A Word of Encouragement

Dave and Bonnie Lambert

"Her words frustrated me.  It seemed as if she really did not understand what she was saying.  I wanted to scream, to pout, (OK to be honest I probably did pout a bit), to demand that my wishes come true.  The year was 1995 and I was in the Base Exchange on Yokosuka Navy base in Japan, the store where you find everything from electronics to clothes to jewelry.  My wife had sent me out with very clear directions, find our first grade son new jeans.  Seemed simple enough, as the only store on base they had to have 6 year old boy’s pants.  But try as I might I could not find a single pair.  Not jeans, not slacks, not anything.  I finally got a salesperson to help and that is when they informed me that they were all out of stock on any pants that would fit a 6 year old boy.  Their solution, drive the 2 hours and pay the $40.00 in tolls to make the trip to the next nearest base and see if they had any pants in stock.  I could not believe it.  I asked to see the manager who as politely as possible affirmed her sales clerk position.  There were no pants to be found and they were not sure when any new stock would arrive.  Her rational response to my frustration is still is a vivid memory to this day.  'Sir, the school year is just starting and you know there are many 6 year old boys on this base.'  I did know that.  My boy was one of them.  The elementary school was just down the road from my office.  The assistant principal was a friend.  It was then that the realization of the need for ministry to this demographic hit home.  On our one small base that was way too overcrowded there were over 1800 elementary students. Those numbers did not include the satellite bases close by or the other bases in the Tokyo area or spread throughout Asia.  There were 1800 kids whose parents were active duty Navy all down the street from me.  All were growing up with parents who would deploy up to 9 months of each and every year and there was no ministry focused on them.  

Friends, that is why we are so excited to have Matthew and Sarah Annanie join the Cadence family.  They have huge hearts for not just kids but military kids.  The need is incredible, they have been called to go, now they need people who are willing to catch their vision and send them, to stand shoulder to shoulder with them to reach the thousands of children growing up with parents in our military.  Would you consider partnering with them as they minister to these kids?  As far as the jean expedition went, as I was walking out of the store another sales clerk ran up and informed me that she had found a single pair of 6 year old boy jeans in the storage area.  Mission success!"
                                                                                      With expectation,

                                                                                               Dave Lambert
                                                                                               Director of Mobilization and Training

Military Bases on Okinawa

The need for children's ministry is tremendous! The DoDDs (Department of Defense Dependent Schools) serve over 24,000 students in 45 schools across Japan, South Korea, Okinawa, and Guam! That includes all Kindergarten through 12th graders! Okinawa alone, currently has 4,288 K-5th graders! That is just Kindergarten through 5th grade, which is roughly 18% of all the U.S. military students currently living in the Pacific region. We want need, to be there now to reach these kids for Christ!! Will you help us reach those kids for Christ? Are YOU with us??
-Matthew

Now What?

Leading K-3rd Grade Worship

After January came to a close and we weren't fully funded, I was pretty discouraged. Matthew and I spent the previous months sharing with people our goal to be supported 100% by January and we missed the mark. I was embarrassed and neither of us had the answer to the daunting, “When will you leave, now?” For the next couple of weeks, we spent time praying and seeking for an answer. What did we come up with? One simple verse: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 NLT) After reading that verse and then reading it another 50 times, peace filled my anxious spirit. I was reminded that it is the Lord who decides when we will leave and when we will stay; He is the one who has and will always guide our steps. What an encouragement for us— we will continue planning and raising our support, but it is the Lord who officially decides when we will leave.

Matthew leading Large Group

What’s next? We will still work as hard, if not harder, to raise our necessary funds. We have set a new goal; we would love to see our full support come in by June of this year. In order for that to happen, we are going to pray like crazy, invite as many people as we can to join our team and get the word out there!! We currently have 22 pledged supporters giving close to $2,400 a month. We need to almost triple those numbers in order for us to be released to the field! Please pray for our support to increase and consider joining us financially. 

In between raising our funds and working part time jobs, we will continue serving the children in our church through Kid's Quest and AWANA. As I have mentioned before, we love our church. We love serving and we love the people we serve alongside. Matthew and I have been given an amazing opportunity to learn from them, for that we are truly grateful. 

Made Alive In Christ

    When I (Sarah) think of where I would be without having Jesus Christ in my life, I cannot help but rejoice!! Before I became a Christian, I experienced some extremely difficult events. The first happened when I was five and my parents divorced. The justice system decided my dad was a better fit for my brother, my sister and myself. I saw my mom every Wednesday and every other weekend. My dad was my security, constant and the absolute best. Three short years later, my dad was diagnosed with esophagus cancer; he passed away two weeks before starting second grade.  In these two weeks, we had a funeral, packed up my things, said goodbye to my childhood house; friends and moved two hours away from all I had ever known. My siblings and I moved in with my dad’s oldest sister and her husband. They were gracious enough to buy a new home that fit three children and change their lives entirely. As an eight year old, I did not see their sacrifice; all I knew was that my life had changed and I wasn't too happy. My security was gone and the only thing familiar was my mom, who now lived two hours away. Needless to say, my siblings and I were not the nicest children; we made life a living nightmare for my Aunt and Uncle. In fact, it was so terrible, a year and a half later they let us move in with my mom. Shortly after moving in, I started realizing why my dad wanted us to live with his family and not my mom.  Once I hit sixth grade, I started hanging out with kids who “had connections,” students that were in high school or drop outs. I picked up smoking and drinking and did some drugs. I was so young, so lost and walking down a path full of nothing but destruction. I kept this up for two years, until I started to realize none of it really satisfied me.

    My brother went to church and he seemed happy, so I asked if I could go to youth group with him. Once I started going, I didn't stop. A few months later, our Pastor taught us about cold, hot and lukewarm Christians, using Revelation 3:15-17. I was the lukewarm Christian, which was worse than not believing in God. That very night, I decided to give my life to Christ. I also decided it was time to not just go to church for youth group, but also go on Sundays. Going to church on Sundays, turned into also going to prayer on Wednesdays, this later turned into going five and six days a week. I did not go because I wanted everyone to see me as a “Super Christian,” I went because it was a safe haven. I did not like being at my house, I didn't feel secure.

    I cannot tell you that since I became a Christian, my life has been a walk in the park. I continue to go through hard seasons of life and I still have bad things come my way, but I now have a place of refuge to run to. I can, however, tell you that after becoming a Christian, my life has been completely turned around. I do not turn to drinking or drugs when things aren't going well, instead, I turn to the only One who can fix my problems and my pain. I believe there will be children in our ministry that will come in with pain, some similar to my own experiences and some that aren't. Either way, I am confident God has given me the ability to relate to them. He will make a difference in their lives by using mine.

“All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5