Birthday thoughts...

Well two days ago was my birthday....thanks for all of the birthday wishes!! To answer the main question - birthdays are celebrated in much the same way over here as they are in the states - so unfortunately for many, no Irish Jigs :-). It was a good day...nothing too out of the ordinary. The Chestnutts made a lovely meal and desert for me and another great family, the Dodd's made a Birthday cake for me as well....so I was well looked after. I am grateful for all the family and friends that God has blessed me with!!

Another thought that I had on my birthday, was that it was the morning of my birthday 1 year ago that I received a phone call from Samuel giving me the official invitation to come over and partner with him in investing in the lives of the young people here in Kilkeel.....wow to see what all God has done since then!!!

In terms of what's been happening, Youth Fellowship had its official start this past Sunday, it was brilliant. We had pizza, played a game, and just had great craic and carry on....and many showed up as well, so it was very encouraging.

The big thing coming up that I am looking forward to is this coming Sunday evening I will be preaching at Mourne Presbyterian Church :-). I am really looking forward to it. We have been going through a Family Life series and talking about the different roles and responsibilities that each person has within a family. So my talk will be geared towards the young adults and encouraging them to not only obey and honor their parents, but to live their lives in such a way that they are proclaiming who Jesus is. I will be teaching from Philippians 4:8-9....so if you remember, be praying for me as I prep and preach on Sunday evening :-).

Thanks again for all of you who wished me a happy birthday...it was great to hear from everyone! May we continue to yearn after Christ and keep our eyes fixed on Him :-).

Jason

48 Hours of Prayer

We began our 48 hours of prayer for Scripture Union today. Many of the students have signed up and are very excited to seek the Lord as we prepare and plan for the year in SU. The 48 hours will end on Thursday as we kick off our first official Scripture Union meeting after school.

I want to encourage you, if you have the chance, to pray along with us over the next two days. Pray that God would work in the lives of the students at the high school, that through SU they would be encouraged to live their faith out Loud, and that God would awaken a passion for His glory among the upcoming generation. We are looking forward, with eager expectation, to see what He has in store for the upcoming year.

Thanks for praying!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Scripture Union

Its been really great getting back into the school and helping out with PE in the afternoons. As typical, now that everyone is back to school, we have BEAUTIFUL weather!! It's almost like we are finally having the summer that we didn't get (since it rained sooo much!!). Anyway, it has been nice to have the sun shining and the opportunity to go outside and enjoy God's creation.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up to Belfast with 6 fellow youth Fellowship leaders that will be helping out this year. We attended a conference called Training Trevor, which had some great workshops to help and encourage the local youth workers. It was not only a great day to be encouraged, but it was also a great time to get to know some of the other adults that we will be working alongside of this year.....it was a great day!!

Now that school is underway, we are eagerly looking forward to Scripture Union to start up again. SU is a place where students can come along with their friends to be encouraged in the Word and to share in a time of praise and fellowship as well. Within SU, we also have mentor groups and a weekly prayer meeting. It is a great ministry within the high school. We are hoping to officially start next Thursday. As part of that, we are have a 48 Hour prayer time starting on Tuesday, September 15 at 3pm and will last until 3pm on Thursday at which point we will hold our first SU meeting immediately following.

I want to encourage each of you, as you are praying and supporting me....to take a half hour, or hour during that time period and pray for our SU. Pray that God would give us direction and guidance on what to discuss and cover for the year. Pray that students would be encouraged and equipped to live their faith out loud within school and look for opportunities to share about the Truth of Jesus. We are eagerly looking forward to what God will do this year through SU. So please join with us in praying that God will show up and show off in a great and glorious way!!

Thanks again for your continued encouragement and support :-). I love hearing from you, so don't be afraid to leave a comment and say hi :-). Until next time, may we all continue to keep our gaze on Christ, yearning for more of Him in our lives!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason