A New Season - August 2012 Newsletter

 

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

 

A New Season

 

Thank you to all who prayed for our trip. We had a WONDERFUL time!! We traveled through 5 different states, visited 6 different national parks, and enjoyed the last 13 days of summer vacation.

Many of you may have had to go buy pencils, notebooks, rulers, and all the other supplies to get ready for school. Some of you may have had to pack up childhood rooms in cars and see your kids off to college. While others of you may be simply enjoying these last days of summer, and looking forward to changes that fall brings. For us, we have prepared our hearts, minds, and schedules for our favorite time of the year – the beginning of the academic school year!!

We returned from our vacation to sprint into ministry. What a blast we have had! Getting to hear stories from the summer, meeting new students from all over the place, and being able to share the Gospel with people – we are thoroughly enjoying being back in the swing of things!!

We’re only a week in, and so far we have had over 15 people indicate decisions to follow Christ!! PRAISE GOD!!! Many of those were indicated on cards after our first Connect meeting. One guy met with a staff member before classes even began to talk about Jesus, and made a decision at the end of their meeting! God is doing amazing things before our eyes, and it has only been one week.

Another great story was at our first Thursday dinner of the year. We had a great open discussion, with a handful of students being fully honest that they were there investigating Christianity. After the big discussion, one student said he didn’t know the Gospel to one of our student leaders. The leader shared the Gospel, and though the student was very interested he didn’t make a decision yet as far as we know to follow Christ. Please pray for him to make a decision soon!!

First Thursday Dinner!!

Prayer Requests

 

We are so excited to see all that God is doing! For this reason, we really wanted to share this with all of you. These praises have come with their fair share of pressure. As we have faced some obstacles in meeting students. And as a couple, small things have come up this week to distract us from ministry and getting time together. But thanks be to God as He continues to give us the strength to persevere!

-       Pray for opposition to cease so we can continue to meet students to share the Good News with Fort Lewis College.

-       Pray for our student leaders to have the time and heart to serve this year.

-       Pray that we can be faithful to follow up with the students who we have met so far this year. We both have packed our schedules with appointments with new students to learn about and share Jesus with!!

-       Pray that both Malcolm and I can stay refreshed and energized to keep going. We will be leaving for another wedding (this one in Idaho) for another good friend of ours this month. Pray for safety for our trip, and for us to return ready to keep running the race in Durango!!

-       Thank you for your prayers, and for sharing your prayers and praises with us!

Swimming in the pond at the Ranch fun day

Paintball fight!!

 

Never Will I Leave You

Malcolm got to write the newsletter this time around (which he did a great job, I can't wait to post it)! We had a great time this last month and God has been showing us both a lot. I (Leah, if you couldn't guess) really wanted to share something that God showed me this past month.

When we were up in Denver, God really put on my heart to reach out to a couple friends of mine from childhood. They have both been on my "Most Wanted" list for a long time. When we were in middle school, I took both of them to Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je west where one did pray to receive Christ (though I do remember she was very afraid of hell, so I'm not sure if it was actual surrender to Christ or not - I'm not judging her decision, but she definitely is not living for Christ needless to say). The other I remember loved her experience at camp, but not sure she really made any commitments to Jesus. Regardless, they both have been exposed to the Gospel, but neither are living for Christ. In fact, I have seen them both go through very hard things since leaving high school. I don't want to share their personal lives here.

Anyway, with one friend, it took almost all week just to set down a time to see her. She kept changing times, bailing on our set time, etc. It was becoming a little discouraging. But God kept encouraging my heart saying, "Keep pursuing her. Show her how I won't give up pursuing her." So I kept pressing! Finally, we set down to have dinner after her work. Malcolm and I went to her work, and asked if we were still on for dinner. "Oh, I have to go to Boulder for something tonight!" she replied. AH! All this work, and I got 15 minutes of chat time! I wanted so badly to share the Gospel with her, to remind her of how good God is and how much He loves her! But God (and Malcolm) reminded me as we drove away - HE is in control! It's not my job to change hearts. It's my job to be obedient. And that's what I did. Gosh, even now my heart hurts for this friend of mine! How badly she needs Christ's healing in her life! How much hope she could have!! 

