King’s Kids El Paso Alumni Reach Out
From time to time we want you to hear about the young adults who were in King’s Kids El Paso’s ministries, who have taken further steps with the Lord. So far, alumni from KKEP have ministered in 72 nations, as shown on the map below. We are so grateful to the Lord for calling many former King’s Kids to serve Him throughout the world!
Trey Valadez returned from South America last month after completing his Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Argentina and Chile. This is the foundational Youth With A Mission course. He is planning on attending UTEP in the fall and becoming part time staff with King’s Kids.
Ren Jackson is currently in the same YWAM program in South Africa and will soon leave for Botswana and Zimbabwe. She loves Africa and has been particularly touched by the AIDS crisis there.
Jade Jenkins is on staff with YWAM’s inner city ministry in San Francisco, where she has served for the last two years. She loves the children there and runs an after school program and junior high girls’ ministry.
Tahmi Prado will graduate from Calvary Chapel Bible College in May with a degree in theology. She studied in their Bible college in Wales for a semester, and plans to become a missionary.
Amy Giallanza recently completed a YWAM Christian counseling school in Australia and ministered throughout India and Thailand. She is back in El Paso and preparing to return to Australia as a staff worker in the same counseling school, and then will do the advanced counseling program in the spring of 2008. Amy also completed her DTS in California, a School of Worship in Montana and a School of the Bible in Texas with a one month outreach in Brazil.
Juarez Spring Break Outreach Report
The 185 kids and adults who came to Juarez for a week from six states experienced great worship, service to the poor, construction for a local ministry, Vacation Bible School, door to door Bible distribution, and an outdoor evangelistic fiesta that brought hundreds of local people out for food, games, jumping balloons and music. The kids built bathrooms for several poor families and we had health care teachings in the poor colonia. We even planted over 120 trees as a community service. There were teachings from a health care professional for the women of the community and even tortilla making lessons with the women’s Bible study members teaching the kids and adults, which was a lot of fun and a bonding experience. The interaction with the community was great and opened the door for future ministry for both King’s Kids and Life Challenge, the missionary organization we’re helping there.
We saw the Lord touch the hearts of many kids at the camp, with weeping and lengthy altar prayer times, and had many people respond to the Gospel in the neighborhood. One young crack addict checked into a Christian drug rehab center last month and is seeing God’s transformation in his life and restored relationship with his family.
Local Ministry
The 9-12 year olds went to the Christian Men’s Home, an annual outreach that is a great experience both for the men and the children. Many of the men have lost their families due to addictions, and some strong ministry takes place each time we go, with tears streaming down the face of several men. Last month the Junior Team had an Old West Adventure, with gold mining near Oro Grande, tomahawk throwing and other fun events. We took the teenage Senior Team group through some evangelism training, then out to pray over the city in numerous places and seek God’s heart for the lost. They were especially burdened when we prayed outside the mosque for the Lord to reach the Muslim community in El Paso.
This month the citywide youth leaders’ network has arranged a service project day, in which King’s Kids will join about 150 youth will spend a day serving various ministries and community organizations. These include the Dame La Mano women’s shelter, the Lee Moor children’s home, the Rescue Mission, Youth for Christ offices, the Ronald McDonald house and the Ysleta Lutheran Mission. We believe that learning to serve others is a crucial and often neglected part of discipleship. It’s good for kids to learn to do some hard work to benefit others, and feel the satisfaction and blessing from the Lord that comes from looking outside ourselves. We will also take the junior King’s Kids team to help with Heart for the World’s ministry by packing tons of food that they distribute in a monthly evangelistic outreach to the poor in Dona Ana County.