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.

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...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).

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.

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

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 20^th 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.

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

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

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