Well its amazing to think that another summer has come and gone! I can honestly say though that this summer has been brilliant!
The Kittys Road Festival week went really well. We had another team of Americans join us for two weeks as we had our usual craic and activities down in Kittys Road. Many new relationships were built and many old ones were strengthened. One of the highlights for me was this year we had an overnighter at a local retreat centre. It was a great time to hang out, do some activities, and even look to the Bible and why it's so amazing that Jesus came and died for us! It was a really good nite.
Overall it is amazing to see all that God is doing and the ways at which he is at work.
As the summer winds down, and we look forward to the start of a new school year, we are getting back into the routine of things. Coffee mornings are taking place on Friday mornings, which are always full of great conversation and friendly banter :). On Mondays the women have started a Fit for Life program where they are doing aerobics....I hear its pretty tough lol. And once school gets underway the Friday Bible Club will start up again and hopefully there are a few other ideas that we have that we are hoping to do as well. So even though its sad that the summer is drawing to a close quite rapidly, I know I am very excited for the school year to start because of all the exciting things that will be on.
At the moment I'm back in the States taking a bit of time to visit family and friends and to connect with a local missions agency that will hopefully be partnering with me as I look to staying in Kilkeel more longer term, which is very exciting. Within the next month or two I am hoping to start publishing a monthly update. If you are at all interested in receiving one, please send me an email so that I can add you to my email list.
Thanks for your continued support and partnership as I'm serving in Kilkeel. May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!
Yearning for Him,
Jason
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Summer Begins
SCHOOL'S OUT!!!
Today was the final day of school, thus marking the beginning of summer - Freedom for two months. The last couple of weeks have been filled with revision, exams, and spontaneous hanging about :-). It's been a great opportunity to come alongside of many of the young people and offer help with revision or even offer a way for them to have a study break by playing Call of Duty or watching a DVD...so it has been very enjoyable!
We are now working on the final details for Kittys Road Festival Week 2010!! The American Team from Bethlehem arrives on the 16th and will be staying for just about two weeks. During that time we will be having a blast with our friends down at Kittys Road....doing things like Treasure Hunter Bible Club in the morning for the younger ones, coffee morning for the women to come and have a cuppa tea, Youth evenings with games and teaching, and much much more that we are very excited about. We are evening doing an overnite stay together with the community, so that is something we are looking forward to as well. Overall, we are very excited for another opportunity to investigate who Jesus is with our friends down in Kittys Road. So please be praying for great friendships to develop and for good craic as we look through the theme of "There is No One Like You" :-)
Also to update you on my situation.... it looks like God has been opening up the door for me to partner with Newcastle Baptist Church just up the road in Newcastle. We are still working on details and odds and ends, but the hope is to start with them somewhere around the end of September. There are a couple things you can be praying for in regards to this transition:
Visa - I will be making a trip back to the States in the near future. During that time I will be working on many things, but probably one of the MOST important is applying for a new Visa. Since I am now going to be partnering with a different church who will become my sponsor, I need to apply for a new Visa. Please be praying that this will be a straightforward process and that things will go smoothly (and not like last time ;-) ) !
Missions Agency - Part of me looking towards to the future is thinking long term. And that means I am looking to connect with an agency that is willing not only to partner, encourage, and challenge me in my ministry, but also to help with the logistical side of things back Stateside. So be praying that I would find the right fit with an agency.
Ministry - Be praying for my new ministry in Newcastle. The great thing is that there will be much overlap because I will still be connected with Kilkeel High School and mentoring young men on a regular basis through Scripture Union. But also be praying for my ministry at the church. It is a younger, growing church and there are many exciting things that are happening and many more exciting ideas that we have. Our hopes is to become a community church that comes together, regardless of the background, to focus on Jesus.
I just want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. I will keep you posted on when I will be coming back to the States...it would be great to see you and update you further on all that God has been doing over here since I've been here. Until then, may we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!
Jason
Today was the final day of school, thus marking the beginning of summer - Freedom for two months. The last couple of weeks have been filled with revision, exams, and spontaneous hanging about :-). It's been a great opportunity to come alongside of many of the young people and offer help with revision or even offer a way for them to have a study break by playing Call of Duty or watching a DVD...so it has been very enjoyable!
