Author: CEF of Montana, INC.

Missionary Stories

Bible Lessons

Memory Verses

Songs

Prayer

Review games

The CYIAers have all the pieces now. The various sections of each Five Day Club. They’re working hard to get them down and make sure each piece is ready for the kids.

But you can’t see the picture in a puzzle unless you put all the pieces together.

Each club has to run smoothly, engage the kids, and make sure everyone is learning about Jesus. The CYIAers have to work as a team to stay organized, keep the schedule, and to be ready to teach.

It’s a lot of information to take in and a lot of hard work for them to do, but Dave and Chris are continuously encouraging the teens and pushing them to do more, even beyond what they think they can do.

Of course, part learning to do 5 Day Clubs includes learning to play games with the kids. This also means that the CYIAers have to play the games in order to understand them and in turn, teach them to the kids.

The whole week has been a lot of work and a lot of fun. Saturday will be half a day of practicums and half a day of relaxing. A day of rest to take a break from all of the hard work and be ready for another week of training

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The week is already halfway over, but a lot has already been accomplished. Most of the teens have said the wordless book and received a “Well done!”. Some have even started on the Bible lesson. They are all working hard to learn what they need.

The days are full of learning. Wednesday was full of learning to do the Bible lesson and Thursday is was full of learning to do the Missionary Story, memory verses, and to introduce songs.

The teens aren’t just learning the material they are going to teach, they are also learning how to teach effectively. How to add excitement to the stories, how to involve the kids, and how to hold their visuals. The Bible lesson has the extra challenge of including applications to teach the kids.

In the evenings we get the privilege to hear from Adam Burt during chapel as well as for some devotions in the morning. He’s been challenging the teens in their view of God and their relationship with Him.

Of course, there are also plenty of breaks with games and singing songs for the clubs. Everyone is learning to get out of their comfort zone and join in the fun, and we are all getting to know each other in the process.

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Each day Dave has reminded all of the CYIAers, “This is going to be a challenge”. These teens know that what they are learning to do won’t be easy. Yet they press ahead, adding excitement to their nervousness and anticipation.

The first day of training was all about the wordless book. Each color of the page has specific points they need to learn, memorize, and present. Everyone struggles with the wordless book, even those who have done it before. It’s the first big hurdle the teens need to leap over in order to continue with training. It’s also one of the hardest.

After teaching all about the wordless book, we give the teens plenty of study time. Study time that is guided. First, they get to read through and learn the wordless book. Then each teen gets to pick an object, whether it’s the wall, or a pole, or the bleachers, to say the wordless book to. After that, they get to another teen.

From then on we leave it up to them, but we also get them to try a practicum before them might be ready so they know what to work on.

 

 

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Of course, the days aren’t all study and learning. There are several break times as well as an exciting recreation time at the end of the day including an obstacle course and blindfolds. Together they are still learning the things we taught them on the first day. To strive together, work as a team, trust their leaders, and above all, to listen for God’s voice above any others.

 

 

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12 CYIA Students! 3 Interns! 2 Kitchen Volunteers! 5 Staff Members! 1 CEF Director from Belize!

The week has kicked off with a lot of excitement and nervousness from everyone involved. Yet each person that is here has come as a result of a desire to share the gospel with children all around Montana.

Monday morning Dave tested the teens’ determination to be here by waking everyone up at 6:00 to immediately come to the gym area. No changing clothes (except to get decent), no brushing hair, not even any deodorant. They came as they are. same as how they come before God.

They were then woken up by some quick exercises and a game of lighting.

Things calmed down again as we prayed through the prayer lessons for the 5 Day CLubs this summer. Sometimes we prayed in groups. Other times we all prayed out loud at the same time. We learned to pray for each other and various ways of how we can pray for each other.

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We were all allowed to get dressed and ready for breakfast, then the lessons for the day started.

The purpose of this first day is to challenge the teens in their faith and ensure that their trust is in God as they start training.

Each session involved going through several verses multiple times, each time from a different perspective. Dave, Chris, and the interns came up with something to help with this called the 5 Ps.

Pray. Prepare. Practice. Present. Persevere.

These were created to help the process of learning the lessons for 5 Day Clubs. Yet they also apply to trusting God and standing firm.

Along with each lesson the teens had fun doing various activities that illustrated the point being made in each session. These activities included blindfolds, rope, parachutes, bubble balls, and tying up staff members.

