New KKI Purpose Statement

        King’s Kids International (KKI) has adopted a new purpose statement that I’m really encouraged about. It is “Generations living the kingdom together”. This is so richly seen in the bible and so there are many examples we looked at to learn about God’s heart and desire for generations gathering and living together.

Exodus 3:15: God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

How does each subsequent generation know the Lord? From their father passing it on. And it isn’t just passed on by words, or going church on Sunday, or doing good things. But from living it with our children. Moment by moment and day by day.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

If we don’t take care of the transition from generation to generation then we have to start over because they aren’t able to build on our victories. We leave room for a curse. I just heard today from a friend that “our ceilings are our children’s floors”. What a great word picture! I love that my girls will build on what I’ve learned and I’ve built on what amazing victories and truths my parents have been blessed with from the Lord! Pass it on people! ☺

      

Week 2: KKI Values and Family Ministry

        This week’s speaker is Guy Zeller from the French part of Switzerland. Let me just say I am so full from his teaching! I could chew and chew and then try to digest it for weeks, I’m sure. I am super excited because Father answered a desire of my heart in bringing Guy to teach on our PCYM.
        Backstory: In November of 2010 we went to a KKI conference in Barcelona, Spain. We even had a couple youth from our club come with us. Guy Zeller and his family were there and came on as part of the international core leadership team and so I had the opportunity to sit in on one of his teaching sessions. I was radically convicted - the “good-kind-of-confirmation-that-what-the-Lord-has-been-revealing-to-me-was-right-on” type of convicted. That year the Lord had been revealing to me that the priorities in our family weren’t ok. I believe that often happens as the wife and mother - we are in the middle of the tension of raising our children while our husbands are out of the home providing for their families. In my case my husband was often away ministering to people, that in my opinion, had far greater needs than either me or my children. But I was realizing that was coming at a price - an expensive price that we actually were never asked to pay! After hearing Guy’s teaching that November, I returned to my room in tears because it had strongly struck a chord within me to stop the way we were “doing” ministry! It was a confirmation that the year of 2011 that we had prayed about as a sabbatical year would be a tremendous time for us to heal and be equipped in the new things God was calling us into. Greg and I sat before the Lord in prayer, repented of our neglect of the fact that God had also called our children into ministry and we were to do it together as family. Each person in our family had a specific role in changing the generation of Poland for Christ!

        Needless to say, when I arrived in Hawaii and saw that Guy would be one of our speakers on our PCYM, I was giddy! I knew the Lord was going to speak to Greg and me through him and bring us both closer to being on the same page of what our future would look like together concerning family in ministry (and just plain family in general!). On the first day Guy went through Matthew 18:1-14. It would be a very long blog entry if I went through everything he taught but I will share what struck me the most. In verse 10 it says:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

He went into the meaning of the word “despise” from this verse. It has added a whole new understanding for me. In Greek it means “to contemn, despise, disdain, think little or nothing of”. In other words, it is like saying “just” or “only”. He is “only” a child or “just” a child. The same meaning is used in 1 Samuel 17:42:

And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

where Goliath “disdained” David and saw him to be worthless. But we have seen what God can do with children in the bible as we look at this story and the ones of Jeremiah, Samuel, and others. Even Jeremiah says in 1:6 “ I cannot speak : for I am a child.” Guy challenged us in asking us the question, “Who do you think told Jeremiah he was ‘only’ a child?” Ouch. How often I have “despised” my own children in thinking the Lord doesn’t speak to them or won’t use them in certain situations. I’ve even had the desire of having a babysitter while Greg and I were helping lead 7/11 Club on Saturdays so that I wouldn’t be distracted by the girls “getting in the way”. I realize that sometimes it is better for my girls to be in a different place while I’m doing ministry - some things aren’t age appropriate for them - but generally speaking I was convicted of my attitude in how God could use them, wants to use them, and will use them. This is something to think about in the coming months as Greg and I (and the girls!) seek Father on his heart for us in Poland and the ministry there. I’m excited :)

Week 1 in Pictures

First view of the ocean Saturday morning. We drank 100% Kona coffee - it truly is the best!

Drama for the week - hopefully for the whole time we are here!  The house next door to our PCYM leaders' home burned down but their house was saved! 

