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One way is to understand the greatness of God. This year GEMS is delving into John 3:30, “He must become greater; I must become less.” It is extremely important that we truly know, believe, and have faith in God because it changes the way we view the world and what is possible! In Numbers 14:6-9 we see an example of this as Joshua and Caleb address the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone but the Lord is
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director’s letter This morning I was reading Seeking God’s Face by Philip Reinders, and one of his prayers really stung my heart. He started his prayer with this question: “Covenant God, how could your people be so close to the promise—almost tasting the milk and honey—and yet fail to receive it?” which made me wonder if followers of Christ are the same today. If the answer to that question is “yes,” then how do we as leaders, pastors, and mature believers change that answer to “no”?
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with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Joshua and Caleb believed in the greatness of God, so they viewed the world very differently.
GEMS Girls’ Clubs EXECUTIVE BOARD
And that is exactly what GEMS is doing this year with our theme Who’s the Greatest? We want women and girls to completely understand every aspect of God’s greatness. We want them to believe that He is all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, and everlasting. This type of belief will empower them to live radically faithful lives— acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. This will give them confidence to take that step into the promised land and into the world.
Cori Dykhouse – Port Lambton, Ontario
To this end, GEMS Girls’ Clubs wants to equip women to share, to mentor, and to pour the truth of God’s greatness into the lives of girls. We offer many opportunities for training that will help transform your church ministries— so as a supporter of GEMS, encourage a counselor to attend!
Director of International Ministries – Jan Boone
Shirley Batts – Portage, Michigan Cheryl Boer – Eden Prairie, Minnesota Sally Janssen - Zeeland, Michigan Mary Klingenberg – Mount Hope, Ontario Debra Liccar – Crete, Illinois Henrietta Reinders – Rockwood, Ontario Pat Scott – Jacksonville, Florida Amy VandenBerg – Grand Rapids, Michigan Mary Jo Vis – Riverside, California Cindy Visser – Zeeland, Michigan
GEMS Girls’ Clubs STAFF Executive Director – Kathryn Miller Training Manager – Lenae Bulthuis Office Manager – Michele DeHaan Managing Editor – Kelli Gilmore Graphic & Web Designer – Lisa Hunter Customer Relations – Hannah Noorman Conference Coordinator – Alecia VanHulzen Senior Editor – Amy White
Kathryn Miller Executive Director
who’s the greatest? He must become greater; I must become less (John 3:30). We have an amazing capacity to think about ourselves, don’t we? What we want and like and need and deserve. But John the Baptist suggests a different way to live. A better way. He modeled a life of humility that sought to put God on center stage at all times. This season, girls in GEMS Clubs all over North America will explore what it means to make God great in their lives. They will learn that for the world to see Jesus in us, He must increase and we must decrease. But that doesn’t mean we think of ourselves as worthless. Not at all! As C.S. Lewis said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Counselors will be guiding girls all year as they answer the question: Who’s the Greatest? Join us in exploring what it looks like to make much of God in everything we do!
Training and Equipping In July, women gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia for the Annual Counselors’ Leadership Conference where they received training for the current GEMS season. Women were refreshed in their own faith walks while gaining valuable instruction for their work with girls. We believe that equipping women to be meaningful mentors is one of the best ways we can achieve our mission of bringing girls everywhere into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus. Here’s what a few attendees had to say about this premiere training event: “I love the freedom to worship. This is a place where I feel God’s love. What a blessing to be part of this ministry!” “I LOVED Conference, it was a wonderful experience that I needed in order to become better equipped as a GEMS leader. I am already looking forward to next year and many more Conferences to come!” “My first experience was amazing and life changing.”
Start Planning! Encourage the GEMS counselors in your life to start planning for next year’s Conference! We will be at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 23-26.
bid out loud Girls like to talk. And at GEMS, we show them how to use that love of chatter to be a positive force in the world. We want them to understand what it means to stand up and speak out—to use their voices to help the hurting and bring the Good News to the lost. This fall, we’re asking you to use your voice, too! In order to offer our programs and services to girls—expanding our presence and reaching even more girls for Christ—we rely on your continued support. GEMS will host an online auction November 22 to benefit the overall ministry. We’ll be featuring stories from women and girls all week—women and girls who have been deeply touched by the GEMS ministry. Please log on the week of the auction, at biddingforgood.com/GEMS, browse the items, and then shout your support for GEMS as you BID OUT LOUD!
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Bid OUT LOUD
GEMS Online Auction
the esther school is expanding! School. Jillian is serving as the first-grade teacher while Dave is serving as the PE teacher for the whole school in addition to being the chapel coordinator, community outreach worker, and working alongside Kevin DeKam learning the role of the school administrator.
Dave and Jillian Draayer had no intention of moving to Zambia, but that is exactly what they did this past August in response to God’s call. After hearing about The Esther School through Drew and Arika Roelofs’ (administrators at the school) blog, the couple decided to send an encouraging email to the family. “It had been our intention to do this before, but we had just not gotten to TH E ES TH ER S C H O O L it,” they explained. “We went to bed that night feeling good. We had emailed them. We had encouraged them. Our job was done. God was happy. We were happy. Back to our normal life we go…but not really. God was working and preparing to move our hearts to a new place. FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Building a community of faithful and skillful servant leaders
“When we woke up, we read an email from Arika letting us know The Esther School was: looking for a first-grade teacher, had a desire to begin a Physical Education program, and was looking for someone to mentor the young men in the village. We wept as we read this email. We had no plans to move to Zambia, but God was opening doors—and our hearts!” Dave and Jillian have degrees in education, with Dave’s specialty being Physical Education. After more thought and prayer, the couple committed to joining the staff at The Esther
Follow along with the Draayer’s experience by visiting their blog, draayersinzambia. wordpress.com. You can check-in with the other staff members as well!