God keeps reminding me of one thing she said to me as we were hugging, "You are such a light to my life." How good is God! I barely did anything, and yet I did exactly what God wanted me to do - be obedient - and He did all the rest of the work!

My other friend is at a whole different place than my other friend. We got a whole hour to catch up, but I also didn't get to share the Gospel with her. But while I used the restroom, Malcolm got to share his testimony with her! (May I just say, I love that man I married!) 

I really desired to open up these relationships again, and to show these ladies just how much I love them and care for them, and ultimately how much God loves them. Pray for them please! And pray that I can be more bold next time to share the Gospel - or really, just be faithful to be obedient to what God wants me to do. 

God has really put this on my heart to encourage anyone who is reading this that it is never too late to reach out to those around you! Whenever I think of these friends, He has brought these scriptures to mind:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5

"...if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

2 Timothy 2:13

God doesn't give up! God is relentless in His pursuit of people! We don't have to give up either. There are 2 times in which it's too late to keep reaching out to other people: if they die, or if you die. Sharing the Gospel with nonbelievers is one thing you can't do in heaven. Let's pray for each other in this!! Let's be persistent to show how persistent God is!!

Renewed and Ready to Run - June 2012 Newsletter

 

“…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

 

Renewed and Ready to Run

 

We finally have had the chance to have some down time this summer - HOORAY! God has blessed us tremendously with allowing us opportunity to go camping, enjoy the outdoors, and relax at home. We also got the chance to celebrate our 1^st anniversary! Thank you so much for praying for us and our marriage – and we ask that you keep praying for us too, cause we have a long ways to go still!!

While we’ve been able to make merry our time of summer, we’ve also been able to hear how God has been moving and working in the lives of students. While camping in Crested Butte, CO, we had the chance to meet up with Anne. Anne joined 13 other students from around the U.S. (one of them being Rachel, another gal from FLC) in the month long summer project called Lifelines. Though she had only been there less than two weeks, she said that the lessons she had learned already were worth the trip!! Please pray for Anne and Rachel as they finish this week, and then process their time once they return home.

The other blessing through our students has been through a girl I will call “M”. My (Leah’s) relationship with M has been one over text messages trying to encourage her to follow God, meet together to try to talk, to come to Connect – ANYTHING to help her grow in her walk with God. This has been going on for a couple years now. Not too long ago, she texted me to say that she truly wants to put God first in her life and get connected with other believers. I could tell a change, especially when we actually got to get together for coffee and meet for the first time face to face! PLEASE pray for M in her walk with God, to stay in fellowship with believers, and that the enemy will not snatch her away again!!

We love our students, and we can’t wait to see them all again in a couple months! Keep praying for them to stay strong in the Lord this summer!!

 

Other Prayer Requests

 

-       Night Vision 2012 is July 13^th & 14^th!!! Please pray for us to reach any non-believers that may come, and clearly communicate the Gospel so everyone we talk to can know exactly how to have a personal relationship with God. If you’re in the area, don’t forget to come by and hear great music!!

-       Following Night Vision, we are taking the 3 interns that are working with Master Plan this summer to go climbing and share the Gospel up in the Boulder/Denver area. Pray that we can be VERY intentional with sharing the Gospel with climbers. And if you’re in the area and feel like giving climbing a try – contact us soon! We would love for you to join us!!

-       Both of us need to remember to rest so we can run hard once the school year comes. Please pray that we can not only get through the events, but also have time to rest and prepare for the upcoming semester!!

-       If you don’t know yet, Colorado is on fire! Please pray for those fighting the fires, and for the fires to cease. Rain would be nice as well!

