We have been blown away with how God has expanded this Ponca ministry. The first year we invited students, back in 2007, we had 9 kids come. This last summer over 90 kids from the area attended one, or even two!, weeks of camp!!!! We are super excited about this, but are also heavily burdened with the need for mentoring these boys and girls when they get home from camp and don't always have the best role models or the time set aside to read their Bible or sing praise songs or talk with a counselor about problems they are dealing with in their daily lives. Ponca is awesome, but it's just the beginning. The very beginning.
Hence, the name "Ponca and Beyond" for the Bible study that just began. We had our first meeting last night, with 10 boys and 2 girls.
You see, God heard the cries of our heart and answered our prayers. After we got back from camp, a parent contacted us and offered their house for a Bible study for their kids and their friends who had been at Ponca. We jumped on board, had a informational meeting with 5 families who had expressed interest before we ever made our desire known, and sent out invitations for the first Bible study.
We truly believe God has some absolutely amazing things in store for the kids who have gone to Ponca and now their friends back home. We are anticipating that this ministry is going to skyrocket and become something "out of this world." Not because of anything we have done or will do, but simply because God is a God of wonders and seems to enjoy showing us just how extraordinary He is!
We are so blessed to be a part of what He is doing, both at Ponca and here in the Liberty/Kansas City area. My heart overflowed with joy and enthusiasm as I watched the boys and girls open their Bibles last night and talk about how they want to put Jesus first in their daily lives. My earnest prayer is for these kids to grow up loving Jesus passionately, to live boldly for Him, and make an astronomical impact in their homes/families, schools, neighborhoods, churches, community, and the world! There's no limit to what God can do in and through these boys and girls, and not just when they grow up, but RIGHT NOW!
I am thrilled about that, but I am also pretty stinkin' excited to hear Coralyn ask me, "When are we going to Ponca Bible study?" She was bouncing up and down as we got ready to leave last night. My mama's heart was spilling over as I thought about the opportunity I get to watch my girls grow up being a part of something so special. Coralyn and Kellah are already, at such a young age, seeing what it means and looks like to learn about God, know Jesus personally, tell others about Him, and live all out for Him every single day. And that is the best part of all of this!
From the moment we knew that Coralyn and Kellah existed, we have been praying for them to "know Jesus personally and make Him known" (the Ponca motto). I have prayed that they will be "missionaries" wherever they are at -- in our neighborhood and at school, for starters. How awesome that God is already answering those prayers as we prepare to put our house on the market and move into the Kellybrook area for the sole purpose of being "missionaries" to the kids (and their families) who attend Kellybrook Elementary School!
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