Project George

Our 3-5 year-old class

Front Row: Theryn, Brylan, Khade, Kyrie, Traven; Back Row: Micah, Danielle, Larona, Michelle

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.” ~Revelation 18:4

With the scripture listed above, I am not eluding to the plagues of black flies, mosquitoes, stray angry dogs, of any of the like, however, I am intensely excited for the opportunity to “come out” and remove ourselves from the “noise” of the island. Though many will tell you that this is a fairly quiet place with not a lot of ‘goings-on,’ the truth is, the youth are constantly being inundated with “noise”- with negative messages, with drama from damaged families, with pressure to be something they are not, with a constant addiction to social media, and with a variety of other meaningless manipulations.

         On Thursday, 10 leaders (Josh, Kristen, Brittany, Brenden,  Frances, John Carter, Chen, Alice, Alaina, and myself) will be taking 15 youth (ages 11-14) into the bush. We will be leaving the island on Thursday afternoon and returning to the island on Sunday evening. During our time away, we will have the opportunity to spend quality time with all 15 teens. Nine times within the course of the weekend, they will hear the messages from scripture and will be presented with the Gospel message. We will be teaching basic Christianity and lessons such as: how to pray, why we pray, and how to use the Bible.

         Because of the communities (and surrounding communities) critical need to address the suicide issues with teens, Charlie Cheechoo, the deputy chief has asked and allowed churches to use Project George, a camp sight in Onakawana designed to teach youth how to live like their ancestors. Not only will we be using the facility similar to that of a church camp, we will also be able to learn and teach some of the traditional ways of living. I am thankful that there are several native leaders attending, because if it was my responsibility to catch, prepare, and cook the fish, all 15 teens would additionally learn what it is like to be famished and in need of food. We will have many opportunities to encourage the teens and love on them in a natural environment and during scheduled recreation activities such as: boating, swimming, canoeing, sports, fishing, etc.

         Intentionally, I made this a separate blog post so that I could ask for some specific, fervent, and earnest prayer for our group as we embark on this adventure. This is an opportunity that the Lord has presented through His providence and we know that this weekend with these teens could produce huge results.

PRAYER REQUEST:

• Please pray that we do not get in the way. Pray that all personal agenda would be put aside. Pray that we are able to demonstrate love unconditionally, even when at times we may be exhausted, uncomfortable, and honestly- maybe annoyed (they ARE teenagers!)  
• Please pray that the teens’ hearts would be opened and that they would be mindful of Josh as he teaches, accepting what is said as truth and not another group attempting to gain “control” over them.  
• Please pray for safety. Pray that the Lord would place a hedge of protection around us as we travel, as we do various activities, and as we are responsible for 15 teens somewhere far into the bush.  
• Please pray that the teens would feel both loved and encouraged as individuals and not as any type of “project” or “mission.”