We are now working on the final details for Kittys Road Festival Week 2010!! The American Team from Bethlehem arrives on the 16th and will be staying for just about two weeks. During that time we will be having a blast with our friends down at Kittys Road....doing things like Treasure Hunter Bible Club in the morning for the younger ones, coffee morning for the women to come and have a cuppa tea, Youth evenings with games and teaching, and much much more that we are very excited about. We are evening doing an overnite stay together with the community, so that is something we are looking forward to as well. Overall, we are very excited for another opportunity to investigate who Jesus is with our friends down in Kittys Road. So please be praying for great friendships to develop and for good craic as we look through the theme of "There is No One Like You" :-)
Also to update you on my situation.... it looks like God has been opening up the door for me to partner with Newcastle Baptist Church just up the road in Newcastle. We are still working on details and odds and ends, but the hope is to start with them somewhere around the end of September. There are a couple things you can be praying for in regards to this transition:
Visa - I will be making a trip back to the States in the near future. During that time I will be working on many things, but probably one of the MOST important is applying for a new Visa. Since I am now going to be partnering with a different church who will become my sponsor, I need to apply for a new Visa. Please be praying that this will be a straightforward process and that things will go smoothly (and not like last time ;-) ) !
Missions Agency - Part of me looking towards to the future is thinking long term. And that means I am looking to connect with an agency that is willing not only to partner, encourage, and challenge me in my ministry, but also to help with the logistical side of things back Stateside. So be praying that I would find the right fit with an agency.
Ministry - Be praying for my new ministry in Newcastle. The great thing is that there will be much overlap because I will still be connected with Kilkeel High School and mentoring young men on a regular basis through Scripture Union. But also be praying for my ministry at the church. It is a younger, growing church and there are many exciting things that are happening and many more exciting ideas that we have. Our hopes is to become a community church that comes together, regardless of the background, to focus on Jesus.
I just want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. I will keep you posted on when I will be coming back to the States...it would be great to see you and update you further on all that God has been doing over here since I've been here. Until then, may we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!
Jason
Friday, May 14, 2010
Long Overdue!
Finally an update to my blog after an extended period of silence!!
To say the least, things have been busy and brilliant all at the same time. At the high school, many of the students are about to begin their highly anticipated exams, which will last from now until June. So there will be much revision and studying going on for the next few weeks. We are also looking forward to Sports Day (or Track and Field day as we call it back in America), that will be next Thursday.
Apart from school, there is other exciting things happening as well. The last couple of days there has been the Balmoral Show up in Belfast (the best way to describe it is that is is pretty much like a state fair....but not nearly as much food lol). I went to it yesterday and it was great craic and a very good cultural experience :). In terms of Youth Fellowship and that sorta of thing, we continue to plod on. Its an awkward time of year because many of the students are studying for their exams. So we try to keep things laid back so that we can provide encouragement as well as a nice study break.
It's also exciting as the school year begins to wind down because that means that plans for the summer begin to pick up. We are excited to have another team from Bethlehem coming over during the last two weeks of July to help us as we join Kittys Road again for their fun week. We have many great ideas and are really looking forward to what God has in store for us this summer. As we finalize plans and what we will be doing, I will make sure to keep you up to date so you know what all is happening :-).
The other big thing that is going on in my life is that God seems to have answered a huge prayer and that is opening up an opportunity to make my ministry here become more long term. There have been two local churches that have shown interest in pursuing me as their potential youth pastor. This is very exciting and very humbling all at the same time. So I have been talking and praying with many people as I think through the different options. At the end of the day I want to be where I can best use my gifts to bring Glory to God. So we'll see what happens. I will have to decide pretty soon, but would appreciate your prayers as I discern which direction. Also be praying for the logistical side of things and that all the visa stuff not only would work out, but that it wouldn't be like last time.
Well its good to get a another post up finally. Once you get out of the rhythm of doing something its hard to get started again. But now hopefully this will get the ball rolling again :-). I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support....it definitely doesn't go unnoticed ;-).
May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!
Jason
To say the least, things have been busy and brilliant all at the same time. At the high school, many of the students are about to begin their highly anticipated exams, which will last from now until June. So there will be much revision and studying going on for the next few weeks. We are also looking forward to Sports Day (or Track and Field day as we call it back in America), that will be next Thursday.
Apart from school, there is other exciting things happening as well. The last couple of days there has been the Balmoral Show up in Belfast (the best way to describe it is that is is pretty much like a state fair....but not nearly as much food lol). I went to it yesterday and it was great craic and a very good cultural experience :). In terms of Youth Fellowship and that sorta of thing, we continue to plod on. Its an awkward time of year because many of the students are studying for their exams. So we try to keep things laid back so that we can provide encouragement as well as a nice study break.
