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15 Sharing news and light with friends of GEMS
Executive Director’s letter Dear friends in Christ, Through GEMS, girls discover God’s magnificent love for them. But the realities of life can sweep that away. When clubs share stories of brokenness and hurt, my heart mourns. But GEMS continues to offer hope, promise, purpose, and joy! Because children are a gift from God entrusted to our care, we are passionate about exposing girls everywhere to His love. This ministry is needed more today than ever, and we are so thankful for your prayers and support! Girls need Christ-centered women to mentor them, build relationships with them, teach them the warmth of belonging, and to model servant leadership. We are so thankful for our current GEMS counselors and we ask you to pray for others to step forward to start more clubs. This year we are focusing on Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Our theme, Choose Truth, will inspire girls to dive into God’s Word as they learn that every story in God’s Book points to Jesus. What a privilege to have God’s Word as a guide as we mentor these precious girls! And God continues to lead us and open more and more doors as GEMS expands! Here are few of the highlights: •
In the last few months opportunities have developed that will allow us
to reach out to the families and communities surrounding The Esther School in Zambia. Church leaders from 11 countries outside of North America have expressed interest in having GEMS provide leadership training in their area. •
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GEMS Girls’ Clubs Executive Board Shirley Batts – Portage, Michigan Cheryl Boer – Chandler, Arizona Linda Hermen – Beecher, Illinois Judy Kapteyn – Sarnia, Ontario
We have secured a camp that will allow us to have more girls than ever attend our 2016 Get Connected! Camp for earlyteen girls.
Mary Klingenberg – Hagersville, Ontario
We have been welcomed to participate in expos, homeschool conventions, and multi-denominational and Christian education events.
Amy VandenBerg – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Debra Liccar – Crete, Illinois Andrea Mulder – Norwich, Ontario Mary Jo Vis – Riverside, California Cindy Visser – Zeeland, Michigan
To God be all the glory!
GEMS Girls’ Clubs Staff
I want to encourage you. You are essential to GEMS! What you do is important. Whether it is regular prayer, financial support, directly serving girls, or hosting a club in your building, God has put you here for this time and called you to fulfill a significant part reaching more girls with His love! Thank you!
Training Manager – Lenae Bulthuis Operations Director – Michele DeHaan Managing Editor – Kelli Gilmore Graphic & Web Designer – Lisa Hunter Customer Relations – Hannah Noorman Executive Director – Kristine Palosaari International Ministries Director – Jill Postma
In Him,
Conference Coordinator – Alecia VanHulzen Senior Editor/Publications Director – Amy White
Kristine Palosaari Executive Director
Choose Truth Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105 Have you ever walked into a library with the intent of counting all the books? Probably not! There’s just too many! Then think about all of the books in all of the libraries around the world! Amidst all the stories we see and hear and read, there is one story that’s unlike any other—it’s God’s story. His story uncovers His heart for the world He created. His story is truth! And each page points to Jesus. As we turn to His Word to learn more and more about God’s radical love and His rescue plan for rebels, He will show us the best way to live. God’s story lights the way for our story, and this season we will be challenging women and girls to be lifelong hearers and doers of His Word. We are going to look at what it means to study it, cling to it, and be awed by it. We are going learn to walk in its light!
Investing in Our Leaders
We are committed to training women— equipping them with the things they need to guide and direct girls everywhere into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus. That’s why year after year we pour into the lives of our counselors at our Leadership Conference. Many could attest to the deep impact the 2015 event had on their hearts and minds as over 400 women gathered at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania this past July. They learned about the new
“conference benefits me as a leader because i learn all sorts of strategies and ideas for working with girls and helping them see how much jesus loves them.” theme, received new ideas to use in club, were trained on various curriculums, and had lots of time to share, worship, and have fun! Here’s what Club Coordinator Melanie Mendes from Ripon, California had to say about her time at the GEMS Leadership Conference this past July: “My experience at Conference was amazing again this year! After spending two days straight talking about getting into God’s Word and sharing it with others, I can’t wait to start the GEMS year and get the girls excited, too! “I think Conference benefits me as a leader because I learn all sorts of strategies and ideas for working with girls and helping them see how much Jesus loves them.
“But the bonus of Conference is that I myself come back filled up with excitement and spiritually recharged. Sometimes it’s easy to look at GEMS as just another thing we do at church, but it is so much more than that. This ministry is also a mission field gathering girls to love our Lord and Savior, and I feel so blessed to be involved with it!”
Montana Bound!
The GEMS Leadership Conference is stopping in Big Sky Country next July! Encourage GEMS counselors to mark July 21-24 on their calendars because they won’t want to miss it! And, if you are in a position to help make Conference attendance a reality for the women in GEMS your community, LEADERSHIP please do so! TRAINING CONFERENCE
staff grows at the esther school
GEMS LEADERSHIP TRAINING LOCAL WORKSHOPS
Each year the The Esther School grows. New classrooms and students are added, which also means more staff! This year we welcome Wayne Costley as our new Headmaster/Principal. Wayne and his wife, Allison, and their two daughters previously lived in Kampala, Uganda and are excited as they transition to live in Zambia!
GEMS LEADERSHIP TRAINING SPRING SEMINAR
We also welcome second grade teacher Gina VanLaan. Gina grew up in West Michigan and graduated from Dordt College. During her college years, she visited Zambia on a cross-cultural trip where she convinced her professor to change the schedule to include a visit to The Esther School. She knew all about the school from her years in GEMS and felt the Holy Spirit nudging her to serve and teach in Zambia. To connect with the Costleys or Gina and to follow their blogs, visit estherschool.org.