 

 

Eternally Significant - May 2012 Newsletter

 

“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Eternally Significant

 

Has fear ever kept you from doing more in life? Has it kept you from living a life of adventure and fun? Has it kept you from living out the Great Commission? We believe that fear is one of the most, if not the most, debilitating factor to keep people from living the abundant life Jesus promised His followers in John 10:10.

This year, we had 19 students from all over the United States come to Crush Fear (a two week project in Durango, CO) for one simple reason:

They were tired of living in fear!

Master Plan staff put these students through a myriad of activities where they had to choose to either run from the things that scared them, or walk through their fear trusting that Jesus would take care of them. From physical fears (like heights) to personal fears (like being alone and confrontation) to ministry fears (like evangelism), these students trusted Christ through everything we threw at them!

Malcolm and I wish we could tell you all the amazing stories from those two weeks, but we only have time for one to give you a glimpse.

On our last day of sharing our faith on the streets of Durango, Malcolm and I decided to take a risk and take our carload of students to the tiny town of Silverton (about 30 minutes from Cascade Lodge). I got to be paired with a girl named Laura, and after having a difficult time trying to share with tourist, God led us to some locals to share the Gospel with.

Laura and I saw a couple guys sitting on their porch talking, and Laura boldly went up to them and asked if they wanted to take a spiritual picture survey (Soularium). After a while of talking, it was brought out that just the day before they were in a crazy situation where, as they said it, “it had to have been God that saved them.” Laura took the opportunity and asked, “Well, would you like to know this God who saved you?” They both said, “Yeah! That would be great!” I am so excited to let you know that you have a new brother in Christ today, because Laura boldly stepped out by faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to live out the Great Commission in her life!!

Later that night, Laura commented on the day by saying,

“ I did the most eternally significant thing of my life today.”

Laura, along with so many other students, caught Jesus’ heart and mission for what is truly worth investing in now that will last into eternity.

 

Prayer Requests

 

-       The first week of June we had the honor of attending Master Plan Ministries’ very first New Staff (and old staff too) Training at Three Trails Ranch (the property that the ministry has been spending the last three years working on to become functional). We had a great time getting to know our 10 new staff people that has come on within the last year, and being trained up in ministry. Please pray for these new staff for God to bring in their monthly financial needs so they can get on campus as soon as possible!

-       Night Vision 2012 in Olathe, CO, is July 13-14!! Please keep us in prayer as we prepare for the event to share the Gospel with as many people as possible. We need volunteers to help us, and we would also love for YOU to join us! Contact us soon for more details, or register to volunteer at nightvisionphm.com

-       Pray for Malcolm and I as we trust God with our busy summer of travels and support maintenance.

-       We are praying for you – so let us know if there is anything specific we can be praying for!! We love you all, and are so blessed to have you has partners to prepare others to reach and influence the world for Christ!!!

 Crush Fear Pictures

Students on Summer Projects

We have about 5 students (possibly a couple more) going on summer projects, about 3 working at Christian camps, and more that are heading home for the summer with the heart and intention to live for Christ and make Him known to others around them! Isn't that amazing?! With summer projects (which are pretty much mission trips through Cru) quickly approaching, time is running out for the funds to come in for them in order to go. These students have stepped out in faith to say that they're going, trust Him to bring in the money and then have Him use them on their trips to reach others. What an exciting time! If you could please pray for them, their teams, and their finances as they go, that would be awesome!

"This summer God has provided me with the most amazing opportunity to serve him at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I will be going on the same summer project as last year but was invited to be student staff. I will be co-leading a bible study with some of the other staff as well as discipling 3 or 4 different girls attending the summer project. I am seriously so excited to take daily steps of faith this summer and trust the Lord with my whole heart. To GO and share the absolutely be love of all with the people in Orlando. I will be going on this project from May 26-July 7th and need to trust the Lord in raising 2,500 dollars. I also request prayer for this experience and that God would prepare my heart as well as the heart of the students attending this project. Thank you very much."