Sometimes they were learning leadership skills, sometimes the teens were learning to work as a team. The bubble balls became a fun illustration of the armor of God.

The last activity encouraged the teens to serve each other as we all washed each other’s feet using baby wiped. This was also a time to encourage one another and pray for each other. It was amazing to see everyone working to encourage each other and build each other up.

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The day ended with each person sharing how they had been challenged that day around a campfire. I don’t think I can put into words what it was like to be with them around that fire. Everyone had something personal to share and open up about. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and each personal challenge was prayed for.

The entire experience has left the group ready to move forward, striving together, to begin training. We all know that it is going to be hard, and many are still nervous, but the teens are no longer trying to do it with their own strength. Instead, they are moving forward with God’s strength.

Each Intern here at training is hard at work, making sure they are prepared for CYIA and the summer to come. At this point, all three interns have finished all of the Missionary Story practicums along with song and verse practicums. All that’s left is the Bible Lesson Practicums.

However, the Bible Lesson standard has been raised this year for the Interns and the Leaders in Training as well. It is assumed that the Interns understand how to tell a Bible  Lesson, but how well can they apply it to the kids they are teaching?

The point is to challenge the kids. As a result, the Interns have to be challenged themselves.

Of course, the most challenging part of the training isn’t even the practicums. Ayla, Josiah, and Jennifer are learning what it really means to be a leader within CEF of Montana. With each day they are adding new responsibilities to what is expected of them this summer.

Yet as daunting as it is, they are still working hard and willing to step up and accept the challenge. They know it will be hard and even frustrating at times, but they know that they won’t be alone. God’s strength and protection will always be there when they need it.

It’s going to be a busy summer! But it’s going to be an amazing and incredible summer as well!

 

Intern training has been a lot of fun. Yet it has also been very challenging. Each of the young adults attending the training is expected to learn everything a CYIAer is supposed to learn. On top of that, they have a higher standard to meet on each part. Whether it’s the Wordless book or the Missionary Story.

The interns have also been learning how to be leaders. They have been growing in their knowledge of running a Five Day Club and stretching their ability to keep everything running smoothly

Leaders in Training, Megan and Sheylah, have arrived and have been learning about songs, verses, missionary stories, leadership training, and team building with the rest of us.

Part of this training comes from an activity that involves blindfolds, running into trees, and distracting people with pool noodles. We all found that we aren’t as good at being aware of things as we think we are.

Part of this training comes from an activity that involves blindfolds, running into trees, and distracting people with pool noodles. We all found that we aren’t as good at being aware of things as we think we are.

Friday night ended with a fun barbeque with various CEF board members. It’s exciting to see the board getting to interact with the young adults and see more of the process that goes into ministry for the summer.

The team has continued to learn and build as a lot of Saturday was spent learning each person’s Spiritual gift and personality. As we learned more about each other we learned how to better help one another and how to help the teenagers at CYIA.

The process continued as we learned what a well functioning team looks like and how we can better improve and work towards a common goal this summer.

In the middle of all this learning, the interns and Leaders in Training have been studying hard and working to do practicums so they can be prepared to help the CYIAers this summer.

Just when we think we have it all figured out there’s always something else that we need to learn. It has been encouraging to see the enthusiasm each person has to grow this summer and to discover where God wants us to be.

The summer has officially begun for CEF of Montana! Internship training has started and has come at full swing.

Tuesday morning started after a fun Memorial day with plenty to do. The intern’s binders had to be fixed and added to with some finishing touches. 5 Day Club tubs were pulled apart and put back together again. Then pulled apart again when the UPS truck showed up with more supplies for the 5 Day Clubs.

Jennifer Fountain, an intern for her second year, helped out all day long doing most of the grunt work. I enjoyed listening to the fun banter and sarcasm happening between Jennifer, Chris, and Dave as I went about my own work.

Josiah showed up in time for dinner after a long drive across the state to get here.

Ayla arrived just as dinner was wrapping up and the rest of the evening was spent getting to know one another.

Ayla and Jennifer are already good friends, but Josiah seemed to have a good time seeing their quirks come out as the conversation went on.

One question that Dave asked everyone was “What are you expecting from this summer?”. The answers ranged from wanting more confidence and enthusiasm to growing in their walk with God. It will be interesting to see what God does with each of these individuals this summer and how He will use them in His ministry.