It's also exciting as the school year begins to wind down because that means that plans for the summer begin to pick up. We are excited to have another team from Bethlehem coming over during the last two weeks of July to help us as we join Kittys Road again for their fun week. We have many great ideas and are really looking forward to what God has in store for us this summer. As we finalize plans and what we will be doing, I will make sure to keep you up to date so you know what all is happening :-).
The other big thing that is going on in my life is that God seems to have answered a huge prayer and that is opening up an opportunity to make my ministry here become more long term. There have been two local churches that have shown interest in pursuing me as their potential youth pastor. This is very exciting and very humbling all at the same time. So I have been talking and praying with many people as I think through the different options. At the end of the day I want to be where I can best use my gifts to bring Glory to God. So we'll see what happens. I will have to decide pretty soon, but would appreciate your prayers as I discern which direction. Also be praying for the logistical side of things and that all the visa stuff not only would work out, but that it wouldn't be like last time.
Well its good to get a another post up finally. Once you get out of the rhythm of doing something its hard to get started again. But now hopefully this will get the ball rolling again :-). I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support....it definitely doesn't go unnoticed ;-).
May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!
Jason
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Blue Skies
The past week has been really good!...Along with the weather. We've had many beautiful days in a row with lots of sunshine and little to no rain, which for Kilkeel is quite a blessing :-).
Monday and Tuesday of this past week we had half term break at the high school. So all of the students had those days off of school. I got together with one of my mentor groups on Monday. We hung out, I made some Chicago style deep dish pizaa (which they absolutely love!), played some xbox, and watched a dvd. It was a great opportunity to connect, hang out, and continue to build relationships with some of the young men that I work with. It's exciting encouraging them and watching them grow in their relationship with God.
The meeting that we had for E.T.C. went really well. There seemed to be a lot of positive feedback and discussion about it. There are still a couple other meetings that will need to be had within the next week or to before we are able to pilot it. So please continue to pray for us as we try to fine tune this curriculum so that we can use it amongst our young people to encourage and equip them to live Pure lifestyles.
Tonight we have have a Youth Fellowship outing to go Bowling and Laser Tagging. It's our first YF outing in awhile, so there is much anticipation and excitement for it :-). I think we have about 30 students going, so it should be good craic!
This coming week is a pretty normal week with mentor groups and SU. I will be speaking this week in SU about relationships and purity within them. So pray that God would direct and guide me as I prepare for that. Also we have our Senior SU Weekend coming up the first weekend of March. We are starting to get things ready for that. So you can be praying for that as it comes up as well :-)
Thanks for your continued prayers and support. It is always very encouraging to hear of friends that are keeping up to date on my life and all that God is doing...so thanks!! Also, if you could, I found out this past week that my dad had pneumonia. Could you please pray for him that he gets better and gets back to full strength. Thanks again and may we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Him,
Jason
Monday and Tuesday of this past week we had half term break at the high school. So all of the students had those days off of school. I got together with one of my mentor groups on Monday. We hung out, I made some Chicago style deep dish pizaa (which they absolutely love!), played some xbox, and watched a dvd. It was a great opportunity to connect, hang out, and continue to build relationships with some of the young men that I work with. It's exciting encouraging them and watching them grow in their relationship with God.
The meeting that we had for E.T.C. went really well. There seemed to be a lot of positive feedback and discussion about it. There are still a couple other meetings that will need to be had within the next week or to before we are able to pilot it. So please continue to pray for us as we try to fine tune this curriculum so that we can use it amongst our young people to encourage and equip them to live Pure lifestyles.
Tonight we have have a Youth Fellowship outing to go Bowling and Laser Tagging. It's our first YF outing in awhile, so there is much anticipation and excitement for it :-). I think we have about 30 students going, so it should be good craic!
This coming week is a pretty normal week with mentor groups and SU. I will be speaking this week in SU about relationships and purity within them. So pray that God would direct and guide me as I prepare for that. Also we have our Senior SU Weekend coming up the first weekend of March. We are starting to get things ready for that. So you can be praying for that as it comes up as well :-)
Thanks for your continued prayers and support. It is always very encouraging to hear of friends that are keeping up to date on my life and all that God is doing...so thanks!! Also, if you could, I found out this past week that my dad had pneumonia. Could you please pray for him that he gets better and gets back to full strength. Thanks again and may we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Him,
Jason
Monday, February 8, 2010
Busy Busy Busy....
Things have been in fully swing lately (well, I suppose things are always in full swing!), but the last couple weeks have seemed to be more packed than usual. Let me give you the highlights of what has been going on in the life of Jason Kemper ;-).