Dale Kauffman live via technology!

View from our room. I will never get tired of this!

The next Saturday we spend at Wawaloli Beach which is a large tidepool surrounded by a lava rock wall. It has a long and wide sandy beach, creating a nice shallow swimming area where the water is warmed up by the sun. Greg is in the distance standing on the rock getting smashed by the waves. We also saw whales this day!! It was incredible.

Sunday we went on a very long walk along Alii Drive. It happened to be the 3rd Sunday of the month and a large art festival takes place then. We saw hula girls, the Hulihee Palace, amazing waves, and drank some more Kona coffee!

Social Justice and Family

I had the incredible honor of Darlene Cunningham founder of YWAM sharing in our class today. I hardly took any notes because I was too engaged in her stories of pioneering YWAM Kona/ University of the Nations. It is always an encouragement to hear believers testimonies of putting their faith in Father. When someone, even more, a community of Christ-lovers, take God for what He says in His word and wait on Him to follow through (and He does!) - this is what sets me on fire and gets me excited. That time was exactly that! The one thing I did write down was:

At the core of each social justice issue is the breakdown of family.

This has started me thinking. I have been searching online for all the social justice issues that face us today. The list includes:

• Abortion
• Anti-Semitism
• Child Soldiers
• Child Labor
• Cloning
• Conflict Diamonds
• Death Penalty
• Euthanasia
• Health Care Policy
• Human Trafficking
• Immigration Reform
• Marginalization of the Poor

It goes on and on. I was surprised at some concerns that I discovered which are considered social justice issues. But as I look over the list I can see how the breakdown of family contributes greatly to these issues. I had never really put those puzzle pieces together. 

When I think of this in light of being a mom, I have decided to take my job a lot more seriously. :) I've always known it was important - of great importance - but when I think about what Darlene said and what Dale said earlier in the week, I definitely want to be more intentional about what I'm teaching my children. Today we looked at the story of Cain and Abel. We talked about why Father didn't like Cain's offering. I believe it was because he didn't offer the first fruits or his best as Abel did. The bible does say that Abel gave his "best".  As family we stopped and decided to ask Father how we could bring him glory and joy today. I heard these verses and turned over to the New Testament and read:

Matthew 25:31-40

New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

    ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.   ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 I know this brings joy to the heart of our Father - when we stop and look at the least around us (the marginalized) and feed, clothe, and care for them. And I believe it takes community (and family) to do a good job of it. It starts with the individual and family and goes out from there as waves. It will affect our church body when the families begin to rise up and bring joy to the heart of our Father.

Week 1 Day 1

Whew! What a whirlwind way to begin 2012! Most of you know we travelled 2400 miles cross-country to California in order to jump on a plane to Kona, Hawaii to begin a new chapter book in our family. We arrived safe and sound, and have conquered (somewhat) our jet/travel lag. Yesterday was our first official full day of class. Our course, Principles of Child and Youth Ministry (PCYM), consists of a 12-week lecture phase where we have a different topic to learn and study through each week. I'm super excited to kick it off with the founder of KKI (King's Kids International) Dale Kauffman. I heard him teach in Barcelona, Spain a year or so ago and couldn't wait to sit under his teaching again. One thing he said that struck a chord with me today is:

We need to recognize the home as the center of transforming and discipling nations. 


He is speaking of the importance of the biological family, spiritual family, and discipleship being integrated in order to bring others into His unshakable kingdom. Since we are not guaranteed religious freedom in the future, we cannot depend on our Christian programs to be enough to do this. The roots of the kingdom need to be deeper - deeper within our home, church, small groups, and daily way of life. Dale believes these three agencies need to be strengthened. 

Students again!

Arrival day- girls with one of the Foundation School teachers

The girls have both started classes as well! They are in separate classes. At first this was a bummer for both of them since we were told they would be together. But I'm thankful they've been split up. It gives Hannah a better opportunity to discover who she is without big sis showing her who to be! They have both made friends and love their teachers :) I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for both of them. The girls will have some DTS (Discipleship Training School) teaching in their classes and will spend time hearing from the Lord. I can't wait to see what Father has for them!

Airport in Honolulu- open air style!

Monday morning corporate worship

Thank you for reading and for your love and support! We wouldn't be here without it :)