2017 SPRING ENGLISH CLUB

What a great group of students!  The attendance and participation of these young people has touched our hearts in a way only our Dear Lord could orchestrate.  This week individual meetings with students continue, may the Holy Spirit create within each of us a heart to love beyond words, and when questioned, give us the words to speak for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, and let those words be seasoned with gentleness and respect.
All teachers will be sharing their testimony with their class this week.  May our Lord use these stories to touch the souls of students for His Glory.  Keep us humble as we walk hand in hand with you Jesus.

American Party!

A traditional event with each English Club is the American Party.  A time where the American Teaching Team hosts a party for the students and faculty of English Club.  The agenda includes, games, music, information about the U.S.A., and of course American Food.  Ukrainians love peanut butter, popcorn, veggies with dip and candy, so that is what we served, and lots of it :).

After eating, students join in games of foosball, jenga, uno, or they dance en mass to the sounds of the popular 'Just Dance' videos.  Below are some pictures of the event, along with a short fun video.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

English Club Jeopardy Game

Another team in the Jeopardy Game

Fern and Grant Brown Leading Music

Rich from Virginia with Campus Staff

Grant with a Jenga Competition

Fern playing a card game with students

Students with a different Jenga Game

Thursday March 16, 2017

It's so fun to engage the students with stories from our lives.  It opens the door to have significant conversations with them.  We are also enjoying reconnecting with our friends from last year's English Club, both students and teachers alike.

Paul Currier, 2nd trip EC.

Paul & Cheryl Currier-Rifle Colorado

You may have heard those names before, as Paul and Cheryl were part of the 2016 Spring English Club.  Cheryl is a teacher and her background in ESL helped to create the new Lesson Plans for the Spring Classes.  We are so appreciative to her for the hours of prep work she, Fern and Rachel put into this.  The lesson plans were created such, that they could be used over and over.  Great thinking gals.

Tonight is the American Party, where students come and get a 'taste' of America.  Literally and figuratively.  There will be presentations on the USA, and American Cuisine -- that's where the peanut butter comes in :). A few games and singing all to create relationships and show how people all over the world are God's creation and we share so much.  Paul will be giving his testimony and although this is last minute please pray for God's glory to touch the hearts and minds of the students and anyone within ear shot!  Even if you read this after the fact, please pray the seeds that were planted are watered and tended, as we never know who, when or where a soul make may the decision to follow Christ.

We have tons of pictures to post but that will have to wait until tomorrow, when we will also have some of the American Party.
God bless you and keep you

(Thank you so much, Rita, for blogging for the team!!) (Family and friends, these are the members of our team from Medford, WI -- Fern & Grant, Rita, Sandy, and then me with my Ukrainian friend, Natalie.)

Our first Sunday here in Kiev was such a sweet day. One of my friends from years ago was able to join us for church and for lunch. Please pray with me that she (Natalie) would want to join a church family and grow.

I am especially humbled to see how many young families there are in the churches here now and what sincere believers God has raised up here on staff with Cru. It is so beautiful to see how God's church has grown over these last twenty years -- I have cried tears of joy and awe several times in these few days since we arrived.

We have had quite the whirlwind this week. Preparing for class time and setting up the rooms each night does take a lot of time, and the classes are full of eager students hanging on our every word; however, it is all worth it when I take time to reflect on how God is at work, patiently drawing us to Himself -- how He has touched me and trained me so that now I can reach out to others.

Our first night (and every night since), as I stood up to read the passage from scripture to the students, I got chills when I realized I was reading God's Word aloud in a former communist university classroom! What a beautiful, crazy, amazing privilege.

Today was our third class time, and my co-teacher and class administrator, Lena, said she really enjoyed the class and my teaching time. She said I spoke loudly and clearly and that I was relaxed and "enjoying the stage" (the limelight?). I am so thankful for her comments because I have been worried about how class was going.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my class. Five students keep leaving before the Bible lesson time, and their attitude is one of "it's not cool" to stay around for Bible study. They seem to leave as a group. Please pray with me that they would have a change of heart.

Praise God with me for how the other students are leaning in to learn and read more in the Bible. Praise God with me for how I have been able to share examples from my own life of how God has touched and changed me.

Last but not least, Friday I will travel alone to my "hometown" in Ukraine, where I lived back in 1997-98. It is an overnight train ride. I would appreciate your prayers for my trip there and back (I will take the overnight train back on Sunday night). I need discernment about who to visit and who to call, etc.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers.

Kelly Schafer

Kelly and Sandy preparing for English Club.
It's so nice to have the curriculum created for us.  It makes our preparation for class much easier.









The picture to the right is Sandy and Linda's Class. Dima is our class administrator, he takes care of all the 'techy' stuff and makes sure we stay on time for each hour.  In Sandy's words... these students are 'awesome'!

Monday Evening 10:53PM

Prayers Answered!  The first night of English Club always holds some trepidation, with timing, computers, seating and you name it, it can happen.  That being said, all went pretty smooth.  The students commented they were happy to be there, and with smiles on their faces.  That may sound funny but as the teams have shared before, the normal facial response is emotionless.  The class lessons ran seamlessly and allowed for much conversation.  The students were prepared to learn.

Sandy shared, as she presented the Bible Lesson Hour, she felt the Holy Spirit 'take over' and the words flowed from her mouth :).  Her sweet spirit is a huge blessing for her class.

The Q&A for the Bible Hour on Creation led to some interesting discussions and a wide variety of answers, from the Big Bang Theory, to it just happened, to 'if there is a God, then I would want to know him', to 'I just don't believe, and then one small voice chimed in, 'I do believe in a Creator'.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit continues to open these young minds to God's Word. That relationships be formed to challenge their thinking process for open discussion, and that they feel 'safe' in sharing their responses knowing they will not be judged.

Thank you to all of our 'prayer partners', God hears you.