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The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:15-17 Praise for: A super seminar where we were able to train some wonderful church volunteers how to share the gospel effectively with children. Four wonderful summer missionaries. An Intern that will be working with us this summer. A wonderful end to the three Good News Clubs we had this school year and the amazing volunteers who served faithfully each week. A new committee member who will be serving with our chapter. Prayer for: Wisdom in scheduling 5-Day clubs for the summer. More church partnerships as we seek to expand our ministry. That God would provide the financial resources for our ministry. Wisdom as we are looking at a possible office space. That God would be preparing the hearts of children to receive the gospel this summer, and that he would be equipping the summer missionaries to share the gospel effectively. Please pray for our chapter as we are going through growth and changes. Pray that we will not get discouraged by the set backs that we encounter and that God will continue to open doors for us for new partnerships and people to reach.

Do you like to read? What are some of your favorite books? I love to read but there is one book that I have been struggling with. Why do I have to read the Bible? I have always loved reading. Since I was about eight, I was reading all the time, and even before that my mom was reading to me. Whenever people ask me what my favorite genre is I have a hard time coming up with one because I will read most anything I can get my hands on, especially if it is fiction. There is one book that I have read the most, but I also have the hardest time reading. I am not really the type of person to reread a book. Once I have read it, I’ve read it, and I already know the story and what is going to happen. Recently, I realized that I felt the same way about the Bible. Growing up in a Christian home my parents were very intentional to teach me the Bible and read it to me from a very early age. In church and Sunday School I was that know it all kid who had memorized all the verses and knew all the answers. I have read through the Bible on my own as I have gotten older, and done plenty of Bible studies, college classes, papers, etc. So lately I have been having a hard time reading the Bible as often as I should because I feel like I already know what’s going to happen. Not that I feel like I know everything there is to know, but I already know the main plot points and the characters and what happens at the end. I had forgotten that the purpose of reading the Bible isn’t to know the Bible, it’s to know God. We read the Bible to spend time with God, to get to know his character, to obey him. We read the Bible to honor God with our time and with our mind. Reading the Bible is time that we are giving to God, that we have set aside for him. And it means that we are putting aside whatever other voices and influences that we have and are committing to focus on him, his voice, and his words. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4 So as we are getting ready for summer, I challenge you, and I challenge myself, to give God that time out of your day. Take whatever next step it is for you, whether that is reading a couple verses, reading a couple more than you have been, spending a couple more minutes in prayer, or making sure you have less distractions. Whatever that next little step is, take it. Honor God with your time. One thing that we see evidently in scripture is that God never fails to use those people that are faithful to him.

If someone were to ask me how God called me into ministry, it would be difficult for me to answer. To begin with I believe that all believers are called to ministry in some way. It is not some magical experience that God reserves for a few of His people and then let's the rest go about their daily lives. But how did I end up where I am? The simple answer (and shortest) is that God's sovereign hand over my life guided me here. There are so many small moments that God used to bring me here and so many small details that He used to teach me, to push me outside of my comfort zone, and to open my eyes to the hurting world around me. I was thinking today about all the little things God has used in my life, and I found myself wondering "what if?" What if that thing had not happened? What would I be doing if that person had not been obedient to God's call? What would my life be like if I had made a different decision? But the truth is, those are not questions I need to ask, for I have seen how God is sovereign over my life. He has placed each person, each situation, and each opportunity for His glory and for my good. And as I look at each of these things, I can be confident that God cares about today. He cares about the little moments that He has placed in my life for today, so I can trust Him knowing that He also knows my tomorrows. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. - Psalm 16:5-6

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 Sometimes in the busyness of life, it can be hard to hold onto one simple truth: that if we receive and believe, we are children of God. This month has been a very busy one for our chapter. There have been a lot of meetings, emails, and deadlines. And sometimes in the work of trying to reach children for Jesus, it is easy to forget that I myself am a child of God. I am dependent on him, and I am also loved by him. I can do nothing without his help, but he also offers his help to me unreservedly. He is a good father. Praise for: • The Cokato and Annandale GNC’s have recently started! • Great meetings with church leaders and youth regarding our Summer Missionary program (CYIA—Christian Youth In Action) • The opportunity to minister to summer missionaries this weekend at our Winter Retreat. • A grandma who is helping her grandson (a GNC student) read his new Bible. Pray for: • Our Winter retreat, this weekend, for summer missionaries. Pray for safe travel to Covenant Park (near Duluth), God would minister in and through us. • A GNC student who is inviting his friend to attend the GNC. Pray that the friend will be able to come. • Current Good News Clubs that meet, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Pray for more children to be able to attend, that teachers will be prepared and present the gospel clearly, that learning would be fun and engaging. Pray too, that God would work in the hearts of the children to draw them to Himself. • Our summer ministries: Pray for God’s help in direction as we plan for Summer Missionary training (CYIA). • Pray for teens to serve as Summer Missionaries, and for locations to host 5-Day Clubs. • Our meetings regarding CYIA. That they would be fruitful and that God would provide His team of summer missionaries. • Church and volunteer connections as we expand our ministry in Stearns, Meeker, Mcleod and Kandiyohi Counties. • A couple ministering weekly in a mobile home park that would like to start a Bible study. Pray for God to provide a place for them to meet. • God to provide the needed financial resources to expand our ministry.