Ashlie Battiato

 "Following graduation in May, my options are to intern at a Young Life camp, intern at the Olympic Center, or start practicing as a personal trainer. I also plan on being a climbing bum, and make light sabers and sell them. I also hope to make enough money to buy a car so I can move to the Springs or Fort Collins. Prayers would be appreciated."
Taylor Carrillo

 

 "I got into my summer project! It is 'Shifting Sands' in North Africa with Jesus Film Ministries. I would greatly appreciate prayers! Of course I will also need to raise the support, which is about $4-5,000. The project is for three weeks in the June."
Rachael Taylor
1676 West Kuiaha Rd.
Haiku, HI 96708

 

 "I am working at a summer camp, Anderson Western Camps, near Eagle, Colorado from May 28 to August 20. I will be a rafting guide, doing rock climbing, and what not. Prayers would be appreciated."
John Clewe

 "I am working at a summer camp from May12- August 1. I am taking 14 boys with 3 other staff members into the wilderness. We will be rock climbing, leadership building, mountain biking, rafting, caving, backpacking, and much more. It will be a summer to live in a hammock with one shower a week."
Miranda Lanning

 

"With support, I will be going on a one month Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ. I will be in the outdoors learning about God and life led by the Holy Spirit. The focus of the project will be 'doing ministry' with co-workers; building relationships and looking for opportunities to share Christ. I need to raise $3,250 in around two months. I need several partners to give finical support (towards housing, materials, some meals etc.). If the Lord leads you to support me, checks can be written out to Campus Crusade for Christ, online gifts can be given here: http://www.arkpages.com/vail/team-members/brandon-cox/ , or mail checks to:
Brandon Cox
Fort Lewis College
7594 1000 Rim Dr
Durango, CO 81301
 Mainly, I need prayer. God is going to do amazing things. Also, pray for Colin B. as he trusts God to go on this same project!"
Brandon Cox

"I have an unbelievable opportunity to take part in a summer mission project sponsored by Campus Crusade. With support, I will be spending a month of my summer (June 9-July 9) in the mountains of Crested Butte with Rocky Mountain Lifelines. The purpose of this summer project is to bring students into a grace and truth relationship with God and each other, to develop character and leadership in students using small groups, and to apply and reproduce these concepts back on campus and at home. Lifelines uses the outdoors to help people grow in relationship with God, in relationships with each other, in character, and in leadership. I need to raise a total of $2,750 by June 1st. If you would like to help me financially, please email me at lilbarby09@yahoo.com.  Also, prayers are greatly appreciated as I trust and follow God during this process."
Anne Barby

P.O. Box 4275
Durango, CO 81302

 

 And we have for sure one student, and possibly two other students, for our summer project called Crush Fear. The two- week project starts May 14th for staff, and May 16th for the students - who are coming from all over the United States. Then we all leave May 30th. They will each need to raise $500. Chris Bilotta is raising support, and you can make checks out to Master Plan Ministries and mail support checks to:
Chris Bilotta
    7512 Tamarisk Dr.
     Fort Collins, CO 80528
Contact Malcolm and I for more details or if you would like to financially support these students.

We also have 3 interns with us in Durango this summer! We are so excited to see these students grow in their walks and learn what ministry is all about. Two of the interns were at Crush Fear last year, and the other is a student that Malcolm has been discipling for the past few years. Pray for these students, and contact us if God lead's you help them financially this summer.

Thank you for taking the time to read through and pray for our students! We are so proud of them, and so excited to see what God will do this summer!!

Praise the Lord! - April 2012 Newsletter

 

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced…”

1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Thinking Back with Praise

 

Praise the Lord for this year!! We have finished another school year, and when we look back we can’t do anything except thank God for what He accomplished. Between the students we worked with and the staff, we have guessed that around 400 students on our campus have heard the Gospel, and over 30 people (either in our ministry or through the students in our ministry) made decisions for Christ this school year!! That’s more than either of us have seen, even while we were students!

