• Speaking to Indonesian Kids
Recently, I had the opportunity to return to the Indonesian Evangelical Church in Azusa, CA. The church was celebrating their 25th Anniversary of the founding of their Church. I was there to minister to the children. It was a festive time with lots of authentic Indonesian foods and desserts. Here I am performing, my now famous Stiff-Rope Trick, much to the delight and laughter of the children. This was a routine I first starting using on my India-Kid Mission last summer, with so much success that I included it in all thirty shows. Well, it was a hit here too.
This was the second time that I have been with this group of children. They seemed very glad that I could return. I was able to come last December for their annual Sunday School Christmas Program.
• Pocket Tool-Box Resources
This month’s Special Resource Collection for children’s evangelism is the Pocket Tool Box.
This wonderful toolbox filled with 14 tools has everything one will need to share God’s good news about His son Jesus Christ. This Tool Box comes complete with the following tools:
• (1) Gospel glove with scripture for each finger
• (1) Between You & GOD step-by-step instructional pamphlet
• (1) Wordless Book (3×2)
• (1) Pocket Wordless Book (1×1-1/2)
• (1) Wordless Wrist band
• (1) Half dollar size Coin with 15 scripture addresses
• (1) “Great Adventure” Cards (set of 4)
• (1) Comic strip tract entitled “In Search of the Greatest Treasure”
• (1) Comic strip tract entitled “Good News”
• (1) Finger Puppet (Peeper’s) & booklet to share Jesus
• (1) Evange-Cube and designer Leather Belt case
• (1) Evange-Pen (with retractable message inside)
• (1) Evange-Pencil
• (1) Gospel Magic Trick “Hunter’s Puzzle Knot”
• (1) Colorful plastic Tool Container (8”wide X 2-1/4” tall X 5-1/4” deep)
A $43.99 Value
Now one-low price of $29.99 (for the month of September only!)
There is a limited supply, so get yours, while they last!
Check it out at www.kidhelperresources.org
• Night At The Castle
We continue to enjoy our monthly fellowship with the Los Angeles Chapter of the Christian Magicians. Every month our meetings are held at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. This month our guest lecturer was a Balloonatic, Harvey Simpson. It was good time, demonstrating how we can add balloon twisting and unusual creations to teach the gospel truth in our programs. He really challenged us to add some balloons to our programs for children.
To find out more about our monthly meetings (click here).
• Kinard Family Celebrations
We now look for any excuse to get all the family together. It was an Open House, an Engagement Party and a Family Vacation, all rolled into one. This has been a great summer for our family. Sarah delivered Taylor, Kristen and Bryan announced their engagement, Ken and Jennifer announced the coming of grandchild number eight in 2009. So we scheduled a holiday/vacation for us all to be together to celebrate. We had an Open House to invite all our family and friends to visit us.
Above is a recent family photo taken in our backyard. (back left) Kevin and Sarah with Taylor, Bryan and Kristen, Barney (Proud Papa), Karina and Michael West holding Tennyson (Ken’s son), Cheryl West (Matt West was in Korea). (front left) Jennifer Kinard with son Spencer, my wife Sharon (Nana) with Madison (Kevin’s), Ken and his son Benjamin.
If you are interested in learning more about the family celebration….
• Brunch with Bob
When my wife Sharon spotted this Brunch with Bob opportunity at the UCLA Countrywide Classic Tennis Tournement, she just knew that I would love it. So I invited one of my “Bob” friends, Bob DeKlotz, to join me for Brunch. Bob and I usually have breakfast every Wednesday morning anyway, (we have been doing this for many years). So it was easy to think that we could just go to UCLA on our normal day to have the brunch and watch some great tennis afterwards. We both like to play and watch tennis.
So what was Brunch with Bob all about?
• Celebrate God’s Goodness
We had an wonderfully eventful mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Some fifty-two of us journeyed by bus to remote and needy places. The most wonderful part of the trip was that “God was with us.” He promised us that He would be with us, you know. It says in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” The Lord sure was there with us. One of the reasons I like to do mission work is that you get to experience the power and presence of God. He provided all we needed in every situation.
Here is just one example, and there are many, of how He showed His powerful presence.
• Oaxaca-Kid Mission Next
The time has come to depart for our next Kid Mission. This time we are off the Oaxaca, Mexico. We leave July 18, this Friday morning, for Mexico City, then transfer for a flight to the City of Oaxaca. There our team of fifty will board a bus and begin our missionary journey with Pastor Paul Su, the Director of 4 Christ Mission out of San Diego. I will be leading a nine-member children’s ministry team, who will be conducting children’s meetings at every stop along the way. Ultimately, we will end up in Cancun, some 1,500 miles and ten days later, and from there, fly back to Los Angeles on July 27th.
We have had a series of training meetings to prepare for this trip. Doctors, Nurses, Dentists and a host of team volunteers will be going. Several whole families go with us too; their children are on my children’s ministry team. We are prepared to teach choreographed music, theme crafts, puppetry, drama, personal testimony and I will be illustrating a couple of gospel messages with object lessons, gospel illusions and other visuals. It will be a lot of bus riding, there will be lots of kids. We will have long days, a couple of nights trying to sleep on the bus. We will do a little sight seeing towards the end of the trip. We hope to see some Aztec and Mayan Ruins, which should be very interesting.
Of course, these mission trips are not about being a tourist, on the contrary, they are serious, full on, short-term mission work. The team conducts a Discipleship Training Seminar and I will be one of the adult speakers. I will be teaching about Why Children’s Ministry is Important. It is a medical mission first of all, all the other ministries are a compliment to that, including evening rallies and revival-type meetings to reach out to friends of the Christians. We mostly attract people with our free medical help and medicine, which the doctors take with us. From this basic strategy, this Mexico Outreach Mission seeks to provide ministry among the poor, especially in smaller villages throughout Mexico and Central America. We are just one of many teams that travel throughout the year.
If you think of us during July 18 to July 27, we would appreciate your prayers: for our success, safety, strength, sleep, unity on the team, salvation for the children, medical help among the sick, training for the leaders, and ministry of encouragement among the poor everywhere we go. I am praying for endurance. More reports to follow. (I will be off line for ten days)
• Taylor Brianne Kinard Born
After nine months of waiting Sarah and Kevin’s second daughter arrived July 15th. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Taylor comes to a loving family with lots of support. This is a great time for Kevin and Sarah who seem to be really enjoying all these special blessings. There is enough love in our hearts to add another little one.
This is our seventh grand child. This is a great time for all of the family.
• Bryan & Kristen Are Engaged!
Well, It’s true! Bryan and Kristen announced their engagement this last weekend. After three years of dating and working through the nitty gritty of forming a good relationship, it finally happened. I was clued in that it was imminent, when Bryan took me out to dinner to ask for Kristen’s hand in marriage. He wanted my blessing and permission, which I gave. I respected the approach and the manner of the gentleman.
I congratulate Bryan, he asked Kristen to marry him the old fashion way….
• Madison Will Love This!
Madison, our two-year-old grand daughter is expecting a sister this week. So Sharon and I have been thinking how we could do something for her that would help her adjust to all the attention that comes with bringing a baby sister home. After some serious discussion and many investigative shopping trips to consider our options, we found a really great deal on this playground set. We agreed that “Madison will love this.”
However, like many great gifts, some assembly is required. It took five of us over a period of three days to build it. But that is not all…
