably post-modern) age the role of children has changed. Children no longer work to support the family, adolescence came into existence, and individuality was explored at an early age. Today we have music and church services for children, teenagers, college and career, adults, seniors, and every subset therein. During the life of Christ, everyone did things together. When Jesus fed the 5.000, it is often noted that this is just the number of men, and that there was likely to be many women and children there as well.
    When I realized that I needed to take culture into play, I instantly recognized the vast number of times Jesus is teaching to children (as well as adults). When he fed the 5.000, he used the lunch of a boy, signifying there was likely children in the crowd. In His saying let the children come to me, there were obviously children around. He took the children from the crowd and blessed them in Mark 10, he healed a woman's daughter in Matthew 15, He cast a demon out of a child in chapter 17, raised a child from the dead in Mark 5, and used a child from the crowd to show His disciples that “whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” Even during Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, we read in Matthew 21:15 that the children were “crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David.'
    Children were very important and present in Jesus' ministry. He certainly taught the adults, but His ministry to the children should not be overlooked. As Jesus taught the children, I too seek to show the children their present need of a Saviour.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

What Color is Heaven?


Today’s Good News Club® (GNC) brought me back to Sumner Elementary School, the first location I ever taught GNC.  Over a year ago, the group had well over 30 bubbling energetic students.  Today’s club had 7 children who had all changed a lot since I had last seen them. I was honored and excited that they all still remembered ‘Shaggy’ (the endearing nickname GNC and non-GNC students alike gave me because of my goatee).
I had my lesson prepared and was excited to teach the kids about Jesus turning the water to wine and trusting Him to be their rock (Isa 26:4) in whom they can trust.  As I remembered, they were extremely curious and were constantly asking questions. I taught about how we pray to God and ask Him for things, like asking God to make moving easy for them instead of a possible selfish mindset such as asking Him to not let the house sell so they won’t have to move.  One boy asked me if it was wrong to pray for help on tests.  I was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness and practical implications of the question.  It is questions like these that let me know that the students are truly taking in what I am saying and thoughtfully processing it.
The Bible talks about the faith of a child.  While children are not burdened by the worldviews every person develops during life in culture, they are not unintelligent about what they believe.  
My ‘weak spot’ in teaching is my desire to answer questions.  Today while teaching I fielded questions on and off (at least I have no idea how they connected the question to the discussion at hand) topic.  They wanted to know if it was a sin to drink, because surely Jesus wouldn’t promote sin.  They inquired about Jesus’ status as God’s son.  Is Jesus God and separate from God as God’s son all at the same time? (I gave the best explanation I could, but let them know that at the end of the day even the brightest theologians end up like this when thinking about the Trinity:
(Mind Blowing)
.  One girl asked what color Heaven and Hell were. One asked if people repent in Hell would God save them?, Did Satan kill Jesus?, Where did Satan come from?, Where did bad spirits come from?, Does the Signum Crusis (Sign of the cross) do anything?, and a few more.
It is at times like these that I am reminded to stay curious.  Even at a Christian equivalent of an Ivy League school I need to be inquisitive.  God is mysterious even after leaving the entire Bible for us to study and learn about Him. As growing Christians, may we never stagnate in our search for understanding of God, His glory, His nature, and all other doctrine.

-Steven

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Final Countdown...

Hey Everyone!
    We are half way through April, can you believe it? The countdown to graduation is getting shorter and shorter, which means we are becoming increasingly anxious for our departure. However, we have to keep reminding ourselves that God still has our feet planted in Chicago for another month and we need to stay focused on the present and what he still has here for us to do.
    This past week Steven finished up at a Good News Club he has been teaching for these last two semesters. He and a friend made the last couple weeks exciting and memorable for the kids by teaching through puppet skits. Though it was sad to leave, knowing it was the last time they would see each other, it is  exciting to know that we will have the opportunity to impact and reach more children in Butler, PA.
    As far our moving status, our parents came out last weekend with a truck and trailer to take away as much of our stuff as possible. This was a huge help which will make graduation day a lot more enjoyable because we won't have to spend a lot of time packing.
    We still have not found a house, so any prayers would be greatly appreciated! We are leaving Chicago right after graduation on May 18th and are hoping to be able to go right to a new house. We know God will provide in his timing.
    On a lighter more exciting note, we started making phone calls this past week to set up 5-Day Clubs. So far we have two summer missionaries and two confirmed clubs. We are hoping for at least ten clubs. It is going to be a little bit difficult this year because we have no roots or contacts and we are still in Chicago, but with God anything is possible. Please pray with us that people will be burdened for the children and open their homes for us to come teach!
    Our last request is that you pray for us personally, that God would be preparing our hearts and minds for the task that has been set before us. We want people who are willing to pray for us on a daily basis because Satan hates what we are doing and will do what he can to stop us. We also need people who are willing to support us not only in prayer, but in finances as well. We need to raise about $3,000 a month to be able to live. If you are interested in becoming part of  our support team please click <here> Thank you to all of you who are already faithfully praying for us and supporting us. We are excited and hope you are too!


                                                                                                       In Christ,
                                                                                                               Steven and Kayla Tini

Friday, March 29, 2013

Easter Update

Hey Everyone!
    Today, we reflect on what Christ has done for us. The only perfect man to ever exist died a cruel death in our place. If we truly take time to reflect on this, we will find ourselves without words, because "thank you," simply doesn't cut it. Christ took the penalty that we were to pay and through that sacrifice we are able to live-not just here and now, but into eternity. Praise God!

    We hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday, as you celebrate not only what Christ did for you, but also the salvation He is able to offer to everyone. With all the candy, eggs, and bunnies it's hard to concentrate on the real reason we celebrate this holiday-many children don't know! This Easter, take time to pray for the many children who need to hear this wonderful news of what Christ has done for them.

A few boxes already to go!
UPDATE: We are in the process of packing up most of our stuff so our parents can come for a load next weekend. The time is passing by so quickly and before we know it we will be in Butler, PA! We are incredibly excited and we hope you are too!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
*We still have not secured an apartment, we are waiting to hear back about one of the places. Pray that we will be able to find something in time.
*Also, please pray that we will have a car by that point as well, we are still not sure how that will happen...
*And of course, pray that we will be able to raise enough support to do this full-time.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, they are very much appreciated! God Bless!

 -Steven & Kayla Tini