Not only that, but the students have taken tremendous steps in their walks with God. From making the decision to be baptized, to sharing their testimony in front of a group (or a church service), putting together talks, leading bible studies, leading in various areas within the ministry – we were so blessed for the people God put in our path this year.

In this newsletter, we just want to tell you some exciting stories from this past semester – join with us as we look back at all that God accomplished our first semester on campus!!

(L to R) Clara, Jamie, and Shawnee at our end of the year BBQ

 

Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Shawnee was somewhat involved last semester – attending Connect, Cross training, and other events. By the looks of her, we all assumed she was a Christ-follower. But finally someone decided not to assume anything, and shared the Gospel with her. After taking a couple days at home to think through the information shared with her, Shawnee returned beaming with sharing that she surrendered her life to Jesus!

Watching Shawnee grow in the Lord this semester has been a great joy to everyone she encounters. Not long after personally receiving Jesus into her life, she began actively praying for her family to know Jesus, and has been sharing with them the same Good News that changed her life.

One of my (Leah) last times with Shawnee before she left was talking about her day, and she shared with me how she had this great quiet time that morning. Then she told me, “I can’t wait for the summer. Half an hour isn’t long enough to spend time with God. I really want at least an hour to read and study.” After talking some more about our walks with God, she told me, “I love our lifestyle!” She loves being a Christian, and it truly shows! Pray for Shawnee as she’s home this summer, especially for her spiritual growth and sharing with her family.

Senior's Night/ Last Connect of the Year

 

Reaching the Campus for Christ

Brandon, who just completed his junior year, shared this story with us:

“I had to present in front of my [psychology] class ‘My Career after College’ so I presented about college ministry. We had to give a definition what our career was and current topics discussed in the chosen career. I explained ministry. Then I said, ‘the current topic in ministry is “How to Know God Personally".’ I then shared my memorized version of the 4 points to knowing God personally (He loves you, we sin & are separated from knowing Him personally, Jesus bridged that gap, we must respond personally to his grace through faith in prayer). Basically, I had 10 minutes to share the gospel with my whole class. I don't fully know their response, but I like the quote, ‘Take the initiative through the power of the Holy Spirit and trust the results to God.’”

 

Prayer Requests

The next month is BUSY full of very exciting things. Thank you for your prayers!

-       We are excited to let you all know that Malcolm and I are moving to a new apartment! We hope new place will be better for ministering to the students, especially the climbers. Pray that we can move quickly and efficiently into the new place, which is happening before Crush Fear.

-       Crush Fear begins May 14^th (the students arrive May 16^th) through May 30^th. Students from all over the U.S. are coming to Durango for two weeks to walk through and crush fears in ministry, personal, etc. so they can live fruitful lives in obedience to God. Pray for staff and students alike as we prepare and walk through this project. Pray for protection, perseverance, and growth.

-       Pray for our student’s summer. That while they’re home that they will find fellowship and grow on their own. We also have many students leaving for summer projects (mission trips) for at least a couple weeks out of their summers. Most will be in Colorado, but we do have one student going to be “student staff” with Cru at Walt Disney World, and one going to Northern Africa. All of them have funds that they still need to raise. Pray for them as they raise the rest of their funds, prepare for their trips, and grow in their walks with God. If you would like more information on their trips and their financial needs, visit our website.

Our New Mailing Address:

Malcolm and Leah Hillewaert

75 Misty Lane #3

Durango, CO 81301

NIGHT VISION 2012

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY  

 

Night Vision is a 2-day concert in Olathe, CO, July 13-14^th. We have been given the unique opportunity to join with the Praise Him Ministries (PHM) staff to go around the festival and share the Gospel with people! Spreading the Gospel is the biggest passion of PHM, and is one of the biggest reasons they even put on the concert. If you would like to join us volunteering by sharing your faith, then contact us for more information, or visit nightvisionphm.com to learn more about the concert, PHM, or how to volunteer.