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The Costleys
Gina VanLaan
annual theme goes international Each year, a group of dedicated women travel to Zambia as part of our international training team. While in Zambia, they spend time with GEMS counselors—preparing them for another year of club and building relationships. This year the theme material was introduced for the first time since GEMS began training outside North America. Previously Zambian counselors had been trained on international curriculum, relationship building, and new ideas for club. This new addition gives counselors more options. It’s an important step forward, and many counselors expressed their gratitude for the new material. GEMS trainers tweaked the North American Annual Theme materials to be culturally sensitive and relevant. Overall the training experience was impactful and enriching! We plan to continually enhance these training experiences as GEMS expands around the world!
bringing the message The GEMS Annual Theme for 2014/15 was teaching girls to Bring the Message—to share their love of Jesus with others. Lots of clubs found creative ways to do this through field trips, volunteer projects, and care packages. But for the fourth grade GEMS at Crete Reformed Church of Crete, Illinois, this meant sharing the Micah Road Mysteries books and back issues of SHINE brightly and Sparkle Magazines with their local library. “Our girls loved going to the library and presenting the books to the librarian,” said Club Coordinator, Debbie Liccar. The Crete GEMS are passionate about serving. Their most exciting GEMS nights, according to Debbie, are when they serve others. Besides donating books and magazines, they enjoy singing Christmas carols at a local nursing home and putting together packages for young mothers at their church. “Our girls believe if every girl was a GEM it would change the world!” Debbie said. And donating the books and magazines is their first step to making this happen!
Order A Copy!
If your daughter, granddaughter, or GEM loves a good mystery, they will love The Micah Road Mysteries—Shadows in Tenebray Forest and The Secret Order—two full length books from GEMS. Buy them a copy today by visiting gemsgc.org!
“our girls believe if every girl was a GEM it would change the world!” Have the GEMS counselors or girls in your life done something to bless others or an organization in your community? We want to hear about it! Share your stories by sending them to kelli@gemsgc. org. 3
2015 GEMS Open
shining brightly
A huge thanks to all the contributors and participants who helped make the 2015 GEMS Open a huge success! With your support, GEMS is able to continue to grow and challenge young girls everywhere to live passionate lives that embody justice, mercy, and humility.
The readers of SHINE brightly Magazine—a GEMS publication for girls ages 9-14—never cease to amaze us. Through stories, articles, quizzes, and Bible lessons, each issue of SHINE strives to equip, motivate, and inspire girls to be activists for Christ. And since September 2014, one way our readers have engaged their potential to be world-changers is by collecting change for our Dime Drive.
Thanks again to these businesses and individuals:
Lunch Sponsors
Richard & Judy Eppinga Caveman Pallets LLC In Loving Memory of Lester J. DeHaan
cart Sponsors
Dan & Pat Scott De Jong Enterprises, Inc.
hole Sponsors
Visser Farms LLC Superior Foods Co.
tee Sponsors
Shannon Scott David and Shirley Batts Rycenga Building Center Stroo Funeral Home Inc. WDS Construction Inc. L&M Costa Inc. Havit Supplies Inc. & A&B Rentals Southwest Auto Service and Auto Wash Steensma Lawn & Power Equipment Van Den Berge Pest Control Inc. Best Way Disposal Red Arrow Dairy LLC Cherry Valley Excavating Northwestern Mutual VanDam & Krusinga Contractors Inc. Sovereign Order of Saint John Halliard Soap Co. Witte Travel & Tours Hoekstra Family Foundation Dykhouse Construction Inc.
Contributors
Jeff and Mary Klingenberg R&M Construction Larry and Linda Hermen Brian and Kristin Vosteen Gwen Wyman Tim & Deborah Sparks Hilary Meloen Vanderheide
Help us make next year another success! Consider sponsoring our 2016 GEMS Open. Visit gemsgc.org for more information.
The change collected has been used to help establish a music program at The Esther School—a Christian day school for orphaned and under-resourced children in Chongwe, Zambia. Throughout this challenge we have received letters, emails, and pictures sharing stories of girls embracing justice and finding creative ways to collect change to make a difference across the globe. GEMS Clubs have held carwashes, change wars, and verse memorizing incentives while individual SHINE subscribers have pulled together change from their piggy banks, lemonade stands, and bake sales. Overall, girls have collected more than $16,000 for The Esther School! We continue to ask for your prayers and support as we t er s isintroduce a new le S campaign for our 2015/16 season for SHINE brightly and Sparkle Magazine (a GEMS publication for girls ages 6-8) called s! Ye the Room to Grow Campaign. As The Esther School grows, more classrooms, desks, pencils, and bookshelves are needed—and that’s where this campaign comes in.
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Our readers will be challenged to continue collecting change in order to fill the fourth grade classroom with the necessary supplies. We are excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to see how God will continue to use girls everywhere to make a difference in His world. As a supporter of the GEMS ministry, you have had a hand in impacting these girls. It is with your encouragement and prayers that we can continue to inspire girls to be justice-seekers. So, thank you! And if you have a girl in your life who could benefit from a subscription to one of our magazines, contact the Service Center (servicecenter@gemsgc.org) today!
Stewardship When we realize everything belongs to God and we are His stewards, we understand the importance of passing our assets on in a way that honors Him. The Barnabas Foundation assists supporters of GEMS Girls’ Clubs with estate planning. They will guide your decision making to best fit your personal circumstances. They work on a confidential basis and their service is provided at no cost to you. Let the Barnabas Foundation help you plan your gifts for maximum impact. Contact them at 1.888.448.3040 or barnabasfoundation.com.