November 2007

Dear Friend and Loved Ones,

It was a crazy summer and we are only now recovering from all that went on. It started back in May with planning for our teen camp for the youth of Cairde Christian Fellowship and their friends. Kathi Perry made contact with Rose Drive Friends Church, and they sent over a group to help run the camp with her. This is the second year that we have had a church come and work with our youth and it has been a huge success. It has helped to strengthen them in their walk with the Lord.

Our teens are great and they play a huge part in our church, not only in sharing their faith, but also in ministries like teaching the youth and leading worship. They take a service themselves about once every three months, and we definitely see them as future leadership for Cairde.

Next were the camps. Notice I said, “camps”. We have been running the JAM Basketball Camp for three years now in Ringsend and this year we added a soccer camp. Now I know what you’re thinking - Todd, soccer? Three years ago, Bill Galipault brought a group to help with the JAM Basketball Camp. Bill is a former missionary and also a very good soccer coach who runs camps for Rose Drive Friends. While I was there on a visit we began to talk about doing a soccer camp for Cairde. A couple of the guys who had come to work with our teens and who were soccer coaches, stayed on to help run our first JAM Soccer Camp. Another team from Rose Drive arrived on the Saturday before camp and we met to discuss the camp and get ready. I basically gathered the kids and they did the rest. They did a great job and we had about 30 kids from the local flats. Our teens from the church and some of their friends also came along to take part. The camp was very well received by the community, and the campers had another opportunity to hear the gospel.

JAM Soccer Camp Coaches Corner – The Good News

Next in line was the JAM Basketball Camp. The local Technical College has allowed us to use their gym for the past two years. This has really helped, because you never know what the weather will be like. Another team flew in as our first team was leaving. This group also came from Rose Drive, and they did a great job of coaching and loving the children who came to the camp. The camp had about 50 kids in attendance, and once again we had many opportunities to share Christ. Some of these children have now come to Cairde on a Sunday morning. I really appreciate the people who gave of their time, money, and talents to help us share Christ with the people we are ministering to in the Ringsend community.

We then helped run the JAM Camp in Portmarnock. This camp has been running for about seven years now. Jerome Westbrooks, one of the best coaches in Ireland and one of my best friends, and I have been doing this camp together. Jerome wasn’t able to be there this time, so I helped, along with several of his children - who happen to be the best players in the country. It was fun to see the next generation reaching out to share the gospel through basketball.

And finally there was TeenStreet. This is a Christian conference, held each year, that brings over 4,000 Christian teens together for worship, discipleship, and outreach. Our teens had never attended anything like this, so we decided before the summer to go and see what it was all about. We had to earn enough money for flights and accommodations, so we bagged groceries at a local market for several weeks to earn money. This was a great opportunity for the teens to share with people why they were earning the money and also what the conference was about. Elaine McDonald and I went along as sponsors. What this meant was that we slept in tents on the floor with some 300 teenagers for a week. Let’s just say that it was a growing experience. Our teens loved it. They loved the music and times of worship. It is pretty exciting to see 4,000 young people singing and praising God all at once. I can’t imagine what Heaven will be like!

I learned while I was at TeenStreet that my brother Donn had passed away. He had been ill and in the hospital for several months. I had gone to visit him in May when he was in the Veterans Hospital in Los Angeles, at which time he had asked Christ into his life. Although it was a difficult trip, and hard on us all, we can rejoice in the fact that we will be together with him someday. Celesta and I spent a week helping my parents, and then went to be with her parents before returning to Ireland. Needless to say, we were exhausted by not only the summer, but also our trip to the States. We know we were lifted up in prayer by many of you and also those in Cairde. It’s always humbling to see how God uses others for our good.

All these things wouldn’t be possible without your prayers, giving, and sometimes coming to Ireland to help us. God is building His Church here in Ireland. We look forward to seeing how He moves in the coming year in the lives of those we love and are privileged minister to. Thanks for your part in making it all possible.

In God’s Love and Service,
Todd, Celesta, Ryan, Adam, Garrett, Olivia