Student Sponsors Needed! Each year we will add a new grade to The Esther School. That means each year we will need 24 additional student sponsors. As a sponsor, you will make it possible for children to attend the school. For a gift of $600 per year (or $50 per month), you will be providing the following for your student: school uniforms with shoes, backpack, schoolbooks and supplies, library books, daily breakfast and lunch, and annual physicals. Visit estherschool.org for more information, or fill out the form below!
The Esther School Student Sponsorship Form Sponsor Name: Address: City:
State/Province:
Email:
I would like to sponsor a student at The Esther School for the 2013/14 school year.
Payment will be in the form of:
Zip/Postal Code: Phone: (
check made out to GEMS Girls’ Clubs with ES Student Sponsorship in the memo line
Please send form with payment to: GEMS Girls’ Clubs ES Student Sponsorship 1333 Alger St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507
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credit or debit card Visa
Mastercard
Discover
Card #: Expiration date: Address on card (if different than above):
every cent matters We believe girls can make a difference. That they can change the world—one small act of justice at a time. We spend a great deal of time talking about the fact that God created girls with a voice and purpose, right here and right now. They don’t have to wait until they are older to get involved. And we are constantly inspired by the stories and letters we receive from girls letting us know how they are reaching out to help. One of our youngest GEMS recently wrote, Hi! My name is Rylee, and I hope this money helps you. I earned the money by a lemonade stand, losing six teeth, babysitting, and taking care of cats. This is to buy two bricks to help at The Esther School. Your continued support allows us to inspire more girls to claim their identity in Christ—reaching out and making an impact because of their hope and trust in Him!
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gems open This past spring, teams came out in force to pledge their support to our mission of bringing girls everywhere into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you again to our many sponsors who made our annual GEMS Open successful—and who consistently make this ministry possible! Event Sponsors Eudell and Mary Jo Vis Brad and Cheryl Boer Alan and Terri Kaiser Richard and Judy Eppinga Leon and Louise Koops Jeff and Mary Klingenberg Mall City Containers Michael J. Liccar & Company Homes by Dutch Mill: Construction by Doorn Myles and Glennys Kuperus De Jong Enterprises, Inc. R & M Construction
Southwest Auto Service and Auto Wash
Cart Sponsors Dale and Jan Boone Gerrit and Cori Dykhouse John and Linda VanSingel Eenhoorn, LLC
Tee Sponsors Shannon Scott and Gwen Wyman Ralph and Irene Drost Klooster Greenhouse One Way Products Wood Work Specialties Red Arrow Dairy Treystar Van Den Berge Pest Control Gerald Van Wieren MD Born Clinic WDS Construction, Inc Havit Supplies A&B Rentals Stroo Funeral Home Bowerman Blueberries L & M Costa Inc
Hole Sponsors Dan and Pat Scott Harold and Cindy Redeker Jason and Shelley Kuipers Shirley Batts Reinders Family Hendriksma Farms Best Way Disposal Action Plumbing Ajacs Die Sales Corp. Ship Pac Deppe Mold and Tooling Visser Farms
Contributors Brian and Kristin Vosteen Don and Barb Bellinger Bruce and Patty Gorter David and Linda Fink Mike and Viola Roman Liz Yadon Bryan Scott Kurt and Andrea Jefferson Petra Arends Bob and Angela Flak Nel Dykhouse Bob and Pam Dedrick
VanDam and Kruisenga Building and Restoration Dave and Kaija Hakala Sherolde Denmark Darren and Mylyn Landinguin Blane and Jacki Carneal Ian and Ryan Landinguin George and Gep Elzinga Lucy Link DeNooyer Chevrolet Holwerda-Snoap Sporting Goods GVL Excavating Steven D. Lyzenga DDS Gleneagle Golf Club Pilgrim’s Run Golf Club Maple Hill Golf Course Diamond Springs Golf Property Resources Inc. Ironwood Golf Course The Moors Golf Course Mines Golf Course Broadmoor Country Club All-Star Printing Grand Buick Top Distributing Ludwicks Bakery
get connected! camp Each year, the GEMS Open helps underwrites the costs of Get Connected! Camp—GEMS’ summer camp for early teen girls. Coming again in August of 2014, Get Connected! Camp is a truly life-changing experience. We strip away the distractions of everyday life to speak truth, share, and have a lot of fun with girls from all over the US and Canada. If you know a junior high GEM—make sure she knows about this amazing opportunity coming next summer!
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Janie’s Cookies Custom Printers Celebration! Cinema Rivertown Kregel Publications Graphics Unlimited Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille Russ’ On The Border Calvin College Bookstore Field’s Fabrics Wise Photography Cindy’s Hair Care Tee-2-Green Vlietstra Landscape Lewis Paper Bluewater Orthopaedic and Sports Supply Cascade Roadhouse Dixon Golf Zuidema Interiors Wallaceburg Bookbinding & Mfg. Co., Ltd.