This past weekend I had the great opportunity to be the speaker for our Junior Scripture Union Overnight. We took a group of 70 students (age 11-14) up to Lisburn Friday and Saturday. I spoke from Romans 12:1-2 and talked about living a lifestyle of worship for God, which involves every moment of every day and not just when we sing or when we go to church. Many of the students really seemed encouraged and challenged as they thought of ways to apply it to their own lives. So praise God that we had a great weekend. Apart from the speaking, we took them swimming and went to the cinema...so it was a great craic and everyone seemed to enjoy the weekend.
I've also had the chance to speak at Sunday morning Bible class yesterday and Youth Fellowship. Both of those went really well. In youth fellowship, we are in the middle of the series where we are talking about Jesus' second coming and the anticipation and Hope that we have when He comes back to redeem us and the rest of creation to the way that He intended it to be. Many of the students have really been enjoying it.
Along with that, I've also been continuing with the mentor groups. I have three groups that meet on a weekly basis, and it has been great to come along these groups of young men to encourage and challenge them to live out their lives for God. God is really working through the groups and it has been great getting to know some of the young people a wee bit more.
Let's see, what else is new. OH!! I just received my Provisional Drivers License in the Post. That means I will shortly be taking the written test and then the behind the wheel test....then shortly there after will have a Northern Irish Drivers license and be able to upgrade the scooter and get a car :-). So that is really exciting :-)!!!
Some highlights that are coming up this week, is that tomorrow Samuel and I have a meeting to discuss our E.T.C. Curriculum (Every Though Captive). It is a meeting with some of the local church leadership to allow them to ask any questions and hopefully continue to move forward with it. Our hope is that by the end of February, we will be ready to launch a pilot of our program and see how it goes. Pray that God would continue to guide and direct us in that while giving us wisdom and discernment as we continue to fine tune it and write the lessons.
Also, this coming weekend is mid term break at the high school. So everyone has Friday through to next Tuesday off. So it will be a great opportunity to connect with some of the young people outside of school and just enjoy a bit of craic and carry on....so I'm really looking forward to that.
I just want to thank everyone out there that keeps up to date on my blog :-). I appreciate your continued prayers and support (and occasionally patience when I forget to update it ;) ). God has been and is continuing to do some really cool things over here. It's also been exciting to see some potential doors that He might be opening up for the future....but we'll wait a wee while to see what happens..so watch this space :-). May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Him
Jason
This past weekend I had the great opportunity to be the speaker for our Junior Scripture Union Overnight. We took a group of 70 students (age 11-14) up to Lisburn Friday and Saturday. I spoke from Romans 12:1-2 and talked about living a lifestyle of worship for God, which involves every moment of every day and not just when we sing or when we go to church. Many of the students really seemed encouraged and challenged as they thought of ways to apply it to their own lives. So praise God that we had a great weekend. Apart from the speaking, we took them swimming and went to the cinema...so it was a great craic and everyone seemed to enjoy the weekend.
I've also had the chance to speak at Sunday morning Bible class yesterday and Youth Fellowship. Both of those went really well. In youth fellowship, we are in the middle of the series where we are talking about Jesus' second coming and the anticipation and Hope that we have when He comes back to redeem us and the rest of creation to the way that He intended it to be. Many of the students have really been enjoying it.
Along with that, I've also been continuing with the mentor groups. I have three groups that meet on a weekly basis, and it has been great to come along these groups of young men to encourage and challenge them to live out their lives for God. God is really working through the groups and it has been great getting to know some of the young people a wee bit more.
Let's see, what else is new. OH!! I just received my Provisional Drivers License in the Post. That means I will shortly be taking the written test and then the behind the wheel test....then shortly there after will have a Northern Irish Drivers license and be able to upgrade the scooter and get a car :-). So that is really exciting :-)!!!
Some highlights that are coming up this week, is that tomorrow Samuel and I have a meeting to discuss our E.T.C. Curriculum (Every Though Captive). It is a meeting with some of the local church leadership to allow them to ask any questions and hopefully continue to move forward with it. Our hope is that by the end of February, we will be ready to launch a pilot of our program and see how it goes. Pray that God would continue to guide and direct us in that while giving us wisdom and discernment as we continue to fine tune it and write the lessons.
Also, this coming weekend is mid term break at the high school. So everyone has Friday through to next Tuesday off. So it will be a great opportunity to connect with some of the young people outside of school and just enjoy a bit of craic and carry on....so I'm really looking forward to that.
I just want to thank everyone out there that keeps up to date on my blog :-). I appreciate your continued prayers and support (and occasionally patience when I forget to update it ;) ). God has been and is continuing to do some really cool things over here. It's also been exciting to see some potential doors that He might be opening up for the future....but we'll wait a wee while to see what happens..so watch this space :-). May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Him
Jason
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Settling Back in...