We are sorry to see her go but are so thankful for her service! In December 2021 Kim Davison put in her notice that she was going to be retiring at the end of the year. This is a huge loss to our chapter because our chapter probably wouldn’t exist anymore without her dedication and hard work. Just because she isn’t on staff anymore doesn‘t mean she is gone. Don’t worry she will still be around, bossing us from behind the scenes. I’m sure you will see her name on our blog, writing about the ministry and challenging you to do your part. Thank You Kim If you know my mom at all, you know that she loves kids and adults, she loves her neighbors, and anyone who needs help. Growing up with her as my mom, I saw how she was always looking out for the people that were overlooked, the ones who needed a friend, a listening ear, or some cookies. She isn’t too worried about keeping her house perfect, but her house is always open to anyone who needs to stop and talk. It could be a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a random kid. They are always welcome. She is never too busy to talk to someone, even if I was late, and I was impatiently waiting for her. This love for people fueled her passion to minister to the kids in this state through CEF. She worked quietly (because she doesn‘t like the spotlight) connecting with people, teaching clubs, spreading the ministry with churches, friends, and pretty much everyone she came into contact with. She went outside of her comfort zone speaking in front of churches and committees. She did this because she believes that every kid is special and loved by God, and she wants them to know God’s love. As her daughter, I can say that she is the first person to sacrifice her comfort to reach just one more child, or one more person. Her vision and commitment have brought our chapter to the place we are today, and we want to thank her for her faithful service for one year as our director, but many more as a volunteer. If you want to send Kim some love and thank her for her service please email her at: cefgreatriverchapter@startmail.com

"Continue in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of the gospel of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." I hope that the beginning of January finds you warm and content! I know this season can feel long and cold. It can be easy to become weary and downcast. Yet as the above verse says, we are to "continue in prayer." We must persevere, and remain steadfast and watchful. For as assuredly we know that God will bring the warmer weather and the long awaited spring, we know that he hears the prayers that we pray. Praise for: • A fruitful Christmas outreach project. • Training for our newest GNC team, that will begin teaching in January. • Those who gave financial gifts this past month. • Two new GNC’s that we are in the process of starting. Pray for: • An available room at the Cokato Elementary school for the GNC, final details, and for children. We hope to start this month. • The planning of a GNC that will start at a mobile home park in Annandale. • Current Good News Clubs that meet, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Pray for more children to be able to attend, that teachers will be prepared and present the gospel clearly, that learning would be fun and engaging. Pray too, that God would work in the hearts of the children to draw them to Himself. • Additional volunteers to complete Good News Club teams, so that we can start clubs in schools in St Michael, Buffalo, and Delano. • Us as we begin planning for summer ministry. Pray for God’s help in direction as we plan for Summer Missionary training (CYIA), for teens to serve as Summer Missionaries, and for locations to host clubs. • Church and volunteer connections as we expand our ministry in Stearns, Meeker, Mcleod and Kandiyohi Counties. • A couple ministering weekly in a mobile home park that would like to start a Bible study. Pray for God to provide a place for them to meet. • God to provide the needed financial resources to expand our ministry.

Happy New Year! We have news! Our borders are changing. , Our state is growing, and that is amazing news! We are adding a new chapter to our state. (drum roll please) Please welcome the Central Lakes Chapter! Their counties will include; Sherburne, Benton, Mille Lacs, Isanti, Kanabec, Morrison, and Todd. We are so excited to welcome the new Central Lakes Chapter! What does that mean? This new chapter means that CEF Minnesota is growing and that is an answer to prayer. It means that we have more staff and more volunteers so we will be able to reach more kids. This is our goal and what many people have been praying for but it is also a time of growth and stretching for our chapter. Several counties that we have had connections in are going to be part of the Central Lakes Chapter. This is strategic because it will help Central Lakes so that they do not have to start completely from scratch. We are adding several new counties to our chapter. The counties that we will be serving are; Wright, Stearns, Kandiyohi, Meeker, McLeod, and Carver. Because we are taking on four new counties that means that we will need to make new contacts and connections in those counties. We need your prayers as we reach into these new areas! Please pray that we will find more summer missionaries, that we will connect with churches that have a heart for their communities, that we will find people who are passionate about spreading the gospel, that God will guide us as we reach our area for him, and that God will provide for us financially in this time of growth.

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Merry Christmas to all of you! Christmas has always been and always will be one of my favorite holidays. I love the sights, sounds, and smells of the season that all help to prepare us for the culminating event that we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas morning: the birth of the Savior. This Christmas season I am incredibly thankful for each one of you who pray earnestly that this Jesus we celebrate on Christmas would be proclaimed to every child in the Great River Chapter. Praise for: Four boys who have been attending the Maple Lake GNC who do not attend church. A team to start a GNC in a new school in January. Children who attend the GNC’s and are excited to learn about God and the Bible. The great volunteers that God has provided to teach clubs so far! A host home to start a GNC in a local mobile home park. Pray for: A little girl from one of our GNC’s who is asking for prayer for her sister who does not believe in God or Jesus. More children to attend the Maple Lake Good News Club. Christmas follow-up outreach to kids. Favor with the Cokato Elementary school and a room to start the club. Additional volunteers to complete Good News Club teams, so that we can start clubs in St Michael, Buffalo, and Delano. The present Good News Clubs: Pray for children to be able to attend, teachers to be prepared and present the gospel clearly, and that God would work in the hearts of the children to draw them to Himself. Children who attended 5-Day Clubs receive continued follow-up and get connected in a local church. A couple ministering weekly in a mobile home park that would like to start a Bible study. Pray for God to provide a place for them to meet. God to provide the needed financial resources to expand our ministry