Youth Leaders, I Need Your Help!

Sooooo many things have been going on! My heart is so filled with joy today as I think about all of the opportunities to share about my boys that I have been blessed with in the last month or two! But first, here is a blessing of a photo...:)

Two of the new boys with Ibra (in orange) playing on their swing set... oh those boys...

I Have Shared With...

1 Church Congregation...

1 Women's Group... 

1 Community Christian School (Chapel Service grades K-12!)

1 Sunday School Class

2 Small-Town businesses who purchased jewelry (and who knows how many will hear of my boys through purchasing that jewelry!)

5 small groups from churches...

4 small student groups... (I shared at Pottsville 6th Grade and the students were so enthusiastic about my presentation that they told their teacher, "It was SOO worth it that we were late! It was awesome!" ..then sweet Mrs. Prock allowed me to share with her next two classes at the school! THANK YOU, Mrs. Prock!!

30,000+ people through a front page article in the local paper!

I  Am Scheduled To Share With...

1 Local Church Family

1 Celebrate Recovery Class

3 Women's Groups

1 Church Congregation (the church in which my grandfather left a legacy)

2 Sunday School Classes

...and who knows what else? Holler at me if you know someone who wants to hear the Lord's stories!

It is such a blessing each time I share with a group of individuals... My heart is encouraged and filled with so much joy when I speak of the Lord's work through these boys... So incredible! Lately I have been focused on this verse when I think of the ways the Lord is using my boys... they are so despised by the people in Uganda.. particularly the police who round them up and arrest them... But check this verse out! God MUST have been thinking of my street boys sharing His Son with the other Ugandans when He inspired these verses...!

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT)

²⁶ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. ²⁷ Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. ²⁸ God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ²⁹ As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Calling All Youth Leaders!!!

So, I am super excited about beginning to prepare for devotional times with our boys out in the Forever Homes of Bombo. I have been assigned one evening a night in each of the homes (2) to teach the boys... I really want to walk through books of the Bible and simply guide the boys in ways to study the Bible. I want it to be a "method" that they can apply in their personal studies... Also

1. I want it to be a "method" of studying that they can apply to any passage in their own personal study.

2. I want to walk through 1 book of the Bible at a time.

3. One study will be for younger boys (8-13) -- less writing, more discussion and maybe some coloring?

4. One study will be for the older boys (13-18) -- could involve more writing and discussion to help with English

5. My preference are studies that require them to write, draw, read... I am a fan of "templates" that they could create on a page or I could print off for them.

So what do you think? I have thought about an inductive study for the older boys.. and I have also heard of the discovery method where they 1. re-write the passage 2. paraphrase the passage with big ideas & 3. Write "I Will..." statements in response to the passage..

Also, any object lesson books are great too! Especially with the younger boys! :) What do you suggest?!

I welcome any advice or book recommendations for these boys! If you have a method you can send to me that would be great! If you know of a book that teaches through a certain book of the Bible, that is great too!  I am thankful for all and any help I can get.

David & Abby with a FULL HOUSE of younger boys in Bombo! Can't wait to return and meet the new guys and continue to love on the ones that are already in my heart! Aren't they goobers?!

And my final bit of excitement to share...

When I sent out my first ministry letter at the beginning of February I was 10% funded in monthly commitments to return to Uganda. As of now, I have 100% of my startup costs provided through one-time special gifts (first airfare, first month's rent, visa costs, phone, internet set up) and 50% of my monthly commitments have come in! I was at 10% and now at 50%! What a blessing the Lord has bestowed. If you haven't set up a monthly commitment and are wanting to, here is the website... Thank you to everyone who has already joined me for the journey of the Lord's work through these incredible boys in Uganda! 

www.cten.org/laurentaylor