Well its crazy to think that I've already been back in Kilkeel for over two weeks now!! It has been a busy busy two weeks that has just flown by.
The final installment of Samuel and Sarah's wedding was brilliant! It was a great day to celebrate with family and friends. There were many that came for the variety concert that we held for Sarah on the evening of their wedding blessing. She really seemed to enjoy it and it was a great welcome into the community to her! So once again, I just want to say Congrats to Samuel and Sarah!!
It's also been busy helping them out to move into their new house. They have a nice wee house smack in the middle of Kilkeel, just walking distance from the high school. So I've been around trying to help them unpack and unwrap all the gifts...while at the same time trying to give them their space as they begin their new life together.
Also, this past weekend we had the opportunity to have another youth service at Mourne Presbyterian Church. It was a great evening!! I had the opportunity to preach again...so I spoke on Phil 3:1-11 going off of our theme that we used for Cafe one80 this year, which was "Live for what lasts!" If you would like to listen to the service, it should be posted here at some point in the near future. If not, I will try and post it within the next week or so, so watch this space!
Apart from all that, everything is slowing getting back to the norm. At the moment, exams are on at school, so that seems to be consuming much of what is going on with all the students revising (well should be revising!!). So by next week, we should be back into full swing of things and back to normal.
It was great to have the opportunity to be back in the States to visit and see family and friends. If I didn't get a chance to see you, sorry about that!!, but hopefully I will catch you next time :-). I continue to be very grateful for all your prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
The final installment of Samuel and Sarah's wedding was brilliant! It was a great day to celebrate with family and friends. There were many that came for the variety concert that we held for Sarah on the evening of their wedding blessing. She really seemed to enjoy it and it was a great welcome into the community to her! So once again, I just want to say Congrats to Samuel and Sarah!!
It's also been busy helping them out to move into their new house. They have a nice wee house smack in the middle of Kilkeel, just walking distance from the high school. So I've been around trying to help them unpack and unwrap all the gifts...while at the same time trying to give them their space as they begin their new life together.
Also, this past weekend we had the opportunity to have another youth service at Mourne Presbyterian Church. It was a great evening!! I had the opportunity to preach again...so I spoke on Phil 3:1-11 going off of our theme that we used for Cafe one80 this year, which was "Live for what lasts!" If you would like to listen to the service, it should be posted here at some point in the near future. If not, I will try and post it within the next week or so, so watch this space!
Apart from all that, everything is slowing getting back to the norm. At the moment, exams are on at school, so that seems to be consuming much of what is going on with all the students revising (well should be revising!!). So by next week, we should be back into full swing of things and back to normal.
It was great to have the opportunity to be back in the States to visit and see family and friends. If I didn't get a chance to see you, sorry about that!!, but hopefully I will catch you next time :-). I continue to be very grateful for all your prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Monday, December 28, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Well on the 16th of December I flew back to the States to spend time with family and friends. I can honestly say that since I touch down on the ground I have been on the go non stop seeing and visiting people. It has been a brilliant time.
Last week I had the pleasure of being in Samuel and Sarah's Wedding. It was a great time and a very beautiful ceremony! Just want to say congrats to them and hope they enjoy their honeymoon down in the Caribbean :-D.
At the moment I am back in Chicago spending time with family. It has been good to catch up and just relax and spend time with them. It has felt a wee bit surreal being back, but it has been very good. I must say however, that I miss many friends back in Northern Ireland. It's been amazing to see how God has given me such a desire and heart for the people back over there. God is good and I've really enjoyed being a part of what He is doing. I look forward to getting back and catching up with everyone and jumping back into the routine of everything.
I hope you enjoy your Christmas/New Year's holidays and continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!
Jason
Last week I had the pleasure of being in Samuel and Sarah's Wedding. It was a great time and a very beautiful ceremony! Just want to say congrats to them and hope they enjoy their honeymoon down in the Caribbean :-D.
At the moment I am back in Chicago spending time with family. It has been good to catch up and just relax and spend time with them. It has felt a wee bit surreal being back, but it has been very good. I must say however, that I miss many friends back in Northern Ireland. It's been amazing to see how God has given me such a desire and heart for the people back over there. God is good and I've really enjoyed being a part of what He is doing. I look forward to getting back and catching up with everyone and jumping back into the routine of everything.
I hope you enjoy your Christmas/New Year's holidays and continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!
Jason
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